Ready for Takeoff
Strangebird Beer

On tap at Strangebird Brewing in Rochester, NY.

This one pours a slightly hazy golden orange color, with a small head, and lots of lacing.

This smells mildly citrusy, and mostly wheaty.

This is solid, but feels very American-ized, which isn’t really my preference. It’s much more citrusy and hop forward than a hefeweizen typically would be, with some wheatiness, but very little of the typical banana and clove I expect. It almost just feels like a hop forward wheat beer, instead of a hefeweizen.

This is much thinner, and less pillowy and creamy than some of the best examples of the style.

I didn’t hate this, and I almost always love Strangebird, but this was a slight let down.

 

The big fluffy white head quickly shrinks to a thin blanket, leaving no lace. The beer is hazy gold (srm 2-3) with occasional bubbles of carbonation ambling along in columns.

This is an earthy version of the style, with a subdued and muddy expression of clove and banana. The wheat is prevalent, as is a light sourness.

The banana flavor is closer to style than in the aroma. The sweet/bitter balance is perhaps tilted toward sweetness. Light vanilla is present just before white bread dough. The finish is pleasantly long.

A medium body with a rough woolen texture and light alcohol. Carbonation is light an prickly.

This is a pleasant Labor Day beer. It even works well on this cool, though breezy sunny day. I bet it would pair well with grilled clams and mussels.