Wingwalker Spiced Hefeweizen
Wildwoods Brewing

Appearance: Poured with a half finger of head that did not lace but retained surprisingly well. The body is a slightly cloudy yellow that shows some fairly good carbonation.

Smell: Banana is the dominant note here but not as you would expect for a beer the label says was brewed with bananas. There's also a peculiar apple funk to it, like it's a cider disguised as a beer. That said there is a hint of grain in the background. This beer does need some time to warm up, as the Banana makes more of a presence known as time goes on.

Taste: Starts out wheat malt mixed with an odd sour apple note. Again, it's like a cider taste, not a sour beer taste. From there it makes a sharp turn into some earthy grain that snaps itself out with a dry note which I think may be the coconut and hops doing their thing, but it doesn't taste like coconut...it's odd. It's not a night and day transition, but it's certainly a sharp turn.

Mouthfeel: The transitioning as stated makes for a rough ride here, and to be honest that sour start is very out of place here. The carbonation is decent but seems to only help out the initial sour note. While it doesn't cling, that unknown dry note presents itself in the aftertaste. It grows on you, but I think because you want to get away from the sour part.

Drinkability: Light bodied, a bit too much for a hefe in my opinion, and while easy on the system, it's not the easiest thing to drink. It's like it's trying to be a banana cider or a cider hefe hybrid and the two tastes and textures don't mix well. It's balanced, but it's like looking at a seesaw with a single weight on one end, and thirty pillows on the other.

Final Thoughts: I think part of the problem is when I think spiced, I'm thinking cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, or even coriander in the context of beer and that's really my core complaint here. That doesn't sound like a bad idea to try, but there isn't even a hint of any of that here. I guess because Wingwalker Apple Banana Hefe doesn't have the same ring to it...or to be honest comes across as desirable. I mean it's certainly something unique but swing and a miss. I applaud the brewer for trying something new here.