Haydens Way
Al's of Hampden / Pizza Boy Brewing

Expectations run low, near ground level for this one. The four packs were discounted, first by 5 percent, then ten and eventually twenty percent. Today, a pint can went for a dollar at the beer store. It's obviously not a fan favorite. The pour of the can's contents into a clear Imperial pint glass immediately shows the warning sign of a wheat based brew. The head is overwhelming and stark white. It doesn't last long, so after a few upturns of the can, it's now empty. The brew looks much like an unfiltered lemonade. It's yellow, dully and opaquely yellow. It smells strangely citrusy, but not clean nor sharp. The taste epitomizes almost everything going wrong in the current haze craze. First, this might be a blessing, there's not much of it. It isn't close to a good ale in body. Mainstream lagers do as well or better. There are a few wheat based beers that offset this grain's weakness by hopping the blandness out of it. Not this, for there's no redeeming taste sensation at all. This doesn't bring the richness of barley malt, nor the tartness or puckering power of a good sour. A dollar a can, probably not again.

Al's of Hampden / Pizza Boy Brewing "Haydens Way"
16 fl. oz. can, "CANNED ON: 05/26/2020 12:39" and sampled on 08/20/2020
$2.66 at the brewery

Look: Hazy golden body beneath an average sized head of bright white foam. Very good head retention and lacing but perhaps not as good as it could be for a hefeweizen.
Smell: Full of spicy phenolic clove and backed by soft banana and gently sweetish wheat malt.
Taste: As the aroma suggests it will be with the addition of some apple, pear, and an additional spiciness. A moderate bitterness balances it and it finishes fairly dry with a swirl of spiciness and fading clove.
Feel: Medium bodied and crisp.
Overall: While it's not a touchdown it's certainly nicely done. It's slightly unique, which is hard to do with a hefeweizen, and it's well balanced and rounded. I've had a few in Germany that were not quite as nice as this one.
Review #7,052