Bavarian Style Hefeweizen
Silver City Brewery & Taproom

 

 

On-tap in Meridian; dark amber, moderate haze; notes of citrus, banana bread, wheat, tangy black pepper and clove, medium body of wheated malts, smooth, dry finish.

an interesting take on the style here, relatively classic, but slightly fuller and deeper on the malts than we often see, just a shade darker, but tons of body, almost a toasted wheat vibe to this, unexpected but i dont dislike it as we move into fall now. its real hazy, almost past the point of appeal for the style, but holds a full inch of white head in the proper glassware from the tap. definite clove spice in the nose, along with a little cracked pepper, green banana, and marshmallow sweetness, not as wheaty as expected, more bready on the grain side, baked rather than earthy. the flavor is similar, totally yeast driven and maybe a little warm, overly estery, but not way off. the grain is fuller bodied and with some sweetness, but its also got just a little more flavor than it usually does in these, more cooked, its good, great with the high tone yeast character, keeps it grounded and balanced. a bit more body and less carbonation than i want in this and as such is not quite as refreshing and drinkable as it should be, but its not bad at all, fits the style but also is unique to itself, and cool for the chillier weather coming up. not their most refined ale, but worth trying.

 

 

From the 22 ounce bottle, it pours a hazy amber with a nice head quickly diminishing to a thin layer. A bit of banana in the nose. The mouth gets a pleasant flavor of bread with a little banana.

 

22 oz. bottle - poured into weizen glass:

Pours clouded golden yellow. A white head thins and lasts, leaving lacing.

The smell is of vanilla, banana bread and some clove.

The taste is of vanilla and banana. Sweetness balanced by clove spicing in the finish.

On the thinner side, it is smooth and pretty creamy.

Hops and malt are American, but they work well in this German-style hefe and it still fits a traditional Bavarian Hefe because of the nice use of the Bavarian yeast strain.

Might not rank with the best of Bavaria, but it has a nice traditional taste and is a refreshing brew. A nice interpretation and a good choice for a "local" example of the style.

A good buy for under $5 at Fred Meyer's in Bremerton, WA.

 

 

 

On-tap at Chuck’s Hop Shop in Ballard on 8 June 2015.

Pours standard cloudy golden-yellow. One finger of white head, decent retention and lacing.

Smell is sort of thin. Very weedy. A little bit of faint, vague spice.

Taste is similar to the smell. A little clove, a little banana. Watery and rather empty. Not terrible, but lacking. And it’s a touch sharp, needing something to fill in the gaps that end up occupied by dull bitterness.

Feel is medium-bodied, light on carbonation. Watery, not buzzy or fluffy like I’d like it to be.

Middle of the road. Less flavorful than I want. And watery.

 

Poured from a bomber into a weizen glass on 03.28.14.

A: Cloudy light orange. There's no yeast cloud at the top. It's simply all cloudy.

S: Smells like a witbier. Spices. Weird.

T: Orange, strong spices.

M: Too watery.

O: This has an edge to it on the back end. It's almost bitterness, but not quite. This is definitely in the American style for hefs despite its title. I'm more of a purist, but this could use an orange slice to take the edge off. This seemed like a witbier rather than a hef. I didn't care for it.

Rating: C-

 

Color is a light amber color and quite clear even after several short pours. Lots of foam at first pour and less later, though some bubbles streaming in the tall Blanche de Chambly glass. Light but pleasant scent of malt and fresh hay.

A distinct bubble gum flavor but not the classic German esters. More canned peaches than bananas. Quite sharp and even acidic. Very light body. Carbonation is coarse and not long lasting. Rather bitter even before the finish.

Overall this is a little dishwatery . Still it's light and easy to swill though not much to brag about compared to most examples of the style. From the 22 oz bottle purchased at Special Brews in Lynnwood for just $4.49.