Elefantbräu Weizen
Nagasaki Ōshima Jōzō Kabushiki Gaisha

Appearance: Huge, pearly, pillowy head with an airy, webby texture. Fair retention. Body is significantly darker than I'd expect out of a typical Hefe, but not to the point that this should be called a Dunkel; kind of a thickly hazed tarnished bronze, with weird, grainy chunks of yeast. This is actually a pretty ugly Hefe.

Smell: Massive spearmint/wintergreen notes up front, with cloves, very ripe bananas, cotton candy, and bubblegum following close behind. Sweet apple cider notes come through as well, along with unexpected pine and citrus notes, probably from the hops. Massively fruity, spicy, and complex. It's nice to see Japanese brewers stepping outside the box a little.

Taste: Huge clove flavor, not so much to be heavy-handed but it definitely makes its presence known. Dananas are almost as strong, coming through in a big surge mid-sip. Sadly most of the other flavors from the nose are very subdued here, though the cidery sweetness remains. Hops are vaguely citric, and yeast adds some funky sourdough notes.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, smooth, and slick. Feels a touch undercarbonated at times.

Drinkability: This is one of those beers that's more fun to smell than it is to drink, but it's still pretty good. Worth whatever exorbitant price I paid for it in Nagasaki, but not as enjoyable as the Pils.