Gordon Hill Hefeweizen
Royal City Brewing Co.

Poured a 473ml can into a weizen glass. A two finger fine white head on a cloudy pale apricot.The head diminishes to a ring. Some patchy lacing.

Yeasty fruit smells. Very slight banana. The taste follow the nose with subdued banana, bubblegum and some apple. Definite hefe flavours but very dialed back. A mild spicy yeast finish.

Medium body and carbonation. Overall a a very mild Hefeweizen. It mostly fits the flavour profile but slides a bit into American Pale Wheat territory.

 

Pours an opaque yellow colour with no head. The smell has big bubblegum and banana notes. The taste mutes these flavours somewhat and adds a bit of clove, creating a quite nice flavour. This is not your typical German hefeweizen, but a bit simmered down one and I quite like it.
Aug 2 2021

Review taken from notes I made while up north.

Appearance: Clear which shouldn't be the case for a Hefe, 1.5 fingers of head that did not stick around very long but did produce minor lace. The body looks very low in the carbonation department.

Smell: Banada and Wheat malt with a hint of clove and some kind of muddy scent in the background. Warming was not needed for it to come out and potency was good.

Taste: Mild wheat malt with a hint of a banana that comes across as a bit boring before it turns to straight up mud. I've experienced this taste before, usually with beer that says it's brewing in an "older style". Regardless, it's not pleasant at all and frankly ruins this one for me.

Mouthfeel: The muddy hop note lingers for far too long, killing off the good aspects of the beer. The carbonation is also quite low and the transitioning is a single sharp turn. It's not quite aggressive enough to land it a lower rating, but I wasn't impressed.

Drinkability: Light bodied (thankfully) and does has a refreshing quality to it, and the lower carbonation does mean it settles down well enough. However, those muddy hops really prevent it from doing a lot here.

Final Thoughts: As I stated earlier, I've experienced this "Muddy" flavor before (see my review of Galt Old Knife Style) so I'm almost suspicious that there is certain variety of hops that my tongue flat out rejects (that and the mossy hop taste I find in Stella and Grolsch). That might be the case here, but regardless I can't honestly remember the last time I had a Hefe disagree with me so. You will want to pass on this one.

Delicious summer beer. Highly pound able and can be dangerous. Great artwork by Cai Sepuis

500 mL bottle picked up at the brewery a little over a week ago; served slightly chilled. Neat label art; reminds me of that time I was nearly run over at the bottom of the hill by some spandex-wearing asshole riding on the sidewalk. God damn townies.

Pours a hazy golden-amber hue; lots of effervescence. Seated atop is one finger's worth of soapy, white-coloured head, which proceeds to wilt away fairly rapidly (for a hefe, at least). A thin, foamy cap and wide, bubbly collar manage to survive, along with some scant lacing. There are big notes of overripe, bruised banana ester on the nose, along with a pronounced wheaty malt sweetness, as well as some hints of orange peel, apricot, yeast and clove. Well, it smells like a German wheat ale... but does it taste like an authentic one?

This one starts off pretty unassuming - some grainy pale malts and bready wheat sweetness get things rolling initially, with the banana/bubblegum flavour coming off as very subdued (in contrast to the aroma, where it was the most dominant facet). Suggestions of apricot and orange peel show up toward the latter end, with some grassy hops providing a subtle bitterness. The most notable feature of this hefe's flavour profile is the blast of yeasty spice that shows up at the finish, and hangs on into the aftertaste - lots of clove, with a bit of that medicinal/band-aid flavour (though I am noticing it less as the glass warms). Light-bodied, with moderate carbonation levels that prickle the palate continuously, resulting in a crisp, refreshing mouthfeel. Potentially sessionable, if you don't mind the aftertaste.

Final Grade: 3.44, a B-. Gordon Hill Hefeweizen is a good effort, but it simply does not match up favourably with any of the major German imports. The boisterously yeasty, earthy spiciness of the finish goes a little overboard for my tastes, and prevents this from being as exceptionally quaffable as I expect the style to be. If it weren't for the finish, I'd argue that this would make for a great introductory craft beer - but as it stands, it might actually turn off the macro swilling crowd (and is not necessarily all that endearing to the beer geek set, either). Serviceable, but not something I'd seek out.