Foothill Route 66 Hefeweizen Wheat Ale
Bayhawk Ales

 

Mildly hazy dark banana with a tincture of orange. There's a lot of fine-bubbled carbonation visible, but no yeast that I can see. Perhaps they'll make a belated appearance when I get into the bottom half of the bomber. Despite the extra loud 'pffft' on crown cracking, I didn't get the foam explosion that typically follows. The off-white cap is small, isn't very attractive and leaves very little lace.

Believe it or not, the first thing that occured to me after assessing the aroma was 'Belgium'. There's a sour, slightly funky aspect to the nose that puts me in mind of certain Belgian ales. Not identical, and not nearly as good, but with a passing resemblance. Hefe weizen? Not a chance. A tangy, funkified wheat ale maybe; but without the classic banana and clove esters, I can't go along with the stated style.

Foothill Route 66 isn't even close to good beer. It isn't a hefe weizen, it isn't an APWA and it certainly isn't a Belgian *anything*. For starters, it's skimpily malted (and that's being kind). The dominant flavor is a sour, lemon juiciness that is as powerfully puckery as anything I've tasted in the world of beer. It isn't the good sourness of a Flanders red or a lambic, but the bad sourness of watery, bitter... lemon juice. There's no better way to describe it than that.

Again, this stuff is as far from a true hefe weizen as it is from a Russian Imperial Stout. My hefe weizen banan-o-meter gives it a score of 0.0/5.0, the first time the needle hasn't even budged. The mouthfeel is irretrievably thin and has an annoying fine-bubbled fizziness that turns me off even more. I'm searching high and low for some redeeming qualities, but am coming up empty-handed.

My memory banks regarding Bayhawk beer are empty. Which means either that I haven't had any prior to today or what I did have was forgettable. If any of it tasted like this one tastes, I'm sure I would have remembered. There are no 'kicks' to be found in this bottle of Route 66, just a whole lotta puckerin' and a whole lotta swearin' at what amounts to a waste of my hard-earned $3.99.

Explodes out of bottle with a 5+ finger white head that fades quickly leaving no lace. Cloudy amber color. Medium bodied and medium-strong carbonation. Nose is faint wheat. Starts sweet/sour cider flavor and finishes smooth but sour with traces of yeast. $3.99 for a 22oz bottle from Liquorama Upland, Ca. Their site lists the ABV at 4.2% but the bottle has 5.4%??

Bayhawk's Route 66 Hefeweizen appears as any hefeweizen might, but it doesn't offer the expected characteristics that a Bavarian example does. Instead, it's more of an American style with a distinct citrusy character in both its aroma and flavor. The appearance is excellent, and in fact, its creamy white head holds better than some of the better known German offerings and leaves some remarkable sheets of creamy lace at the outset of the glass. The nose is decidedly wheat-like with a hint of sweetness and a splash of citrus. Overall, it's welcoming but not particularily enticing. It's medium-bodied, tending towards the light side (as usual); and its effervescent carbonation lends a light zest that awakens the taste buds. More citrusy notes are found in the flavor than the nose suggests, and it's quite lemony despite its fuzzy blanket of malt. A touch of spicy hop flavor works its way through; and a firm bitterness backs it up. You want refreshing? You got it!!! It's an excellent summer quencher, but I don't think it offers enough depth to provide any greater drinkability. Still, it's very well done and probably worth trying.