Hefeweizen
Swiftwater Brewing Company

 

 

 

Pours a cloudy yellow. Big foam. Spicy aroma. Soft spicy citrus body. Fades to a light bitterness. Exactly how a hefe should be. Delicious.

A: The beer is rather hazy yellow in color and seems to have a light to moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a short white head that left lacing on the surface and a narrow collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Moderate aromas of wheat are present in the nose along with notes of spices and banana from the yeast.
T: The taste follows the smell and has flavors of wheat along with notes of spices and hints of bananas.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This hefeweizen is more wheat-forward compared to other beers in the style and isn't dominated by aromas and flavors of bananas and clove.

Serving type: can

This was the first of many cans that I picked up at Greenpoint's new location a few weeks back. Thankfully, they sold singles there as I was able to buy from a bunch of breweries that I've never heard of before and this was one of them. I do enjoy this style and how easy Hefeweizens are to drink and while this wasn't the best example of the style that I've seen, there was enough to enjoy here from start to finish.

Of course, the beer to this was gold but it was quite muted and not as bright as I would have liked. Enough head topped this off but the lacing was lacking once the bubbles settled down. Not a strong aroma to this either as there was indeed some banana and hints of wheat but the grass, cloves, and hints of tangy citrus really weren't found here. Full, bready, and lacking in carbonation, this was reminiscent of the style but not as good as it's European counterparts.

At least it was plenty soft and hid the alcohol well - although there wasn't much of anything that needed to be hidden. Sure, you could cut this with an orange or a lemon slice but in the end, just take this beer for what it was. There was enough going on here to like as it had me nostalgic for a Weihenstephan or a Paulaner as this was a bit short of those. A bit too cloying and doughy for me, it was fine for this summer night but not the first that I'd reach for if I had others of the sort here!

Fills a Lpechbier Weizen glass with a straw colored haze (SRM 2-3). Occasional bubbles do nothing to help the quarter inch white foam that quickly recedes to a thin veil, leaving behind spotty lace.

The aroma opens with banana bread and sour dough and is a bit too beery. There is also straw and a sharp spice, but no real clove.

The flavor has mild bananas and straw. Bittersweet balance is exceptional with a faint touch of sourness. The finish is brief and mild.

A medium body with light carbonation and an itchy, soft, woolly texture. There is no hint of alcohol.

This is a nice beer. Simple and enjoyable while unwinding after work on a hot, humid, Summer afternoon. While there are better representations of the style, this is a good beer and I will enjoy the entire four-pack.

This one pours a mostly clear straw yellow color, with a small head, and not much lacing.

This smells like wheat, lemon, citrus, and herbal hops.

This doesn't feel super close to style - it's just kind of a mildly hoppy American wheat beer. It's got a slight bitterness, some citrusiness, and not a ton of classic Hefe yeast character - no real banana or clove things going on here.

This is somewhat crisp, and pretty drinkable, with a very light body.

I expect a bit more out of Swiftwater here - this was a bit disappointing.