8 Days A Wheat
Yellowhead Brewery

1L howler from the Capilano Likka Depo' (and at 14 bucks, not really the usual bulk deal, either) - kinda hard to find this one around town otherwise. A purported hefeweizen, made with orange zest and coriander - so, a hefe-wit, then, or on this site, simply an APWA.

This beer pours a hazy, medium golden yellow colour, with a teeming tower of puffy, finely foamy, and somewhat creamy off-white head, which leaves a yard sale of chunky, splattered lace around the glass as it very slowly blows off.

It smells of semi-sweet, grainy wheat malt, a touch of caramel, muddled domestic citrus rind, earthy coriander and white pepper spice, and a hint of gassy and grassy green noble hops. The taste is bready and doughy pale malt, some breakfast cereal wheatiness, wet banana chips - no, those banana marshmallow finger things - some still addled citrus notes, subtle earthy yeast, a fading coriander-led spice contingent, and more plain leafy, floral, and grassy hoppiness.

The carbonation is fairly active in its thorough and challenging frothiness, the body a solid middleweight, and mostly smooth, with a nice airy creaminess settling right in from the get-go. It finishes off-dry, the lingering mixed malt seeing lots of citrusy and banana-y (so sez the spell check) esters still flitting and gadding about.

Overall, a rather refreshing and sassy result for an attempt to make a mishmash of the world's wheat beers. You got your hefeweizen base (banana and yeast), your witbier adjuncts (coriander and citrus zest), and you got your no-holds barred, New World brewing concern to play Dr. Frankenstein: It's alive, it's alive, it's alive, IT'S ALIVE!