El Hefe
Source Farmhouse Brewery

Picked this up during my first run to Source a few weeks back, as I love this style of beer. I expected the beer to be more full of yeast and esters but this had plenty of body and wheat without as much funk as their other offerings as it made this super easy to enjoy and savor on this perfectly cool late summer night!

Loved the look to this beer as it was perfectly cloudy, golden, and uniform in hue as plenty of thick, perfectly frothy head topped this off and took it's time settling down. A thick ring remained near the top of my beer as there were scattered splotches a good bit of the rest of the way down. Lots banana, clove, wheat, vanilla, and feet (yes, I said it!) in the nose as the taste was just as natural, outdoorsy, and simple to quaff as this had a nicely crafted nature to it without a piece of citrus fruit needed to cut through everything.

Booze? It's here somewhere but I never found it and I doubt that you would either, even after having a few of these. Some light celery and peppery spice emerged in the aftertaste as it complemented everything else quite nicely, with just a light slickness left on my palate and a softly dying hint of wheat once everything else faded away. Canned on Bastille Day with "REINHEITSGEBOSS" on the bottom of the can (nice reference to the German beer purity law of 1516!), this was a lovely Hefe that was a solid example of the style with Source's touch thrown in for good measure. Loved the label as the liquid on the inside of the can was just as satisfying. So glad I was able to get my hand on this release!

 

16oz can - dated 07/29/20 - poured into a weizen glass at 40°F.

Pours a foggy pale yellow colour, topped with a finger of creamy white head with decent retention. Minimal lacing left behind. No visible effervescence.

Nose: Grainy wheat, malted wheat, and a touch of cracker from the typical hefeweizen base, with notes of lemon, hay, unripe banana, clove, grass, lots of fruity esters, and this interesting earthy, almost funky musty yeast note that's more in-line with a saison than a hefe. Otherwise, it delivers the basic hefeweizen olfactory experience.

Palate: Clean malted and raw wheat comes out of the gate, lacking the tacky wheat sweetness of many other hefes. Plenty of Belgian yeast esters, delivering the typical banana note, and just a whisper of clove. There's lots of lemon - lemon zest, lemon juice, lemonade, and lemon sherbet, and it even has a little hint of lemony tartness as well, plus a fair bit of minerality, which cuts through the wheat nicely. Some phenolic spice notes peek through, with a little hint of vanilla and pepper that makes its way to the finish, which emphasises more wheat and banana, drying out with just a hint of herbal hops.

Mouthfeel/Body: It's fairly full for a hefeweizen - pushing that medium-bodied mark, but the brightness, paired with the gentle acidity and zippy minerality cut right through that, giving it a pretty crisp and refreshing feel, partly due to the lively effervescence as well. Fairly dry.

Overall: I do not drink hefeweizens, and I'd place them amongst my least favourite styles. This is actually quite tasty, and while the aroma has that musty sort of funk, the rest of the beer is quite enjoyable, and I have no problem calling this a respectable hefeweizen. Lots of character, very refreshing.