Wit
Kuhnhenn Brewing Company

Smells and tastes like a Hefeweizen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This brew was served on tap at the Kuhnhenn Brewing Company taproom in Warren, Michigan. It arrived in a generic pint glass, showing a light chardonnay wine coloring. It held a one finger head of creamy white bubbles, showing okay retention. This left gloopy, dripping spots of lacing around the glass as it fizzed away at a faster pace. Haze was definite, but no sediment was noted. Carbonation appeared to be light. The aroma was cloyingly sweet, with powdery pez candies, confectioner’s sugar, chlorine chemicals, pineapple and red apple fruitiness, bubblegum esters, light wheatiness, gravel, and chalk. Our first impression was that the flavoring was incredibly light. As we sipped, the taste began with mineral, the softest wheatiness, rubbers, plastics, white sugar, lemon rind, black pepper and coriander, and light grassy hops. The middle peaked with more plastics, ink, vanilla cake, lemon lime soda fizz, sweat, salt, and corny adjuncts. The end wash was just that, with harsh tap water cleaning all flavor from the palate. In all seriousness the finish showed light notes of salt, seltzer water bite, plastic phenols, cloth, grass, black pepper, sweet licorice, white flour, and dusty pale and wheaty grain. The aftertaste breathed of pistachio shells, honey, plastic garbage bags, seltzer and mineral waters, white flour, wheat, toasted white bread, and cane sugar. The body was light, and the carbonation was light. Each sip was watery, with lesser slurp and smack, and most feathery cream and froth. The mouth was left wet and drippy, with little coating, puck, astringency, or chalkiness. The abv was appropriate, and the beer glugged back with ease.

Overall, the best thing about this beer was its aroma. Here we got the most obvious semblance of the style, with decent wheat and grainy grit, spice, sweetness, and fullness. Although it was overly sweet and sugary, it still hit many of the necessary, stylistic high points. The flavoring, however, left much to be desired. It was intensely watered out, with the wheaty grain, spice, and citrics taking a far backstage to sugary sweetness. We had similar complaints about the feel, which was far too soft and thin, even for a lighter style such as this. This is not Kuhnhenn’s best effort, so if you’re in the mood for a lighter, lower abv beer, you might want to reach for something a little more flavorful and full.

 

 

 

On-tap at Kuhnhenn. Served in a 5oz taster glass.

A - White foam settles to a thin collar, leaving behind specks of lace. Surprisingly transparent, filtered, pale straw body.

S - Smells like hand lotion. Lots of coriander and mildly spicy yeast notes. Not overly phenolic, but lacking in your typical witbier's citrus character. Not terrible, but underwhelming.

T - The taste isn't quite as successful. A mix of wheat and spices, with very low sweetness and almost no citrus character. Odd Wit that is lacking in complexity and tastes more like a hand soap than a beer. Yeasty finish.

M - Medium-light body. Gritty wheat texture. Pleasant carbonation.

D - Odd beer. Not very good, not to style, but not completely undrinkable either.