Portsmouth Winter Weizen | Portsmouth Brewery
Brewed by:
Portsmouth Brewery
New Hampshire, United States | website
Style: Dunkelweizen
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 6.00%
Availability: Winter
Notes / Commercial Description:
This hefeweizen is brewed with a bit more wheat malt & hops to create a well balanced, robust winter ale.
Added by Truh on 12-29-2004
View: Beers | Place Reviews | Events
Reviews: 27 | Ratings: 45
3.85/5 rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
22oz bomber
A) Pours with a two finger head that settles quickly. Slightly hazy body. Rusty to brick red in color.
S) Fruity esters. Hints of caramel and toffee. Bready.
T) Caramel. Clove. Yeasty notes. Grainy with hints of apple.
M) Fizzy. Medium light body.
O) A delicious beer. I'd say I would have another one, but this is my "other one".
★ 343 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
22oz bomber
A) Pours with a two finger head that settles quickly. Slightly hazy body. Rusty to brick red in color.
S) Fruity esters. Hints of caramel and toffee. Bready.
T) Caramel. Clove. Yeasty notes. Grainy with hints of apple.
M) Fizzy. Medium light body.
O) A delicious beer. I'd say I would have another one, but this is my "other one".
★ 343 characters
3.62/5 rDev -12.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured on-tap and served in a tumbler pint, the beer is a cloudy, golden-brown coloring that is slightly hazed with a thin, filmy coating. Good lacing along the glass. The nose is subtle, with fruity highlights, some clove spicing, as well as some coriander. Flavors are heavily spiced, with coriander, nutmeg, and all-spice on a tangy caramel backbone. The aftertaste is a spicy blend, with a smooth, creamy finish. Interesting brew.
★ 434 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured on-tap and served in a tumbler pint, the beer is a cloudy, golden-brown coloring that is slightly hazed with a thin, filmy coating. Good lacing along the glass. The nose is subtle, with fruity highlights, some clove spicing, as well as some coriander. Flavors are heavily spiced, with coriander, nutmeg, and all-spice on a tangy caramel backbone. The aftertaste is a spicy blend, with a smooth, creamy finish. Interesting brew.
★ 434 characters
4.18/5 rDev +1.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Seems a little late in the year for them to be serving Winter Weizen but hey, who cares? I'll drink it anyway. Grabbed this bottle on my way out the other day.
Cloudy dark amber colored body with an impressive eggshell colored head, a full 3 fingers thick and pillowy at first. Fades with a fair bit of sticky lace left behind. Unfortunately I don't have a Weizen glass on hand but I'm sure this beer would look damn sexy in one.
Aroma initially has hints of banana bread before the stronger spice not comes along. Yeast strain seems quite appropriate for a dunkelweizen, providing plenty of phenolic notes and some estery fruitiness.
Taste is rather heaving on the spice note, with the usual suspects of clove, corriander, and maybe even a bit of white pepper (admittedly, I need to become more familiar with this so I can more easily identify it in beer). Wheat adds some sweet biscuity like qualities. Finishes with a light touch of grassy and earthy hop flavors.
Mouthfeel is a bit heavy for a wheat beer but it gives this more of a robust quality I feel is appropriate for a Winter beer. Overall, a nice dunkelweizen but spice qualities overpower the malts a bit too much.
★ 1,184 characters
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Seems a little late in the year for them to be serving Winter Weizen but hey, who cares? I'll drink it anyway. Grabbed this bottle on my way out the other day.
Cloudy dark amber colored body with an impressive eggshell colored head, a full 3 fingers thick and pillowy at first. Fades with a fair bit of sticky lace left behind. Unfortunately I don't have a Weizen glass on hand but I'm sure this beer would look damn sexy in one.
Aroma initially has hints of banana bread before the stronger spice not comes along. Yeast strain seems quite appropriate for a dunkelweizen, providing plenty of phenolic notes and some estery fruitiness.
Taste is rather heaving on the spice note, with the usual suspects of clove, corriander, and maybe even a bit of white pepper (admittedly, I need to become more familiar with this so I can more easily identify it in beer). Wheat adds some sweet biscuity like qualities. Finishes with a light touch of grassy and earthy hop flavors.
Mouthfeel is a bit heavy for a wheat beer but it gives this more of a robust quality I feel is appropriate for a Winter beer. Overall, a nice dunkelweizen but spice qualities overpower the malts a bit too much.
★ 1,184 characters
3.36/5 rDev -18.4%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 1 | overall: 3.5
On tap at the brewery.
The beer arrives at my table in a standard pint glass. There is not head to be found. No lacing. No carbonation seems to be present at all for that matter. The color of the beer itself is vibrant amber with golden/orange hues. Not a great start.
The nose is a little subdued for the style but I still get the generic banana and clove, a bit of spice and a nice malty background.
The initial flavor is ripe banana and other sweet fruits. From here on out the clove and heavy dose of spices takes over and never really leaves. Clove and cinnamon seem to be the culprits here. The taste is good; don't get me wrong, I just prefer a more balanced tasting brew in this category.
The mouthfeel seems to be spot on with a light-medium body and silky smooth feeling over my tongue, however it lacks one thing...CARBONATION. As this was the way it was served to me I feel as though I have the right to review it as such. There was zero carbonation in this glass of beer which is a killer for it.
Overall, I think this has the potential to be a quite solid dunkelweizen. It would have been vastly better if the spice and clove was cut back a bit in order to let the banana shine, and if it were carbonated - these two crucial areas really hurt its overall score.
★ 1,281 characters
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 1 | overall: 3.5
On tap at the brewery.
The beer arrives at my table in a standard pint glass. There is not head to be found. No lacing. No carbonation seems to be present at all for that matter. The color of the beer itself is vibrant amber with golden/orange hues. Not a great start.
The nose is a little subdued for the style but I still get the generic banana and clove, a bit of spice and a nice malty background.
The initial flavor is ripe banana and other sweet fruits. From here on out the clove and heavy dose of spices takes over and never really leaves. Clove and cinnamon seem to be the culprits here. The taste is good; don't get me wrong, I just prefer a more balanced tasting brew in this category.
The mouthfeel seems to be spot on with a light-medium body and silky smooth feeling over my tongue, however it lacks one thing...CARBONATION. As this was the way it was served to me I feel as though I have the right to review it as such. There was zero carbonation in this glass of beer which is a killer for it.
Overall, I think this has the potential to be a quite solid dunkelweizen. It would have been vastly better if the spice and clove was cut back a bit in order to let the banana shine, and if it were carbonated - these two crucial areas really hurt its overall score.
★ 1,281 characters
4.28/5 rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
A - Pours a cloudy orange-amber color with a ton of off white head. Head fades very slowly and laces nicely on the glass.
S - Aroma is full of a mix of sweet malt and banana aroma. There is also some spiciness in there (mostly clove)> In the background there is also some bread notes and a bit of almost bubblegum.
T - Starts off with a mix of some light sweetness from the malt and the banana flavor. Through the middle the clove really comes out a bit alongside some lemon/citrus flavor. The finish has a really nice banana flavor with some malt sweetness and some spice. These flavors all linger nicely.
M - Medium-light bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation. The beer really feels like it expands to cover the mouth and has this really smooth slick quality. Nice slick feeling afterwards.
D - Very drinkable. The banana flavor is really present and stays perfectly balanced with the other flavors. There is quite a bit going on here, but it all works really well.
★ 981 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
A - Pours a cloudy orange-amber color with a ton of off white head. Head fades very slowly and laces nicely on the glass.
S - Aroma is full of a mix of sweet malt and banana aroma. There is also some spiciness in there (mostly clove)> In the background there is also some bread notes and a bit of almost bubblegum.
T - Starts off with a mix of some light sweetness from the malt and the banana flavor. Through the middle the clove really comes out a bit alongside some lemon/citrus flavor. The finish has a really nice banana flavor with some malt sweetness and some spice. These flavors all linger nicely.
M - Medium-light bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation. The beer really feels like it expands to cover the mouth and has this really smooth slick quality. Nice slick feeling afterwards.
D - Very drinkable. The banana flavor is really present and stays perfectly balanced with the other flavors. There is quite a bit going on here, but it all works really well.
★ 981 characters
4.27/5 rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Reviewed from notes. On tap before KTG 2010.
Pours a moderate brown color with a nice off white head. The nose is caramel as well as banana and clove. The taste is a good balance between caramel sweetness and some banana and clove. Great feel with a really nice balance between the yeast and malt. Drinks very well and is a nice take on the style.
★ 348 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Reviewed from notes. On tap before KTG 2010.
Pours a moderate brown color with a nice off white head. The nose is caramel as well as banana and clove. The taste is a good balance between caramel sweetness and some banana and clove. Great feel with a really nice balance between the yeast and malt. Drinks very well and is a nice take on the style.
★ 348 characters
3.73/5 rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
I purchased this at Ktg day '10 and entered it since it is obviously not the same as the dunkelweizen and has 'Winter Hefeweizen' clearly marked on the handwritten labels.
A - A medium apricot color w/ 2 fingers of sudsy cream w/ pillowy look. The lace clings well and clarity is lightly hazed and the beer has good head retention.
S- The smell has lots of ripe banana and mild cola notes w/ subtle sweet biscuit and gentle peppery aroma
M - The mild tang of yeast in the feel is moderate as is carbonation w/ mild sweetness and med light body w/ gentle spiciness and subtle alcohol in the background
T - The flavor has a toasted wheat cereal flavor w/ mild tropical notes from the yeast and slight caramel. There is mild dried fruit sweetness in the flavor w/ a light pepper taste. A gentle kiss of alcohol lets you know this isn't the standard hefeweizen as it finishes w/ mild element of apple
D - This is a tasty brew, a good hefeweizen but still lacks some of the smooth wheat character of a traditional example. I consider this better than average for the most part.
★ 1,087 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
I purchased this at Ktg day '10 and entered it since it is obviously not the same as the dunkelweizen and has 'Winter Hefeweizen' clearly marked on the handwritten labels.
A - A medium apricot color w/ 2 fingers of sudsy cream w/ pillowy look. The lace clings well and clarity is lightly hazed and the beer has good head retention.
S- The smell has lots of ripe banana and mild cola notes w/ subtle sweet biscuit and gentle peppery aroma
M - The mild tang of yeast in the feel is moderate as is carbonation w/ mild sweetness and med light body w/ gentle spiciness and subtle alcohol in the background
T - The flavor has a toasted wheat cereal flavor w/ mild tropical notes from the yeast and slight caramel. There is mild dried fruit sweetness in the flavor w/ a light pepper taste. A gentle kiss of alcohol lets you know this isn't the standard hefeweizen as it finishes w/ mild element of apple
D - This is a tasty brew, a good hefeweizen but still lacks some of the smooth wheat character of a traditional example. I consider this better than average for the most part.
★ 1,087 characters
4.67/5 rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
So I go to Kate day and since I'm a hefe head and love all related beers I had to get a growler of this.
A cloudy burnt orange with a white head. Decent retention and touches of lace. Not much bubbling going on until you sip, then a fog like carbonation wells up from the middle of the glass.
Smell is your first clue that you have struck gold. Large amounts of banana followed by a healthy amount of clove and an undercurrent of bubblegum. Nice. A deep dark wheat grained malt with a peppery spiciness and maybe a hint of alcohol. Just maybe. Some caramel like notes. A light hefe like yeasty funk with faint lemon adds the finishing touch.
Taste is just perfect. If a 5 means can't improve then that is what I'm saying. All the attributes of the nose with a bigger lemon presence. There are so many flavors in this glass. All of the nose flavors with so much more. Banana rides in first and sits on the horse. Followed by cloves and juicy sour green apples. A subtle lemon background. There is a roasted wheat malt breadiness for a backbone and faint cinnamon. So delicious. Sweet caramel and more banana. There is a dry tartness that expresses the peppery spiciness. Finish is long and filled with banana bread, caramel, and dry tart apples with a melon juiciness and cloves. Alcohol just barely peeks out but if you are not paying attention on a hyper level you will miss it. Feel is crisp and light with a perfect microfine effervescence. A quenching brew that while satisfying does not have any heaviness.
Drinks like a low abv beer. You want to quaff this one and kick back but it's so well made you have to sip and savor. At least for the first glass. After that all bets are off. Then you have to watch out for the sneaky abv. Now that I've had it I'm going to have to contact my new friends in the area to procure some more of this stuff. If I could get this all the time the only thing that would stop me from drinking it would be a hefe of the same caliber. Then I could switch beer from warm months to cold. Best dunkel I've had
★ 2,048 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
So I go to Kate day and since I'm a hefe head and love all related beers I had to get a growler of this.
A cloudy burnt orange with a white head. Decent retention and touches of lace. Not much bubbling going on until you sip, then a fog like carbonation wells up from the middle of the glass.
Smell is your first clue that you have struck gold. Large amounts of banana followed by a healthy amount of clove and an undercurrent of bubblegum. Nice. A deep dark wheat grained malt with a peppery spiciness and maybe a hint of alcohol. Just maybe. Some caramel like notes. A light hefe like yeasty funk with faint lemon adds the finishing touch.
Taste is just perfect. If a 5 means can't improve then that is what I'm saying. All the attributes of the nose with a bigger lemon presence. There are so many flavors in this glass. All of the nose flavors with so much more. Banana rides in first and sits on the horse. Followed by cloves and juicy sour green apples. A subtle lemon background. There is a roasted wheat malt breadiness for a backbone and faint cinnamon. So delicious. Sweet caramel and more banana. There is a dry tartness that expresses the peppery spiciness. Finish is long and filled with banana bread, caramel, and dry tart apples with a melon juiciness and cloves. Alcohol just barely peeks out but if you are not paying attention on a hyper level you will miss it. Feel is crisp and light with a perfect microfine effervescence. A quenching brew that while satisfying does not have any heaviness.
Drinks like a low abv beer. You want to quaff this one and kick back but it's so well made you have to sip and savor. At least for the first glass. After that all bets are off. Then you have to watch out for the sneaky abv. Now that I've had it I'm going to have to contact my new friends in the area to procure some more of this stuff. If I could get this all the time the only thing that would stop me from drinking it would be a hefe of the same caliber. Then I could switch beer from warm months to cold. Best dunkel I've had
★ 2,048 characters
4.27/5 rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
On-tap 3/1/2010 at the brewpub, served in a US tumbler pint glass.
A: The beer is a deep golden brown color, with a short off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.
S: The aroma is a pleasant blend of bananas, wheat, spices, caramelized malts and a touch of hops.
T: The taste starts out sweet with flavors of bananas and spices that are quickly followed by a strong wheat breadiness. The malt character is hearty but not too heavy and the hops presence is mild but complementary, creating a good balance. The after-taste is slightly bready and slightly sweet.
M: Crisp and very smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is clean.
D: Very tasty, goes down quite easily, not too filling, good kick, very good representation of style, this is a really nice beer to session with for a long time.
★ 832 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
On-tap 3/1/2010 at the brewpub, served in a US tumbler pint glass.
A: The beer is a deep golden brown color, with a short off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.
S: The aroma is a pleasant blend of bananas, wheat, spices, caramelized malts and a touch of hops.
T: The taste starts out sweet with flavors of bananas and spices that are quickly followed by a strong wheat breadiness. The malt character is hearty but not too heavy and the hops presence is mild but complementary, creating a good balance. The after-taste is slightly bready and slightly sweet.
M: Crisp and very smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is clean.
D: Very tasty, goes down quite easily, not too filling, good kick, very good representation of style, this is a really nice beer to session with for a long time.
★ 832 characters
4.25/5 rDev +3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
22oz. bottle purchased on KTG eve. Served in a weizen glass at 50 degrees. Poured a dull burnt orange with hazy clarity and a three inch creamy, off-white head. Head eventually settles into a frothy, quarter inch cap. Some web-like swaths of lacing revealed during the tasting. Smells great - banana and bubblegum dominate the front with some clove character coming out behind. Taste is somewhat muted in comparison to the boldness of the nose. Also, a bit of citric acid comes out in the middle, as well as a subtle wheat quality in the mix. Finish reminds me of banana peel strings. Mouthfeel is light-medium, with a pleasant background carbonation. I love this style and I really dig this beer.
★ 697 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
22oz. bottle purchased on KTG eve. Served in a weizen glass at 50 degrees. Poured a dull burnt orange with hazy clarity and a three inch creamy, off-white head. Head eventually settles into a frothy, quarter inch cap. Some web-like swaths of lacing revealed during the tasting. Smells great - banana and bubblegum dominate the front with some clove character coming out behind. Taste is somewhat muted in comparison to the boldness of the nose. Also, a bit of citric acid comes out in the middle, as well as a subtle wheat quality in the mix. Finish reminds me of banana peel strings. Mouthfeel is light-medium, with a pleasant background carbonation. I love this style and I really dig this beer.
★ 697 characters
4.37/5 rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Soooo... I received a completely unexpected box today from rpstevens... Contained within was a Portsmouth Wheatwine!! While it may be a while before I get to the WW... It did remind me that I still have a Winter Weizen received as an incredibly cool extra from our first (and hopefully not our last) trade... Huge Thanks to Ryan for both beers. Poured into my small weizen glass.
Huge head towers more than an inch out of the glass.. very rocky and amazing retention.. very cloudy lite copper colored brew... surprisingly.. not a whole lot of lacing.
Nose is more banana than clove... a little bit more than expected "pink bubblegum" aroma that is appreciated... a nice toasty bready element ties all the esters and phenols together.. very balanced.
Flavor mirrors the nose with a little caramel riding with the maltiness.. very balanced banana with a little lesser clove and still an inviting bubblegum essence.. grainy pale malts emerge a little bit more as it warms up.. medium body with a creamy mouthfeel and small bubble carbonation that is still pretty effervescent..
This brew could easily have been brewed in Germany.. nearly perfect.. I honestly can't find any flaws.. finish is long and reminds me of banana bread..
Thanks again Ryan... A superb trade from a fantastic trader... I'll do it again any time.
4.5/4/4.5/4.5/4
★ 1,340 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Soooo... I received a completely unexpected box today from rpstevens... Contained within was a Portsmouth Wheatwine!! While it may be a while before I get to the WW... It did remind me that I still have a Winter Weizen received as an incredibly cool extra from our first (and hopefully not our last) trade... Huge Thanks to Ryan for both beers. Poured into my small weizen glass.
Huge head towers more than an inch out of the glass.. very rocky and amazing retention.. very cloudy lite copper colored brew... surprisingly.. not a whole lot of lacing.
Nose is more banana than clove... a little bit more than expected "pink bubblegum" aroma that is appreciated... a nice toasty bready element ties all the esters and phenols together.. very balanced.
Flavor mirrors the nose with a little caramel riding with the maltiness.. very balanced banana with a little lesser clove and still an inviting bubblegum essence.. grainy pale malts emerge a little bit more as it warms up.. medium body with a creamy mouthfeel and small bubble carbonation that is still pretty effervescent..
This brew could easily have been brewed in Germany.. nearly perfect.. I honestly can't find any flaws.. finish is long and reminds me of banana bread..
Thanks again Ryan... A superb trade from a fantastic trader... I'll do it again any time.
4.5/4/4.5/4.5/4
★ 1,340 characters
4.8/5 rDev +16.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
A: 22 oz bottle w/ classic Portsmouth Brewery label w/ "Winter Weizen" hand-written in sharpie on the front. No freshness or bottling date. This beer pours with a towering creamy head, standing tall for awhile, then settling into a rocky yet igneous surface of at least 1/2 inch throughout. Beautiful cloudy golden color. Looks great.
S: Smells of freshly baked bread, ripe bananas, clove, and cinnamon. Like a loaf of banana bread.
T: First sip is bananas and spice, giving way to a strong wheat taste, finishes both buttery and cinnamon-fresh. The slightest tang. Tastes crisp with mild bittering hops paving the way for an oh-so smooth sweetness, but not cloying. This is like the best dessert ever.
M: Like drinking cumulonimbus clouds. A great body containing a light, delicate fizz with a slickness that keeps it sliding down the trap, begging you for another quaff. So luxurious and refreshing.
D: A perfect five for drinkability. You couldn't find a more drinkable beer. I could drink a gallon of this.
Notes: This is absolutely the best Weizen/Weizebock/Dunkelweizen I have ever had. Better than all the big name german ones, even. Kudos to Todd and Tyler for putting Portsmouth on the map, again. I wish this was a year-round brew.
★ 1,246 characters
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
A: 22 oz bottle w/ classic Portsmouth Brewery label w/ "Winter Weizen" hand-written in sharpie on the front. No freshness or bottling date. This beer pours with a towering creamy head, standing tall for awhile, then settling into a rocky yet igneous surface of at least 1/2 inch throughout. Beautiful cloudy golden color. Looks great.
S: Smells of freshly baked bread, ripe bananas, clove, and cinnamon. Like a loaf of banana bread.
T: First sip is bananas and spice, giving way to a strong wheat taste, finishes both buttery and cinnamon-fresh. The slightest tang. Tastes crisp with mild bittering hops paving the way for an oh-so smooth sweetness, but not cloying. This is like the best dessert ever.
M: Like drinking cumulonimbus clouds. A great body containing a light, delicate fizz with a slickness that keeps it sliding down the trap, begging you for another quaff. So luxurious and refreshing.
D: A perfect five for drinkability. You couldn't find a more drinkable beer. I could drink a gallon of this.
Notes: This is absolutely the best Weizen/Weizebock/Dunkelweizen I have ever had. Better than all the big name german ones, even. Kudos to Todd and Tyler for putting Portsmouth on the map, again. I wish this was a year-round brew.
★ 1,246 characters
4.35/5 rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Bomber shared by glid02.
Pours a cloudy golden orange with a sizable white head that showed good retention and left only a trace of lacing.
The aroma has the typical Belgian yeast aroma of bubble gum and bananas with some cloves as well. Faint hints of hops and a light fruity sweetness.
The taste amps up the sweetness with the same bananas and light fruit as the aroma. There is hop kick up front with some apples and pears in the middle before some spices finish it off with a dry finish.
The mouthfeel is light to medium bodied with lots of sticky sweetness.
I really enjoyed this one and it's very, very drinkable. Thanks to Gregg for sharing.
★ 653 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Bomber shared by glid02.
Pours a cloudy golden orange with a sizable white head that showed good retention and left only a trace of lacing.
The aroma has the typical Belgian yeast aroma of bubble gum and bananas with some cloves as well. Faint hints of hops and a light fruity sweetness.
The taste amps up the sweetness with the same bananas and light fruit as the aroma. There is hop kick up front with some apples and pears in the middle before some spices finish it off with a dry finish.
The mouthfeel is light to medium bodied with lots of sticky sweetness.
I really enjoyed this one and it's very, very drinkable. Thanks to Gregg for sharing.
★ 653 characters
4.4/5 rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
Tried this courtesy of Norica - thanks again!
Pours a hazy orange-copper color with a thin white head that dissipates into a wispy layer on top leaving some lacing.
Smells of light fruits - mostly bananas but with some hints of pears - with some light spices. The fruits smell fresher than most other weizens, i.e. they don't have as much underlying sweetness - I like this.
Tastes similar to how it smells. The spices are a bit more pronounced, but the fruits still run the show. Like the smell the fruit flavors don't have as much of an underlying sweetness as the average weizen. Again, I'm a fan.
Mouthfeel is good. It's got a good thickness with soft carbonation that makes this beer go down smoothly.
Drinkability is very good. I could have more than a few of these at any time of year.
Overall this was a very tasty beer. The flavors are crisper than I've come to except from this family of beers, and needless to say I was impressed. Worth a shot, and thanks again for Norica for sending this one along!
★ 1,017 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
Tried this courtesy of Norica - thanks again!
Pours a hazy orange-copper color with a thin white head that dissipates into a wispy layer on top leaving some lacing.
Smells of light fruits - mostly bananas but with some hints of pears - with some light spices. The fruits smell fresher than most other weizens, i.e. they don't have as much underlying sweetness - I like this.
Tastes similar to how it smells. The spices are a bit more pronounced, but the fruits still run the show. Like the smell the fruit flavors don't have as much of an underlying sweetness as the average weizen. Again, I'm a fan.
Mouthfeel is good. It's got a good thickness with soft carbonation that makes this beer go down smoothly.
Drinkability is very good. I could have more than a few of these at any time of year.
Overall this was a very tasty beer. The flavors are crisper than I've come to except from this family of beers, and needless to say I was impressed. Worth a shot, and thanks again for Norica for sending this one along!
★ 1,017 characters
4.63/5 rDev +12.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
Poured into a weizen glass, appearance and lacing doesn't get any better. Aroma and finish of slight cloves, faint banana in the nose but predominantly bubblegum. This beer blows away any import dunkelweizen that you can find stateside, a true joy to drink. 7% and loaded with yumminess, a beer to drink all day/night long that doesn't B$#@*slap your palate and forget where you parked your car. If only other US brewers would pay more attention to similiar styles and doing them as well as this. I hope there is more left the next time I'm in Portsmouth. Cheers to great beers <7%!!!
★ 587 characters
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
Poured into a weizen glass, appearance and lacing doesn't get any better. Aroma and finish of slight cloves, faint banana in the nose but predominantly bubblegum. This beer blows away any import dunkelweizen that you can find stateside, a true joy to drink. 7% and loaded with yumminess, a beer to drink all day/night long that doesn't B$#@*slap your palate and forget where you parked your car. If only other US brewers would pay more attention to similiar styles and doing them as well as this. I hope there is more left the next time I'm in Portsmouth. Cheers to great beers <7%!!!
★ 587 characters
4.33/5 rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
A summery winter wheat, or a wintry summer wheat? Both. And as such, something very drinkable throughout the year. Recommended by staff at the brewpub itself, this Weizen poured out a bit flat with no head, yet upon sampling had 'hidden' carbonation that opened up a nicely complex flavor. On on hand there was a slightly Christmas quality with apple ginger hints and a medium body. On the other hand, there was a lightness that displayed lemon-cloves that reminded one of summer. Not too sweet, nice wheat hops and definitely an easy beer to enjoy.
★ 549 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
A summery winter wheat, or a wintry summer wheat? Both. And as such, something very drinkable throughout the year. Recommended by staff at the brewpub itself, this Weizen poured out a bit flat with no head, yet upon sampling had 'hidden' carbonation that opened up a nicely complex flavor. On on hand there was a slightly Christmas quality with apple ginger hints and a medium body. On the other hand, there was a lightness that displayed lemon-cloves that reminded one of summer. Not too sweet, nice wheat hops and definitely an easy beer to enjoy.
★ 549 characters
3.8/5 rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured into a weizen glass. Color was a golden amber, beer was very cloudy with small amounts of bubbles rising from the bottom. A very small thin foamy head disappeared quickly leaving a ring around the top. Aroma was strongly banana bread, and was slightly sweet with a dash of vanilla. Taste was slightly of banana bread, more bread than banana with a bit of sweet cloves. Also a bit of citrus hiding in there. Felt good in the mouth. Coated nicely, a bit of carbonation. Vey easy to drink. Worked pretty well for a style I usually associate with summer not winter.
★ 568 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured into a weizen glass. Color was a golden amber, beer was very cloudy with small amounts of bubbles rising from the bottom. A very small thin foamy head disappeared quickly leaving a ring around the top. Aroma was strongly banana bread, and was slightly sweet with a dash of vanilla. Taste was slightly of banana bread, more bread than banana with a bit of sweet cloves. Also a bit of citrus hiding in there. Felt good in the mouth. Coated nicely, a bit of carbonation. Vey easy to drink. Worked pretty well for a style I usually associate with summer not winter.
★ 568 characters
4.21/5 rDev +2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Got the last bottle in the shop at The Portsmouth Brewery!!
Pours a hazed copper color, darker around the edges. Creamy white head diminishes, but stays with the beer for the duration. Smells like banana bread, and I'm loving that! There's clove in there, too. Crazy lingering banana flavor, spicy too. Nice creamy mouthfeel....this is just excellent!
★ 352 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Got the last bottle in the shop at The Portsmouth Brewery!!
Pours a hazed copper color, darker around the edges. Creamy white head diminishes, but stays with the beer for the duration. Smells like banana bread, and I'm loving that! There's clove in there, too. Crazy lingering banana flavor, spicy too. Nice creamy mouthfeel....this is just excellent!
★ 352 characters
4.19/5 rDev +1.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
On tap poured in my Imperial pint glass with a cloudy yellowish orange body. There was a large quickly dissipating white head that falls away to almost no lace
Aromas of Belgian yeast is strong along with the typical bananas and clove
Medium body and smooth on the tongue
I have been drinking a few of these this weekend getting ready for summer. The experience has been quite pleasurable
I say this brew is a must try for any fans of the style
★ 448 characters
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
On tap poured in my Imperial pint glass with a cloudy yellowish orange body. There was a large quickly dissipating white head that falls away to almost no lace
Aromas of Belgian yeast is strong along with the typical bananas and clove
Medium body and smooth on the tongue
I have been drinking a few of these this weekend getting ready for summer. The experience has been quite pleasurable
I say this brew is a must try for any fans of the style
★ 448 characters
4.3/5 rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
On-tap at the Portsmouth Brewery for dinner.
Pours a hazy yellow/orange color with some decent lacing.
Smell is very yeasty with a hint of orange zest, some clove.
Taste is very spicy, bit malty but the spiciness really controls this beer, strong orange taste with a yeastiness, very sweet, slight lemonish taste, good carbonation if only slightly high.
★ 356 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
On-tap at the Portsmouth Brewery for dinner.
Pours a hazy yellow/orange color with some decent lacing.
Smell is very yeasty with a hint of orange zest, some clove.
Taste is very spicy, bit malty but the spiciness really controls this beer, strong orange taste with a yeastiness, very sweet, slight lemonish taste, good carbonation if only slightly high.
★ 356 characters
3.85/5 rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Portsmouth- Winter Weizen
A- Hazy brown with a small head but heavy lacing.
S- Clove and spice, black pepper.
T- Syrupy spicy malt with big doses of clove and black pepper. A touch of toffee.
M- Very spicey and dry.
Overall- Tasty but the alc. really comes through for a 5.5% beer.
★ 283 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Portsmouth- Winter Weizen
A- Hazy brown with a small head but heavy lacing.
S- Clove and spice, black pepper.
T- Syrupy spicy malt with big doses of clove and black pepper. A touch of toffee.
M- Very spicey and dry.
Overall- Tasty but the alc. really comes through for a 5.5% beer.
★ 283 characters
3.88/5 rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A cloudy orange color with a medium head and nice lacing. The beer had a sweet, malty aroma. A fruity, banana taste with a little hoppiness at the end, althought the hops presence died out as I drank the pint. Decent mouthfeel, and very drinkable. I will have this again.
★ 271 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A cloudy orange color with a medium head and nice lacing. The beer had a sweet, malty aroma. A fruity, banana taste with a little hoppiness at the end, althought the hops presence died out as I drank the pint. Decent mouthfeel, and very drinkable. I will have this again.
★ 271 characters
3.97/5 rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This beer was still on tap when we last visited the brewpub. Pour when served was the color of burnished copper, and was slightly cloudy. The 1/2 inch white head died quickly. I was still able to pick up on the banana/cloves/yeastiness in the aroma. Medium in mouthfeel, tastewise the bananas and yeastiness is what stood out for me.
★ 333 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This beer was still on tap when we last visited the brewpub. Pour when served was the color of burnished copper, and was slightly cloudy. The 1/2 inch white head died quickly. I was still able to pick up on the banana/cloves/yeastiness in the aroma. Medium in mouthfeel, tastewise the bananas and yeastiness is what stood out for me.
★ 333 characters
4.42/5 rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
I was wonderfully surprised to see this beer on tap today when I drove to Portsmouth for lunch. It poured a hazy dark gold color with little head or lace. The nose has the clove, banana, and vanilla character you expect from a hefe weizen, but there is a little caramel not from the malt. All of the same is found in the flavor along with just a hint of orange peel, and a little roast malt character. Nice rich, smooth mouth feel. This is a highly drinkable beer that is really growing on me. I'm not sure about this being a dunkel. Great beer though.
★ 552 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
I was wonderfully surprised to see this beer on tap today when I drove to Portsmouth for lunch. It poured a hazy dark gold color with little head or lace. The nose has the clove, banana, and vanilla character you expect from a hefe weizen, but there is a little caramel not from the malt. All of the same is found in the flavor along with just a hint of orange peel, and a little roast malt character. Nice rich, smooth mouth feel. This is a highly drinkable beer that is really growing on me. I'm not sure about this being a dunkel. Great beer though.
★ 552 characters
Portsmouth Winter Weizen from Portsmouth Brewery
4.12
out of 5
based on 45 ratings.
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
A very solid wheat. I haven't had a ton from TPB, but this will keep me coming back.
Poured from a growler, though on tap it was equally solid. Color is an opaque red, not surprising in a wheat. nose is fruity, wheat is solidly present. Presents with a decent head, even late into the bottle. Mouth feel is slightly silky, very full. Flavor is full, slightly spicy, and with strong citrus overtones. Finishes strong with a smooth aftertaste, notes of spice and citrus.
A great wheat offering from a brewery which, as I understand, isn't their usual. Highly recommend picking it up.
★ 584 characters