Firebird
Gigantic Brewing Company

FirebirdFirebird
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From:
Gigantic Brewing Company
 
Oregon, United States
Style:
Hefeweizen
ABV:
6.1%
Score:
83
Avg:
3.65 | pDev: 13.7%
Ratings:
39 | reviews: 13
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Dec 22, 2023
Added:
Apr 26, 2014
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  6
Smoked Hefeweizen
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.88/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Draft at Loyal Legion. Dark, clear golden pour; small, creamy white head. Light smoky aroma, smoked meats. Taste carries that smoky edge to a full bodied, bready base, the smoked malts working in tandem with the weizen yeast for some fruity and sweet flavors. Very well balanced.
Dec 22, 2023
Photo of DefenCorps
Reviewed by DefenCorps from Oregon

4.14/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
On tap at Loyal Legion Beaverton.

A clear copper with a dense white head with good retention and lacing. The nose is great, fresh hefeweizen with wheat, banana, clove, a little bit of white pepper assertiveness with a delicate smoke,lightly spicy and complementing the clove nicely. The palate opens fruity and spicy with banana, clove, earth, a little honey and a great, dry, wheat character. The smoke is really delicate and nothing like the Schlenkerla weizen, which is my only other point of comparison for a smoked hefeweizen. Drying, clean ,fruity spicy finish. Lovely, so refreshing.
Dec 15, 2023
Photo of beergoot
Reviewed by beergoot from Colorado

3.69/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Bright, golden colored body; lots of slowly rising carbonation bubbles; thick, creamy head. Fine smokey aroma along with some faintly sweet malt notes. The taste mirrors the aroma with a bit more smoke lingering on the palate; fruity esters. Medium-light body; warm and smooth with a mild residual sugar presence.

This beer has been sitting in my beer refrigerator for a few years. The label on the bottle lists it as "BEER #18". Despite being 3-4 years old, there is a decent smokiness with the beer. The body is rather soft and light, very refreshing.
Jul 05, 2018
 
Rated: 2 by 1971bernat from Virginia

Jan 01, 2018
 
Rated: 3.71 by bigeyedfish89 from Maryland

Jun 06, 2015
Photo of drpimento
Reviewed by drpimento from Wisconsin

3.02/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
After reading the description and some reviews I had high hopes for this but they weren't fulfilled. Appearance is average with a small short lived head, no lace, and a hazy amber color. Aroma is mainly smoke with some traditional hefeweizen in the background. Flavor's similar to nose, with yeast and smoke up front and dominating along with carbonic tang, malt sweet barely noticeable Body is ok. Finish is a long bitterness that clashes with the smoke. Oh well..
Apr 02, 2015
 
Rated: 4.5 by lillitnn92 from Virginia

Nov 20, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by beerme626 from Kentucky

Nov 03, 2014
 
Rated: 3.32 by Wolberjs from California

Oct 12, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by dshansen1184 from Washington

Sep 21, 2014
 
Rated: 3.96 by TRiGS from Canada (BC)

Sep 06, 2014
 
Rated: 3.8 by sherpahigh from Canada (AB)

Sep 02, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by 22Blue from Kansas

Aug 28, 2014
Photo of flagmantho
Reviewed by flagmantho from Washington

3.85/5  rDev +5.5%
Poured from 22oz bomber into a weizen glass.

Appearance: nice yellow-golden hue with a moderate haze and a pretty strong effervescence. Head poured three fingers of frothy white foam, which receded slowly leaving a nice lace. An attractive hef!

Smell: nice smoky aroma, not too strong but not too subtle. There's also a little bit of a classic banana hefeweizen aroma here, although it is lower-intensity than the smoke. I kind of like it.

Taste: a good level of smokiness, although the rest of the beer reminds me a little more of an American pale wheat than a German hefeweizen. That said, there is still a little bit of phenolic clove character that works.

Mouthfeel: quite creamy and smooth right up front; not necessarily hugely carbonated or with a big body, but very silky. I quite like it.

Overall: this is a pretty good drinkin' beer. I would have liked it to be a little more traditional banana character, but it is quite good anyway.
Aug 27, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by schnarr84 from Canada (AB)

Jul 26, 2014
 
Rated: 4.44 by ladyweapon from Oregon

Jul 26, 2014
Photo of leaddog
Reviewed by leaddog from Canada (AB)

3.65/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Appearance - Pours a cloudy gold with two fingers of bubbly white head.

Smell - smoked malts, clove, banana, yeast, hint of wheat, kielbasa sausage aromas.

Taste - smoke malts and the kielbasa sausage aroma are predominate flavours. The clove, banana, yeast, and wheat round out the beer.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Finishes with the smoked kielbasa sausage flavour and yeast (clove, banana, and wheat).

Overall - An interesting take on the Hefeweizen style by adding smoked malts. I think the smoked malts and smoked meat (kielbasa sausage) take over this beer while the traditional flavours of the hefeweizen are left in the shadows. An interesting variation but the smoked malts may need to be toned down to make it more true to the style.
Jul 21, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by Howlader from Canada (AB)

Jul 20, 2014
Photo of HuskyinPDX
Reviewed by HuskyinPDX from Washington

3.97/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Bottle opened on 5.2.14

A - Pours a very hazy and cloudy pale orange with a silky cream-colored head with good retention.

S - Cloves, wheat, smoke.

T - Light wheat, cloves, then the smoke takes over.

D - Light body with good carbonation.

O - Nice light wheat, lots of smoke balances it out nicely.
Jul 15, 2014
Photo of mactrail
Reviewed by mactrail from Washington

3.38/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3
Cloudy yellow blonde in the De Proef narrow glass. Highly carbonated with lots of lacing. Spritzy and tangy in the mouth. Cloves all day long in the nose.

Somehow this tastes so cold and light, it's an interesting yet bizarre summer pleasure. This has to be the most intensely clove-tasting beer I have ever drunk. It's certainly smoked up too, but for some reason the sweetness and malt seem to have disappeared in favor of this crazy clove with the whiff of smoke. There is nothing of the barbecue or bacon here, it's just a snort of wood ashes and the dry, icy spice.

One of the strangest, yet somehow drinkable brews I have tasted. From the 22 oz bottle was purchased at Grapevine Liquor in Denver.
Jul 14, 2014