Hefeweizen
Dovetail Brewery

Not quite as hazy as one might expect for the style, it's a partially foggy burnt maize, nearing brown actually, with a moderately short, fluffy head of off-white foam.

Banana nut bread, perhaps into zucchini, comes mild on the phenols, with an accenting hint of lemon peel.

Softly crisp, semi-dry, tingly.

Classic, but not overwhelming.

 

A good but not great Hefeweizen. Poured from a 16 oz. can into a weizen glass, this beer featured a bubbly white head that faded quickly and a slightly cloudy gold color. Lacing was minimal. Aroma and taste included some lemon, bananas and cloves as well as a touch of wheat bitterness but the astringency and wheat bitterness of atop shelf Hefe are somewhat muted here, especially in the mouthfeel. I would drink this one again, but there are better hefes out there.

 

 

 

 

Poured into a weizen glass. Pours a moderately hazy, medium orange with a fizzy, one finger white head that rapidly dissipates and disappears with only a ring of bubbles around the glass. Aroma of bready wheat malt, clove, banana, light lemon and faint black pepper. Flavor is bready wheat malt, clove, orange citrus, black pepper and mild banana. Wheat and peppery clove finish. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess. A solid take on the hefeweizen style. A bit more emphasis on citrus than on wheat malt depth, but nice traditional spicing and yeast banana. I’d like to see a bit more wheat character and a longer lasting head, but overall quite traditional and flavorful; well balanced. A nicely brewed hefeweizen.

 

I tried a pint of this beer off the tapper at the Hyatt Regency hotel in downtown Chicago. It poured a hazy copper with no head and no lace. The scent was a subdued common hefe. The taste was mild and did not pop with clove and banana. The mouthfeel was medium in body and had subtle carbonation. Overall it is a good beer.

I know Dovetail is heavily influenced by the Bavarian Masters, but IMHO Dovetail only approaches the masters in the lager styles. To be sure, there is nothing wrong with this hefe. It just doesn't have the masters' touch, starting with the yeast.

I'm Looking at a pretty pale, but where is the foam? The yeast also does throw off the typical hefe-fruits into my nose, particularly the banana (which I cherish when in there.) Unfortunately, this barely above average nose follows into the Taste. It is balanced, but balance is a required characteristic to be competitive in most Bavarian styles. Finally, hefes are soft because they are 50%+ wheat. This one tingles my tongue and is light-mouthed.

Lately, I've been drinking hefes more as a table ale. And the good ones are suited well with a variety of foods. Tonight was a test-taste at the lowest common denominator: pasta sauces, cream and pesto. This hefe improved neither. I like Dovetail, but I cannot find reason to drink their hefe again.

Taster:
Loose white bubbles firm medium thick ring but fizzled there after a swirl. Nose of wheat, bread, banana, and spice, with the spice being a bit more assertive than I’ve found in other Hefes. Taste is a bit more citrusy, including the bitter parts of orange and maybe even some lime peels. These notes are hiding the bread and yeast notes a bit more than I expected from the nose. It’s also a bit carbonated and light, leaving a near dry, lightly spiced finish.

 

2015
Name: Hefeweizen
Brewery: Dovetail
Location: Chicago, IL
Style: Hefeweizen
ABV: 4.8%
Date: 11/04/2023
I am drinking Hefeweizen using a weizen glass. I served it at 42 degrees. The pour created a creamy, two-fingered, white, dense head with average retention. The color is straw yellow with amber-yellow hues, charting around SRM 9. The beer is slightly hazy and has some carbonation bubbly within. Some lacing was left on the sides of the glass as it slowly dissipated. The appearance is above average for this style.
Swirling the glass a few times, I smell cloves, bananas, wheat, and oranges. The grains smell fresh and slightly grassy. Yeasty smells are typical for the style. The aromas are simple yet complex.
Toasted malts, fresh wheat, and grassiness flavors dominated the palate. I tasted cloves, oranges, bananas, light florals, and bready while sipping the beer again.
The mouthfeel is carbonated, giving the beer a crisp edge, finishing with a lingering banana and clove. The body is medium, and the carbonation is medium-high.
It is a classic German beer with the traditional flavors of this style. It's a fantastic sipper any time of year—an excellent brew from Dovetail.

Tall can in a mixed four pack picked up at the brewery dated 11/15/23. If only more Hefes in Germany were this good. Truly impressive for an American interpretation. Yeast is spot on. Great classic flavors with a delicious fruity malt presence and rich, full feel and finish without being heavy or too spiced. Gotta be one of the best in the country. Dovetail does it again!

Pours out of the can a slightly hazy gold with a finger of head and little retention. Smells like banana, yeasty, and a little pepper. Tastes sweetly like banana initially and then flows into the yeast and pepper notes, but really balanced well. Carbonation is nice and drinks easy.

16 ounce can into a weizen glass. Canned 4/21/21, had 6/16/21.

Pours a cloudy yellow/golden color, with a one and a half inch foamy head on an average pour that was quickly dissipating for the style. Some foamy lacing, active carbonation. Aromas of yeast, malt, clove, a little banana, other spices, a little caramel. Tastes of malt, yeast, clove, banana, wheat, a little tart citrus. Smooth, with a thinner light to medium body, carbonated a little bit on the low side.

Pretty decent, liked the bigger clove and banana presence and the tart citrus was an interesting difference. Didn’t seem like I had an optimal can- this really deteriorated from the start of the can to the finish. Maybe I should go try it on tap!

R100117_3.60

Light aroma of sweet bananas leads into a flavor that begins with much more prominent spicy clove notes..then a touch of the banana impression but not as heavy as on the aroma. Cloves dominate the taste here...Slightly tart on the finish. Overall, a decent hefeweizen.