Wheat Grand Cru
Meantime Brewing Company Limited

Coming in Meantime's classic curvy 330ml brown bottle, BB 04/10/08, served chilled in De Dolle Oerbier's long-stem goblet.

A: pours a murky dark amber hue almost like an old lambic, coming with a thick layer of white, well-lasting creamy froth and lively streams of tiny carbonation.
S: metallic, zesty, dryish citric notes come before any other aroma linked to a German weizen; a swirl gives rise to soft wheat-malts and caramely malts as well as sweet perfumy banana-ish esters, while a damp-woody & musty note (more like a saison or lambic) is also at presence. Clove-ish spiciness is mixed with the zesty and metallic elements, so quite mild overall. Nicely integrated, but not complex.
T: the flavour is already quite spicy early during the tasting, on top of fluffy-textured fruit-candyish esters, light wheat malts, an intriguing touch of burned sugar-cane from the malts, then turning increasingly bitter and citric-tannic with a faint kick of warming alc. aside... chewy in the finish, leaving notes of sour-sweet fruit-esters, powdery citric zestiness and more hop bitterness lingering. BTW, a healthy dose of sourness accompanies the main theme throughout the drink, as a balancer so to speak.
M&D: fluffy, refreshingly carbonated on the mouthfeel, this 6.3%abv. wheat beer is enjoyable for being subdued in terms of the more traditional Weizen flavour and instead providing a well lingering taste of hops and bitterness more akin to an English ale - really quaffable as well.

Appearance - Cloudy light brown, with a hint of red. A small head of dense white bubbles is present. Im more used to large heads from wheat beers...

Aroma - Mild bananas and green fruit with a sharp grassy, piny note. A slight metallic edge is also detectable.

Taste - Mild and fruity with some maltiness present. I want to write more, however, this beer doesnt have the big wheaty punch of a german weissbier. It almost tastes like a blonde ale, certainly not "grand cru."

Mouthfeel - Clean and light bodied, with minimal acidity or sourness.

Overall - Mild and sharp, perhaps refreshing, but certainly not the beer I was expecting. No big aromas or tangy taste. An interesting beer, however, not flavourful enough to warrant "grand cru" in my opinion.

A - Slightly hazy dark golden colour poured with an inch of rocky white head that slowly falls away to a thin whisp.
S - Strong banana aroma hits first followed by some slight spice notes. A bit of sour apple that I've found in a few of their beers.
T - Banana and spice like the smell along with a nice, slightly biscuity maltiness.
M - Slightly sweet medium body with medium to high carbonation.
D - Given I can get 500ml bottles of the classic German Hefeweizens for roughly the same price I probably wouldn't bother getting this again. Saying that it is still a decent beer worth trying.

330 ml bottle, bought at Peckham’s, Glasgow. ABV is 6.3%. Sediment in bottle. Pours nearly clear golden, just a slight haze. Large to moderate white head. Typical wheaty strong aroma with banana, citrus and cloves, possibly some aromatic hops too. The flavour is also wheaty and fruity with cloves, slightly spicier than many German hefeweizens. The mouthfeel somehow seems slightly different from the Germans too, maybe fizzier and more lagerish? The ABV is also higher. Still, this is a very enjoyable wheat beer, easily drinkable and refreshing for its strength.

330ml bottle bought from GapWines, Belfast..

Poured a hazy coppery straw colour. White head poured quite small and fizzy then faded quickly to nothing... light carbonation bubbles drift slowly to the surface... no lacing at all...

Aroma - Fairly strong clove and banana notes, peppery, good biscuity malts, floral honey, quite perfumed, definite wheaty notes, nice spicy fruitiness (apples, pears, limes), freshly cut grass / hay, yeasty hints...

Taste – Spicy, tart and slightly watered down fruits (apples, lemons, pears), very peppery, nice light cloves and bananas, light wheatiness, light medicinal notes, floral, light grassiness, only the faintest of sweetness coming through, some cider notes, quite bready, herbal notes...

Feel - Pretty sharp and dry on the palate... light bodied... very refreshing and drinkable - pretty strong for a wheat beer though at 6.3%..

Overall - A good take on a German wheat beer... not a match for real thing but well worth a try...

The colour is clear gold – amber. The head is finger thick and white. It sinks down without any lacing.

The smell is sour with earthy notes, yeast, red apples with some vinegar.

The taste is earthy with sourish notes and some minerals (iodine). Medium body. The rather short aftertaste is sour with minerals.

The carbonation is much milder than I had expected from a wheat. The bubbles are medium sized.

Got a 750 cl bottle with a cork, looking just like a champagne bottle. The color was light golden. It poured cloudy and with a generous foam smelling sweet and yeasty. The initial taste was sweet, fruity and yeasty. This was followed by a little bitterness and some malty bread. A refreshing and well crafted brew. On Meantimer's plus side is the controlled sweetness but I can't make up my mind if it can compete with the Germans or not.