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Sockeye Grill & Brewery

a new one from these guys, maybe a shade darker in color than the bright yellow i like in the style, but a pretty good example of it overall, sockeye always seems to do a nice job with the classic styles, at least in my experience. the aroma on this is right on, all the german hefe yeast character combined with a nice hefty pale wheat malt base, green banana, allspice, and white pepper esters here, and maybe a pear or apple fruitiness as well, dry too, nice. the flavor is about the same, maybe a little more substantial on the malt than it needs to be, a touch filling as it warms and off dry instead of perfectly crisp to finish, but the creamy texture is right and the grain and the yeast are pretty perfectly matched throughout it. the carbonation could use a little boost, its not flat, but this is a style i really want to be effervescent, even explosive, and this is well short of that. still, i think the flavors are robust and traditional, and the beer overall is very well made. nice to have a good local hefe around this time of year.