Hef Nelson German Wheat Ale
Wild Rose Brewery & Taproom

An interesting taste experience for this Weiss ass. I like the thinking behind the hopping up a tradition Hefe Weizen. Definitely came across as a fruity, slightly hoppy brew as advertised on the label even though I felt the hops tended to blot out any of the classic banana and cloves too much. Would be really interested to try a version in that 25-30 IBU range vs. the current 45....

 

 

 

 

Colour is cloudy yellow, almost like peach flesh. Stable couple fingers of head. Smell is clove, banana, coriander, orange, but with a spicy, citrusy hop backbone. The only real shortcoming here is the carbonation, which is a bit too high, and it could use a bit more body.

650ml bomber poured into tulip 7/5/15.

A milky as all hell, loos more like juice, massive three finger bone white foam has great retention slowly ending up as a table top island leaving several partial rings of lace

S lemon, passion fruit, goose berries (yes I've actually encountered them) , floral, catty, vinous sauv blanc notes so stereotypical for the hop, hefe notes follow in the background with some bubblegum, banana, clove and spice I can't place with a little dry cereal

T not as big as the nose but still plenty of hops overwhelming the hefe notes, everything kinda blends together and nothing really sticks out like the nose, I'm liking it a lot but I was loving the nose

M light, just stays on the airy side of foam, spicy, hoppy finish lingers faintly

O starts off great but gets a little tame half way through, very easy to drink and I could see myself drinking it again but the hops carry it farther then the hefe

WHAT?!?! I can't hear you over this beer label, no seriously though this is the loudest beer bottle I've encountered in a while, neon and wrestlers? what could be better?

 

650ml bottle, an unfiltered hefeweizen hopped gratuitously (for the style, anyway) with the Nelson Sauvin varietal from New Zealand. Nice Stampede Wrestling-inspired punny name and label imagery.

This beer pours a rather cloudy, medium tarnished golden yellow colour, with three chubby fingers of puffy, finely foamy, and somewhat creamy off-white head, which leaves some random chunky sea bloom lace around the glass as it slowly recedes.

It smells of dank pine needles, a twinge of cat piss, subtle sub-tropical fruit (gooseberries and kiwis, natch), bready wheat malt, wet banana chips, a zesty white pepper and clove spiciness, and faint, hovering yeasty notes. The taste is grainy, slightly doughy pale and wheat malt, musty pine resin, a thankfully reduced uric acidity, muddled berry fruit, dried bananas, earthy cloves, a blended table-top pepper mill dustiness, and mildly phenolic yeast esters.

The carbonation is quite light in its ephemeral frothiness, the body a decent middleweight, and generally smooth, the particular guest hops and native yeast behaving like near-perfect gentlemen, as such. It finishes well off-dry, the lingering bready malt and varied fruitiness tugging strongly in that direction.

I am usually a bit weary (and wearied) by attempts to hop-up a wheat beer, especially one made in the traditional, old-world sense - it just seems like another unnecessary clash of cultures. So, ladies and germs, meet one of the exceptions that proves the rule - maybe the predominantly fruity nature of the Nelson Sauvin hop meshes more readily with the inherent spice and banana of the base wheat beer, or something, but overall, this one just works for me.