Yoshimi
StillWest Brewery & Grill

super cool beer, weird and good, a hefeweizen done with yuzu and matcha, never seen matcha in this base style before i dont think, clever, not overdone, this is a session level drinking beer and the matcha is just an accent, pretty compatible with the traditional yeast esters in this. blonde and lightly hazy beer with good carbonation, less viscosity than many of these have, and a short but airy white head. the aroma and flavor are fresh and zesty, the yuzu makes it summery right away and plays well with the yeast too, orange and green banana notes to it but definitely not fermented hot enough to be dominant, which i dig, this stays balanced. light white pepper spiciness, green pear and green grape, and lemony tartness. the wheat is light but there is room for it in here, earthy and dry, floury in a kind of raw sense to me too, but mellow. i dont know that the base hefe would be epic on its own, it seems almost overly minimal, not untidy, just plain, but the matcha is the coolest part, a little vegetal and bitter in the nose, dried herbs and obviously green tea, in the taste it brings white florals, citrus, and a deep earthiness like spirulina or wheatgrass that goes great with this yeast, that synergy is awesome, and its understated enough and quick enough that i drink this fast to chase after more of it, but really its only there for a flash, and doesnt necessarily even stick around until the swallow, some bitterness in its wake but thats it. never would have thought to put matcha in a hefeweizen, but its killer, elevates the base beer for sure, and with a couple of tweaks i could see this being absolutely epic. really neat beer, hope to drink this one again...