There's Always Money In The Banana Stand
Chain Reaction Brewing Company

July 8th, 2015 - A delightful reference to a classic television show, this beer has promise and premise right out of the gate. With a bright, citric yellow color it is a gorgeous beer, and the smell reflects the levity of the color - light, lemony and fresh. The flavor is anchored more in a Hefeweizen type flavor, with a caustic carbonation and heavy carbonation that runs through from foretaste to aftertaste. That obscures what I suspect are more interesting notes, but what I can salvage from the raging rapids of CO2 is quite good.

 

C- / BELOW AVERAGE

 

 

 

Sulfuric

 

L: Slightly Hazy Straw color with a creamy head and nice lacing on the glass.

S: Lemon clove and banana and a slight off putting mineral note.

T: Lemon peel and banana, a nice bitterness at the end.

F: Creamy, light body and easy drinking.

O: Pretty good hefe with an great name.

 

two things make this unique among beers in the hef style. the first is how clear it is. its got almost no yeast or sediment left in it at all, highly clear, and radiant in the glass. still heady and creamy, but not at all cloudy. the feel is cleaner because of it too. interesting. i usually like the creaminess the residuals bring to the feel, so this almost seems thin to me, but i like the lighter vibe and quicker finish. the second thing is the hops. its quite a bit more hoppy than the traditional german versions. not way bitter, but almost like a west coast style hef, with some oil and resin from the hops, and a profile like simcoe, although i dont know whats actually in it. unique in that way, and i like what it brings to the beer, a longer and more flavorful example. usually with chain reaction, the cleverness is on the sleeve, very obvious. here, its much more subtle, but i like what they have done with this one, and could drink a million of them in hot weather. these guys keep making awesome beers.