Oscar
Weyerbacher Brewing Co.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

hazy golden amber color was evident right away. A nice solid layer of white foam, maybe to a half an inch came up over the top, but then settled down far too qucikly, leaving behind nothing more then a slight layer of film across the top,

The aroma was good, very nice for the style, with a good sense of wheat, hints of banana and clove and a slight touches of an almost peach like smell. More solid in through the taste. Rolls across the tongue with a good amount of banana and peach flavors, hints of a light grass flavor and light grains then ruling the day on this one. Smooth delivery and excellent carbonation lended itself to being a very solid drinker

On tap at Race Street Cafe

Appearance: Arrives with a cloudy honey color and a massive head that literally sheets the pint glass with lace

Smell: Lemongrass, with a strong clove character; banana and juicy fruit undertones

Taste: Bready, at first, but the clove, lemongrass and pithy hop flavors jump forward; after the swallow, the banana and juicy fruit elements add a nice counterpoint

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with creamy carbonation

Overall: I've been trying to taste this hoppy hefe for a while (got close, but one was broken in a trade) and had just about given up hope; despite the passage of time, the hops were still potent in this keg; really enjoyed this creative take on the style

Chilled bottle into a glass. At a tasting. From notes. Unfortunately, I neglected to write down who shared it, so I'm arbitrarily thanking Ted, the late chswimmer (RIP). Thanks Ted.

A: Pours a cloudy, milky straw-colored body capped with a foamy, off-white head. This looks like a standard hefeweizen. I absolutely love the milky, unfiltered look for this style, and this one is no different. Only the head fails to retain well, so I'm a little disappointed.

S: Very nice clove and pepper aroma that segues into grain, banana, and a touch of lemon. It's a little hoppier than I like for the style, with floral and earthy notes that overrides the delicate esters; the spicy phenols also ride amok. But it's not damning.

T: The taste is the beer's weak spot. The muted banana esters in the nose translate to the flavor; instead of bringing out the signature fruit of this style, there is a pronounced earthy (hop) flavor, creating a bizarre earthy, chalky combination that I don't enjoy.

M: Light-bodied, but the harsh chalkiness is unenjoyable.

O: I couldn't finish this. I don't think anyone else did, either. A bad sign when a 12oz bottle survives a tasting.

Draft at the Pour House in Westmont, NJ.

Pours a cloudy deep dark golden banana color with golden yellow edges and a two finger frothy white head that has excellent retention, only slowly fading into a lasting cap. The glass is left coated with chunks of soapy lacing. Completely opaque.

Zesty spice aroma with a very prominet clove presence as well as some coriander and pepper along with faint hints of bread, banana and citrus. The spiciness overpowers the more pleasant notes associated with the style. There's also a very earthy dank hop profile that further covers up the citrus and banana notes, clashing with the spicy clove character.

Medium bodied and fuller than expected for the style with a flavor profile that's very similar to the aroma. There is a blast of clove spice up front that lingers throughout over the faint banana and citrus notes into a ligering dry hoppy finish. Yeast bread notes adds some complexity and fell to the palate but they are quickly overpowered by the sticky, dry, resinous hop flavor at the end of the swallow. It starts off very spicy with a quick sweet citrus appearance and is again overhwelmed by the strong hop character. I admire that they are kind if going for a hybrid of hefe and IPA but this experiment wasn't a very good one. Not a fan.

Had on draft at Pizzeria Paradiso (no longer on tap). This beer is distinguished by its appearance. It looks astounding - nothing like your typical beer - cloudy & tan, it's the color of the head of a pour of Guinness, swirly & gorgeous all the way through. Honestly, it looks like it would have the consistency of oatmeal and the taste of orange juice mixed with milk. But that's just appearances.

Smells like herbs, hops and banana. And tastes like them, too! But the taste emphasizes the hops and graininess more than anything else. The banana is definitely there, but it's backseat driving, and doesn't do much to smooth the bitterness of the hops and the fizz.

Honestly, the beer looks more interesting than it tastes, but not in a bad way. It's a very solid Hefeweizen that just happens to look out of this world. What a cool beer, Weyerbacher.

A 12oz. bottle picked up at Abe's for 2ish. Poured into my hefe glass. Appears a cloudy yet bright golden yellow color with about a finger of quickly fading off white head. Nose and flavors consist of sharp bitter hops, a nice mix of lemon and light pine, orange, mild banana, toasted wheat. Peppery bitterness across the tongue into the finish. Overall, pretty decent and I like the way they are experimenting here. A hefe/IPA hybrid.

Thanks, as always, to my Weyerbacher friend msulinski for providing me with Oscar. Popped open on the first warm Minnesota afternoon, Twins home opener, 2011!

Pops open & pours - this looks precisely like a melted orange Creamsicle. Creamy orange, white hat, vertical waves of carbonation. Ginormous banana & cloves in the nose right shotgun with a slug of sweet.

Oscar carries on like a hefe; the wheat field absent in the nose is the dominant feature on the tongue. The bananas/cloves are in the mix, as is a startling hop presence in the middling. Very nice orange & citrus punch. The bittering lingers & clasps nicely with the wheat. Chugs like a hefe, too, this would be a great lawnmower beer if the lawn wasn't brown & spongy.

Interesting beer, certainly the hoppiest hefe I've ever tried. This is more like it; there have been a few lately in this series that have been very routine, why bother? This is not; this is experimentation at its best. Very good brew.

The aroma on this beer directly after the pour is wonderful. The mixture of wheat and hops collide together for a really nice bouquet of pleasing and inviting smells. The flavor is quite hoppy which is really nice. The flavors got a lot ton of citrus in it too, its like they may have thrown in some lemons in the mix. The mouthfeel is a little creamy. Its a good brew one of their better ones of the limited releases.

Served on tap at Pizza Paradiso into a mug.

A real nice thick creamy white head is presented sitting on an orange/off yellow cloudy body. Head is kind of tight also leaves a small cap throughout drinking the beer. Some good lacing also is present while finishing the drink.

Bouquet at first is clove, but then gives way to a real soft banana smell. It feels very mushy, like squashed bananas.

That mushy-ness seems to come through in taste and feel. First is a dense sort of yeast/bread combo then gives way to mushy pulverized bananas. A real nice bitter hop/bread balance on swallowing. Slight alcohol sugars but it seems to mix well with this sort of dense thick mushy banana sensation.

Pretty interesting beer for this style that it seems so thick on the banana side. I have to say that's not really my thing but if it's yours you wont be disappointed with this at all.

Served in a shaker glass on-tap at Max's Taphouse.

A- Hazy dark golden orange (almost like an Oscar award) with small white head that left lots of clingy lacing that stayed around.

S- Light aroma of banana and some spiciness

T- Strong banana flavor, a little citrus (orange) flavor, some spicy notes, and a nice hoppy finish

M- Mouthfeel was a little thicker than expected, but finished with dry hoppiness.

O- A very enjoyable beer that seems to be a hefeweizen IPA hybrid. The hoppiness gave this beer some unique balance.

Golden yellow with thick head. Lots o yeasties in the bottom... i swirled them up on the last sip and poured them over the foam! The smell is obviously very wheaty however fairly hoppy for a hefeweizen. This taste very good for a Hefe... however there are lots of competing flavors. Nice and bitter! Very clean, refreshing mouthfeel with the bitter I love. I almost have to call this a "Hefe IPA." Overall it is a very "Americanized" version of a traditionally German style.

On tap at Max's today.

The beer pours the prototypical hazy honey gold color with good head retention and considerable sticky lacing. Don't get a whole lot on the nose, just some light honey, light clove and some underlying spice. Mouthfeel replicates the nose, but there is considerable hoppy bitterness in the finish, in this case showing up as black pepper and more spice. It's leads to a rather pleasing, spicey dry finish that I rather enjoy. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, with a fairly long, spice infused, dry and hoppy finish. Drinkability is good, with the alcohol not at all noticeable (and quite well integrated into the flavor profile).

While nothing spectacular, I thought this a pretty solid, enjoyable effort from the folks at Weyerbacher.