Mike Duggan #13 Weissbier
Duggan's Brewery

Pours a hazy pale blond, big white head, lacing all the way down the glass. Smell is of banana, yeasty, thin malty presence and a light hoppy charachter, very clean overall. Taste is all banana, yeast is there, light bitterness. Mouthfeel is very thin and quite watery, light weight, carbonation was nice though. Very easy to drink, smooth and pretty good. This would be a good gateway hefeweizen.

Had this on-tap at Duggan's Brewery. Pours a hazy straw-yellow colour with thick white head. Head does dissipate a little bit quickly, not too much lacing. Smells of sweet bubblegum and banana with the traditional wheat malt aroma. Flavour is quite sweet, no bitterness at all really. Medium bodied, fairly smooth carbonation level. Nice hefeweizen.

On-tap at Duggan's Brewery, in Toronto.

Weissbiers were traditionally a specialty for summer consumption and although they've long since been being made for our year-round enjoyment they've continued to keep a bright golden appearance; this beer's clarity might be a little clouded - and its top few inches may actually be a big puffy white mass - but its complexion is radiantly sunny.

Most German-style wheat beers have an aroma that's revved up like a race car; this one seems to be stuck in a low gear. Anticipated notes of peppery, clove-like spice and bubble-gum are present but don't amount to the phenolic fireworks display I had hoped for. Buttery vanilla is much appreciated but doesn't compensate for the absence of banana.

And indeed the flavour could use a boost, too. I'm finding little to no banana or general fruitiness as well as a departure from the clove and spice that was noted in the aroma. Notes of bubble-gum and grains notwithstanding, the taste is stale, lacks in acidity and is coming across much more reminiscent of corn than it is of crisp wheat.

I can't say I find it overly refreshing (not relative to this style, anyhow). The culprit, I believe, is that there are too few bubbles to vitalize the tongue and perk up the palate; more carbonation is definitely needed to animate the phenols and energize the unflaked wheat. A dose of citrus zest (and a smidgen more spice) would also go a long way...

Variations abound as to how to brew a weissbier and everyone will have their favoured interpretation of the style. Some are more clovey, some more acidic, many are dominated by banana and fruit, while others yet are more spicy and phenolic. Nothing about Duggan's is wrong - it simply wasn't my favourite is all.

This beer appears a hazy straw colour, with two fingers of creamy white head, which leaves a wall of lace around the glass as it falls away. It smells of sweet banana, bubblegum, and soft white grain. The taste is more banana bubblegum, coriander, and sweet white wheat. The carbonation is moderate, the body medium weight, soft, and smooth, and it finishes sharp, with some more fruity wheatiness.

The wheat beers in this town are starting to change my mind on the matter of their worthiness (taste wise) to me as a style. Fruity, smooth, and balanced - what's not to like here?

Duggan brewed Denison's weisse at Mill street, and now he's brewing in Denison's original pub... so it should be no surprise that this one is top notch & strikingly similar (though certainly more Juicy Fruit bubble gum flavour).

A: Cloudy straw with a frothy white head, great retention & lacing (like a fresh German brew).

S: Plenty of banana, some bubble gum & hints of vanilla & clove.

T: Banana, wheaty bread, bubblegum, hints of caramel, vanilla & clove, with an underlying floral & peppery spicing. Bitterness is very restrained.

M: Medium body is smooth & creamy with an off-dry finish.

D: A great drinker.

I liked this beer, the unfilteredness of it. It was bannana, with a noticeable undercurrent of bitterness that made it most drinkable. Above average mouthfeel. Cloudy yellow with good lacing. Liked it, and its edge.The entire lineup is well hopped, and different than the standard brewpub.

On tap at the brewpub.

Pours a cloudy yellow/gold, thick and fluffy white head forms, settles down to a medium ring around the glass, some lace spots stick.

Smell is alright, tons of bubblegum, light banana smoothie, biscuity malt, caramel sweetness, very fruity, clove is not very apparent, a touch of lemon and some floral.

Taste is similar, sweet and bubblegummy, light banana and clove, caramel, biscuit, lots of fruitiness, some floral, a little on the sweet side.

Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied with medium carbonation. A decent weiss but can't say I appreciate the big bubblegum character. Just not my thing for weissbiers, but still very well made.

Half at the brewpub.

Pours a clouded lemon with a bone white head taht faded to a collar and left a few spots of lace. the appearance is the beer's low point and it improves from here on in. Large bubblegum, banana and clove aromas lead through to a delightful flavour. Loads of bubblegum on the palate mixing in with liquidised banana and a pleasant wheat background. I've has a lot of hefes the past few years, and this one ranks quite highly. Medium-light body with a pillowy carb is very well suited for the style.

I've been pleasantly surprised with this brewpub so far. I think on the basis of what I've tried I could become a regular customer.