Ewald The Brilliant
Utepils Brewing Co.

 

 

Seriously, a local Kristall Weizen. That can't be said many places outside Germany. Look: bight, clear gold, billowy head, good lacing. Aroma: banana, hints of clove. Taste: more clove, some banana still, bready malt. Finish: clean and crisp. This is where Kristall Weizen has its advantage over its more prevalent bother Hefe Weizen. Mouthfeel: medium bodied, chewy texture. Comments: I haven't come across this style in years, and I'd forgotten how much I loved it when I lived in Germany.

 

hands down the best of all the beers we had. i dont know if its just a super filtered version of their hefeweizen or if it is an altogether different brew, but it doesnt much matter, as this is a wonderful beer, a peasant surprise, and something i have thirsted for ever since i had it. insanely pretty in the classic german wheat beer glass, over two inches of puffy airy white head rests on top a fully shiny and brilliantly clear light yellow brew, and bubbles race all the way up to join the head in rapid succession. awesome aroma, obviously a hefe yeast type, but seemingly fermented cooler, as the classic banana and spice notes are there, but they seem clean, dry, and light compared to many. the light malt has a lot of flavor, but its not so obviously wheaty and creamy as a typical hefe, and it has a nice earthy bright minerality while staying dry that makes is insanely drinkable and refreshing, like, its literally basically perfect beer, not one valid critique i could think of. its so carbonated, light, flavorful, and professionally made. the yeast here is the star, and its mellow still, the clarity does add a lot, my belly cannot get full of these, and i drink a large glass just way too fast, in awe of the quality of it. super old worldy, perfectly to style, and as good or better as something globally recognized like a weihenstephaner or something, it really is that good!!!

The Hefe's shiny sibling...close to as good, but the big, mushed up and round banana notes are such a nice part of the Hefe, and they don't come through here as much, which I guess is style appropriate but I'm not finding anything as nice to take its place. Pours a crystal clear delicate gold, with a small eggshell head that doesn't stick around too much. Nose is clean...modest banana and fainter cloves. As with the hefe, this is better and better as it warms a bit...on the taste, cloves emerge a bit more and some clean wheat (no citrusy or sour twang) runs throughout.