Kelly's Contraption
Cowbell Brewing Co.

Very tasty. Very forward with clove and orange peel. Only thing the was a bit lacking, was the thin mouthfeel. I loved the carbonation, but it turned kind of watery in the mouth, but not in the taste. Would gladly have again.

 

 

 

Tallboy can from the LCBO; dated Oct 4 2017 and served slightly chilled.

Pours a turbid, translucent golden-yellow, with roughly one inch of frothy, bubbly white head gathering atop. It recedes at a brisk pace, having largely melted off by the 3 minute mark. In its place, a soapy collar of foam survives, fringing a wispy-thin film - looks ok, with its lovely pattern of webbed lacing being the most striking remnant to my eye. On the nose, I am getting fruity notes of apricot, melon and lemon zest, which come through amidst a grainy wheat malt backdrop that is punctuated by hints of yeasty clove spice and banana esters.

A fine wheat ale; the hybrid German hops give it a bit of New World character, as advertised. Bready wheat malt sweetness permeates the flavour profile, with fruitier notes of lemon and orange citrus coming through quite clearly as well. Notes of white grape, melon and passion fruit are considerably more subtle, teasing the taste buds briefly mid-sip before being shoved aside by the yeasty, spicy qualities of the tail end. Banana and bubble gum definitely come to mind, with clove spice and a hint of solvent at the finish; these flavours persists through to the aftertaste, but fade quickly thereafter. Light in body, with aggressive carbonation that has a palate-scrubbing quality. Easy enough to knock back.

Final Grade: 3.81, a B+. If you're in the market for a sessionable wheat ale, you could do much worse than Kelly's Contraption: it's a solid approximation of a German hefeweizen, and only a few tweaks away from being a reliable go-to brew. Namely, I find the banana to be a tad overstated for my tastes, and likewise the prickly carbonation is a bit distracting IMO. On the other hand, the aroma hops are doing their job flawlessly, and this brew's balanced, wheat malt-forward flavour is sure to appeal to those with a soft spot for German weissbiers. Better than a lot of the domestic equivalents - although maybe not so much the imports - but worth a shot either way.

 

473 ml can served cold into a tall and slender pint glass. Purchased from the LCBO for around $3.25 CDN.

Appearance - A hazy, pale golden beer is poured. A fistful of fingers worth of fluffy egg-shell white head. Incredible retention and some sparse lacing. Good looking beer (aren't all hefe's though?)

Smell - Some yeast and wheat with minimal banana and possibly coriander. Color wise and aroma-wise a little closer to a Belgian wit than most, although the head is unmistakably a hefeweizen. Not a lot of clove.

Taste - Middling sweetness, some subtle earthy bitterness and hints of banana. Some wheat shows up at the end with a slightly minerally and peppery finish.

Mouthfeel - Light and somewhat creamy with brisk carbonation. Body light across the board and a little more watery than most hefe's.

Overall - A decent hefeweizen with no complaints, but a level (or two) below the the German hefe giants.

 

 

L: Beautiful haze with golden look
S: Banana and coriander with light bubble gum
T: Sweet Banana and coriander with clove.
F: Bubbly and little sharpness
O: My go to Hef from now on great beer from a great brewery, if you are lucky enough to get this early don't hesitate.