Braupakt 2018
Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan

The cloudy golden orange beer pours out into a Duvel glass with a 2 1/2” finely bubbled fluffy white head that recedes very slowly leaving lots of lacing that clings to the sides of the glass. Sipping clears the side a bit but leaves some patches and legs of lacing.

The aromas include some stone fruits (peach, apricot), some wheat, some citrus, a bit of caramel, along with the expected spicy clove and banana which are both in the background.

The flavors are much as expected from the nose with the citrus, stone fruits, some very light clove and banana. There’s also some caramel sweetness that is nicely balanced by a light citric and earthy bitterness.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied and creamy smooth with the finely bubbled, persistent and gentle carbonation. The finish begins as the sweetness, fruits and spice recede allowing some light pine, citric and herbal bitterness to bring things to a close in the semi-dry ending. The ending goes on for a long time and seems to have just a light touch of banana and clove that persists in the back of the mouth along with the light earthy bitterness.

I’m enjoying this beer and glad to have more waiting in the fridge so I can have more. The aroma/flavor profile is fairly complex and filled with elements of both the hefeweizen yeast and the hop bill that includes some American hops. It’s a shame that this one is a one-off brewing that we’ll not see brewed again since it’s such a nice example of what a collaboration between two different brewing traditions can produce.

Copenhagen 4/7 2018. 33 cl bottle from Meny. Bear with two barrels - one from Sierra Nevada and one from Weihenstephaner - trying to catch a ride by the roadside. Looks kind of heavy.

Pours hazy, golden yellow with a very big white head. Steady. Settles as a fat blanket of several centimeter thick foam covering the surface of the beer. Crawling up the side of the glass. Substantial lacing.

Aroma is sweetish lemonade. Fresh and fruity. Light notes of decay and fermentation. Citrus, elderberry, orange and cane sugar.

Strong carbonation. Slightly thick texture. Soft yet lively.

Flavor is a bit thin and watery. Medium strong sweetness followed by a lighter bitterness. Aftertaste is sweet intermingling with a delicate but notable bitterness. Fairly short.

Fresh and easily drinkable Hefeweizen. The American influence is discrete yet hard to miss.

RB transfer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bottle from Boise Co-op. Hazy golden with small lasting fluffy head. Aroma is spot on, bananas, clove, bubblegum. Taste adds the slightest amount of hops bitterness, not enough to deviate from the style, but enough to give it some extra character. In the same vein as the Schneider Hopfenweisse, but a little mellower.