Festweizen
Dovetail Brewery

Chill hazed acorn amber with a dense khaki foam head of moderate height.

Add some very mild autumnal qualities to a hefe--a little toastier, perhaps nutty, to freshly baked, slightly darker zucchini bread--the exhale is very uniquely botanical, almost anise in a gingersnap. Phenols give the froth a vibrating feel.

Well that's a new one.

16oz can, date stamp is smudged
L: caramel color; tall frothy ivory head
S: caramelized grain, banana, clove, earthy hops
T: toasted grain, caramel, wheat, banana bread, clove, white grape, earthy & grassy hops
F: medium body, moderate carbonation, very dry, balanced finish but ends up getting sweeter and sweeter
O: Interesting hybrid beer. Can’t say I’d get it again

10/12/25 (Home) (Chicago, Illinois) - Can Notes: 16 oz canned 9/3/25 purchased 9/12/25 at store temperature for $3.98 including tax. 5.6% ABV Festweizen: Caramel-banana, bruleed, gemutlich. Brewed and canned by Dovetail Brewery, 1800 W. Belle Plaine, Chicago, Illinois.

Appearance: Full pour into a half liter Dovetail Willi Beecher glass yields a bronze unfiltered base, steady mild plus sustained carbonation and an egg white head that leaves minimal lumpy lacing after a generous pour formation, but a thin cover over the base with a nice creamy ring around the rim. 3.75

Aroma: Banana, clove, caramel. Medium to full in strength, near the same in enjoyment. 3.75

Taste: Consistent with the aroma, though less intense full. Caramel clove banana, toffee and bread pudding. Sweeter than anticipated or experienced with a draft sample yesterday. Nice additional flavors beyond a traditional hefeweizen offering. 4.0

Mouthfeel: Light and easy, around the 5.6% ABV. Carbonation not felt, sweetness is felt and is the primary takeaway between the caramel, bread pudding. Banana clove the lead and finish. lightly dry, 3.5

Overall: Nice blend of a typical fest beer with a traditional hefe-weizen. Enjoyed the can version more than the draft, seemed more focused and the flavors popped much better today. Would buy occasionally in the future to celebrate the season, but too sweet for my preferences for multiple four packs in the future. Would stick with cans based on my experience this weekend. 3.75

 

 

Murky orangey brown body with khaki head. Banana, clove, caramel malt, and wheat in the nose, almost like a caramelized banana bread. Taste is basically a really pure wheaty led hefeweizen than is cut into by smell caramel malts, with anise, orange, and a dash of earthy spice, it is weird all together. Feel is the most weird with malts that try to push a rising sweetness and wetness, and wheat that want to thin and dry out, just doesn't drink easily. I love the experimental approach, I just can't get behind the mixture, I would rather have a hefe or a marzen

 

 

 

On-tap at Three Cellar, on to the beer:

I’d like a break from the märzens for a moment, and Dovetail delivers a quality weizenbier which falls between a Hefeweizen and a weizenbock. Dark orange amber color, aroma of strong rippened bananas dipped in caramel. Delicious I tell you! Like the brewery’s Hefeweizen but stronger and tastier. The banana dominates with clove and caramel in the back, nicely balanced, a soft and medium-full feel, and a seasonal gem.

Draft at the Northman Riverwalk Chicago!

This brew is from a micro that knows better than to experiment too much.
I'm guessing they improved the beer based on the first release; but this second release should not have been canned.
There are some interesting flavors with the fall harvest spicing and lots of wheat in the bill. But this Looked flat and unappetizing, lacked almost any foam and presented a taste as murky as its amber cloud. I want to like Dovetail, but I doubt their third release can make this an acceptable seasonal.

Enjoyed this direct from the source.

This pours a malty brown with a prominent banana and clove note on the nose. There’s a lasting, lingering finish. Prost!

 

16 oz can into a weizen glass.

A: Cloudy burnt orange color with one finger of off-white foam.

S: Faint apple and banana.

T: Banana bread and bubblegum with some spicy wheat in the aftertaste.

F: Medium body with some creaminess.

 

 

Golden amber in color. Head is off white and somewhat weak. Aroma and taste are both strong on banana and clove, especially the clove in the finish. Body is a bit thin. Overall, a pretty solid beer, one that I like more than their hefeweizen.