It Is What It Is
Cloudwater Brew Co.

Pours a cloudy, pale golden coloration with a medium, fluffy head. Smells of doughy malt and estery fruit/spice, with banana standing out partcularly, lighter clove and hoppy hints of citrus and grass as well. Taste follows the nose, with a great balance of doughy malt, estery fruit and spice and lighter grassy, citrus hops, with notes of banana, apricot, tangerine and clove. Finishes with a light bitterness and some banana, clove and tangerine lingering in the aftertaste. Soft mouthfeel with a medium body and carbonation.

This makes for a pretty nice hoppy Hefeweizen with a good balance of wheat malt, yeast esters and hoppy accents, with the estery yeast notes somewhat dominating but the hoppy accents still being rather distinct. Perhaps a bit too distinct for my personal taste actually, with this almost drifting over into American Pale Wheat Ale territory. Overall, it still makes for a rather enjoyable, refreshing beer that's a bit of a fusion of traditional and modern brewing.

L- Pale, straw, pours with slight haze and a 5mm white head. (ps 15mins later, holds very well).
S- Distinct banana and mild spice. Striking to me as in Weisse's I invariably get spice but rarely clear banana as here.
T- Light banana and spices, there's a tiny spicy-zing that's like a chili-zing on the palate right in the tail. It won't be chili but something parallel that creates that zing. So all in all this has a good level of interesting Weisse notes to notice and ponder.
F- Also good is that it's not under-powered. 5.5% allows it to present enough of a meaty body to balance the spicy character.
O- I used to live in Germany for a few years so have drunk maaany Weisse. I tend to approach with increasing cycnicism new ones that a) Aren't German, or at least continental-EU b) Are in 'hipster' packaging, and c) cost waaay more that what a World Class Weisse costs in Germany. This beer started out with expectations of being 'yet another Brit/etc Weisse in an oh so pretty can that'$ not a patch on a decent base-level trad German Weisse'. But it's an example of not pre-judging a book by it's cover. I'm impressed by this beer, I think it's very well accomplished and balanced and yet satisfies by having the authentic Weisse character-style in spades. Not cheap, but as a smaller-batch beer from a $hop that's understandable. This is probably one of the most solid/authentic non-German Weisse's I've had to date.
440ml wrapped 'crafty' can. Bought from Wholefoods London W8 £4.29 (ouch). COD: 28/08/20 FFB: (huh?) 16/11/20 BBE: 16/12/20

 

Pours a fairly clear yellow with soft, fluffy head.

Smell is yeasty and fruity with notes of banana, cloves, citrus and wheat dough, a bit phenolic.

Taste is smooth and fruity, with notes of cirus, yeast, wheat dough and banana, with hints of cloves and banana candy. Mild bitterness, very crisp and clean.

Mouthfeel is medium, smototh and well carbonated.

Overall, hefes are not my favorite style, but this was very, very good.