Von Winterherz Verhasst
HammerHeart Brewing Company

750 mL bottle. Gushes immediately. Pours with excessive carbonation and the head overflows the glass. Settles to a thick pillow of foam. Smells of meaty smoke, lots of banana esters, and some bready notes. Tastes of wheat, sweet doughy bread, lots of banana esters. Some light smokey flavors, but mostly hefeweizen flavors. A touch metallic. High carbonation and medium heavy. Interesting for sure. I didn't get a ton out of the bottle, but I also don't know how much I would have drank.

Shared at the Green Bay tasting from a 16 ounce can into tasting glass. Pours hazy golden yellow color with a small dense off white head with good retention and spotty soapy lacing on the glass. Aromas and flavors of big wood smoke, banana, bubblegum, peppercorn, clove, oak, hay, straw, grass, wheat, bread dough, herbal, floral, grass. Medium pine rind bitter and spicy yeast finish. Medium high carb and medium body. Fairly crisp clean refreshing finish. Balanced grainy malt and sticky resinous hop mouthfeel. Lingering resin dryness and no hop astringency. A very unique and enjoyable smoked Hefe.

16 oz can from the esteemed Ozzylizard
Pours a deeper amber hue for a Hefeweizen. Pretty but darker than typical. Only slightly opaque. Off white foam is pretty consistent, leaving minuscule lacing.
Aroma is definitely Hefeweizen, some banana, yeast, and spice with a gentle smoke note that comes in last. It is smooth and almost earthy.
Flavor follows the nose. Banana upfront, yeast, spice, and again, mild smoke.
Mouthfeel is light, appropriate carbonation level keeps things alive, and the finish is kind of a dry, mildly spiced, and the finish is both mildly smoky and a tad earthy and bitter.
An interesting beer. Smoked lightly so for those who are turned off by smoke could still enjoy this.

 

Von Winterherz Verhasst from Hammerheart. Four pack of 16 fl oz cans, picked up at France 44, 17/07/25, $ 17.83 (Including tax)/$ 0.279 per fl oz. This spent the nights in hotel reefers and daytime in an insulated cooler with other cold cans and bottles. Reviewed 26/07/25 (Review 3554). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Undated can. Stored at home at 40 degrees F. Served at 50.4 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature is ?? degrees F (Oops!).
Appearance – 4.25
First pour – Deep Gold (SRM 6), cloudy.
Body – Deep Gold (SRM 6), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear-lite, translucent gold.
Head – Average (Maximum 2.2 cm, aggressive center pour). White, high density, average retention, dropping to a 0.2 cm crown and a thin, partial cap. Lines of near-microscopic bubbles are left on the glass as the head contracts.
Lacing – Poor. Thin arcs and broken lines of near-microscopic bubbles.
Aroma – 4 – Weak smoke and yeast.
Flavor – 4.25 – Begins slightly sweet with banana, yeast, and smoke. No alcohol (6.8 % ABV, according to the label). No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Mild gastric warming. Ends with a bit of ashy dryness.
Palate – 4 – Medium: Slightly syrupy: Lively carbonation.
Style: Follows the style guidelines as condensed by BA.
Final impression and summation: 4 (After deducting 0.25 point for an undated can) Uncredited label artist. In general, not a fan of weissbier or hefeweizens, but a good smoking of the malt helps cure their failings. This beer is quite tasty.

16oz can. No dating information found. Label has this message, "uuugh. I hate weissbier. It tastes like banana."
Unfiltered, very cloudy, deep gold colored body. One finger of dull white head, which becomes a thin cap and ring.
Aroma is campfire meat smoke, with esters of cloves and banana.
Taste is tangy wheat malt, esters of cloves and banana, and a smoked oak malt that envelops all. Slight but recognizable sweetness. A little bit of smoked apple fruit comes in late. Aftertaste is rather aimless with wheat and smoked oak.
Medium mouthfeel. Tongue sting comes from repeated sips. Dry finish. Good carbonation.
A fully realized hefeweizen, with the all encompassing smoke.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a smoked imperial hefe. it seems like there is no style these guys wont tackle with smoke, and i for one am a huge fan. this one seems a little heavier to me than others, woody as well as smokey, although i dont believe it was wood aged, it has a real naturalness about it, and the spicy banana forward yeast loves the smoke, its a perfect yet unlikely match. its fluffy feeling from all the wheat, slightly acrid from all the smoke, earthy and intense, but also reasonable easy drinking for what it is, its just so interesting. clove and nutmeg and brown banana notes from the yeast mix with wet wood, forest must, and mellow smoke, wafting through all the nuances of it. to me the beer finishes bitter from the smoke, a little tannic from all the wheat, and sort of rich without being sweet. its sturdy and wintery to me, a bit much for the hot summer weather, but an incredibly unique beer that even has a maple syrup note to it. hammerheart can do no wrong by me right now, even though this one could use a little more carbonation to liven it up, i just love everything they do!

A wax dipped hefeweizen? Even Surly did not have the gall to do that and charge $10 a bottle. Opaque copper colored with a massive head that sounds like soda carbonation. Aroma is mostly smoke with a bit of yeast esters in the background. I get ham, campfire, banana, and cloves. I do not mind smoked hefeweizens, aka Grodziskie, when they are done right, and this is done right. Not completely dominated by the smoked malt but the wheat and yeast esters are allowed to come out in the flavor. Also helps that they seemingly used Bamberg smoked malt that features the ham, bacon flavors. The esters compliments the malt well. By the time I get half way through the bottle I am really getting into this beer. Despite its lively behavior during the initial pour, it feels a bit flat and allows the ashy aftertaste to linger on the palate.

 

 

On tap at the Hammerheart taproom. 13 oz. serving in a tall glass.

Appearance: Color is a cloudy amber orange. Moderate amount of bubbles and about a finger of white head that settles into a thin patch.

Smell: A smokey and fruity wheat driven aroma with a scent of smoked malt and dried fruit. Hefeweizen yeast with some hints of clove. Good hints of smoke and oak. Wheat with some hints of straw, grains, and cracker. Dried fruit hints of banana, apple, and pear along with some hints of bubblegum. A very good wheaty aroma.

Taste: Like it smells, a smokey and fruity wheat driven taste with notes of smoked malt, oak, and fried fruit. Hefeweizen yeast with notes of clove. Good smoke notes along with some oak. Bready wheat with some notes of grains, straw, and cracker. Good dried fruit presence with notes of banana, apple, and pear with some bubblegum. A pretty good taste.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation. Creamy, smooth, and drying.

Overall: A very good take on a Hefeweizen. The smoke adds a nice kick giving some Doppelbock like flavor.