Bananaberry Donut
Platform Beer Co.

 

This is the fourth of New Back to the Beer Future Sunday, Part 5, Mission II (Week 763), taking me/us back to Week 755 & pre-sale Platform! It also furthers the mission of The CANQuest (tm). Yay!

From the CAN: "Berliner Weisse Style"; "Grains[:] Pilsner[,] Pale Wheat[,] Melanoidin[,] Carafoam[,] Acidulated[,] Flaked White Wheat[,] Hops[:] Crystal[,] Yeast[:] American Ale[,] Adjunct[:] Lactose[,] Banana Puree[,] Graham Cracker[,] Vanilla Bean[,] Strawberry[,] Plato[:] 13.8[,] IBU[:] 8"; "Brewnuts Donuts & Beer".

I CANducted some in-CAN agitation before Crack!ing open the vent, since as a Berliner Weisse, I wanted to ensure that any flocculate was back in suspension. This one came in somewhere between to previous two, with a bit more head but with only brief retention. Call it just under two fingers of fizzy, foamy, roiling, eggshell-white head that hung in briefly & then fizzed out. 8=( Color was a cloudy, turbid Golden-Amber (SRM = > 5, < 7). Nose was … ever hear of an amusée bouche (amused mouth)? It is an appetizer or hors d'oeuvre meant to occupy your appetite until the meal is served. This was an amuse nez (amused nose) as it smelled like bananas & strawberries & I actually laughed out loud! LOL. A-B/InBev is going to retire this sort of thing at their earliest opportunity! I don't know about the donut part, but I CAN tell you that this was extraordinary in its style. Hahaha. Mouthfeel was thin-medium, about on par for the style. The taste was actually a LOT less sweet than the nose had caused me to gird myself for. The taste remained banana & strawberry, but there was a puckering tartness that was really causing my lips to purse & pucker. Phew. It was an odd mélange of flavors but I still managed to get a sense of the donut. It was like a strawberry-frosted Dunkin' Donut with banana sprinkles & an odd tartness. Weird, man, even for me. Finish was in that nebulous Twilight Zone between semi-sweet & semi-dry. Phew. Weird, man, just … weird. YMMV.

This one drinks way better than the chocolate version but still don't believe the name since it taste nothing like a doughnut. Still a very tasty balance of sour lemon, salt and a good dose of banana makes for a pretty good flavorful beer.

A: The beer is very hazy dark yellow in color. It poured with a quarter finger high off white head that died down, leaving a thin collar around the edge of the glass and lots of lacing down the sides.
S: Moderate aromas of strawberries are present in the nose along with notes of bananas.
T: The taste follows the smell, except the the banana flavors are stronger and more balanced in relationship to those of the strawberries. There is just a touch of initial sourness, which becomes a tad bit stronger as the beer warms up.
M: It feels light-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: The taste of this beer does a very good job a blending two flavors that you don't often prominently see in beers. It makes for a nice selection on a hot summer day when you are looking for something that is light and fruity.

Serving type: can

Dark opaque orange pour with thick creamy white head. Tart citrus aroma and the taste is strong citrus + vanilla + banana. Medium body. Overall, not something I would re-visit despite my high score. It's interesting and nicely done, just not my jam.

 

 

 

16 ounce can into tulip glass, canned on 3/13/2019. Pours very hazy deep golden/orange/amber color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky off white head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice dense soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big juicy, lightly tart/tangy strawberries, bananas, fruit skin/seeds, lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, peach, pear, melon, red/green apple, white grape/wine, hay, straw, grass, vanilla, cream, graham cracker, wheat, biscuit dough, light pepper/lacto funk, and yeast earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/acidic yeast, strawberry, banana, vanilla, graham cracker, lactose, and pale/wheat malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big juicy, lightly tart/tangy strawberries, bananas, fruit skin/seeds, lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, peach, pear, melon, red/green apple, white grape/wine, hay, straw, grass, vanilla, cream, graham cracker, wheat, biscuit dough, light pepper/lacto funk, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate fruity/lactic tartness, fruit tang, and light spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of tart/tangy strawberries, bananas, fruit skin/seeds, lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, peach, pear, melon, red/green apple, white grape/wine, hay, straw, grass, vanilla, cream, graham cracker, wheat, biscuit dough, light pepper/lacto funk, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/acidic yeast, strawberry, banana, vanilla, graham cracker, lactose, and pale/wheat malt flavors; with an awesome malt/tartness and tangy fruit balance; with no cloying/puckering flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering tartness and tangy fruit. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/grainy, and fairly acidic/tangy/tannic mouthfeel that is fantastic. No warming alcohol for 5.5%. Overall this is an outstadning fruited milkshake Berliner weisse. All around awesome fruity/acidic yeast, strawberry, banana, vanilla, graham cracker, lactose, and pale/wheat malt flavors; very smooth and pretty refreshing to drink with the mellowly acidic/tangy/tannic/drying finish, not overly lactic. Super juicy/jammy fruit with balanced Lacto complexity, vanilla/graham cracker flavors, and lactose/wheat/malts against acidity. Light residual sweetness with lingering dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and outstanding style example as expected. Not overwhelming on any aspect, pretty much perfectly balanced.