Mayhem
DuClaw Brewing Co.

 

Good beer but doesn't leave you feeling like you just had a weizenbock. It's filtered. A terrible sin. A weizenbock should never be clear and should never lack sediment at the bottom of its bottle. DuClaw, I want my flavor-packed sediment back. I want to dislodge it using the last few ounces of beer and top off my glass w/the goodness. Filtering completely neutered this beer...robbed its cloudy look, banana nose, creamy mouthfeel.

 

 

 

Not sure where they are getting 5% mine says 7.5% on the label. Into a pint glass.
A - Good orange amber caramel color very deep yet clear with a 1/2 inch of head that settles to a good ring.
S - Bready wheat and some banana very little clove spice. Smells mild.
T - Good body caramel sweetness with bready wheat sourdough bread taste with some mild clove spice.
M - Medium bodied not as massive as other takes on the style. Pound able.

Overall its easy to put away and I may get it again. Good take on the style.

 

 

Pours a bright caramel color with high carbonation and 1/4 inch head. Taste is banana, clove, and dark wheat bread. Very good domestic example of the style. I am glad I picked up a six pack.

 

 

 

Bottled 7/7/2015

SRM in the 12-15 range. Very clear. Good retention of a foamy head. Low carbonation.

Smells; faintly of alcohol. From hops; spicy and herbal. From malt; a little roast and a hint of caramel. Some banana ester here and there, some clove and cinnamon phenols. Seems to be dominated by the phenols and hops however — I'm not getting a whole lot of banana aside from maybe that of incredibly rotten banana.

Tastes mildly of alcohol. Plenty of spice and herbal notes, low to moderate bitterness. Sweet roasted wheat flavor. Leans to sweeter side. Nothing super exciting however. A distinct yet light (in comparison to brews more prominently utilizing a) sour/wild yeast characteristic as well.

Moderate astringency, drying body, low carbonation, moderate to long finish.

Probably not a good first choice for introduction to the style — thus, can't say if it is appropriate or not. I'm going to lean towards not, given the marketing line of "Rules are meant to be broken…". Being the case, the overall balance may be a little undesirable. My suspicion is that it is not as tempered as a traditional weizenbock might be. Though to its credit, it's difficult to reconcile everything that is going on with this brew. So how do you judge something that wants to break from tradition? That more boils down to what the individual is looking for in their brew. I think Mayhem is a unique offering, but not necessarily one that I'd be willing to re-try over other more personally-proven styles.

 

 

Great beer for a weizen base. Usually not a fan but this may change my mind

 

 

On tap at Fells Point location...
Appears a pure haze of murky brown cider with some auburn colors radiating along the sides of the glass. The fluffy white head droops into a mild collar. Scattered spots and streaks of lacing are left around the glass.
Smell is of banana, cloves, vanilla wafers, bubble gum, toffee, caramel, and...is that American hops I'm detecting in there? Smells a bit herbal with a huge grapefruit smack that's a bit different for the style.
Taste is of the mentioned aromas but I'm not digging the citrusy grapefruit as much. In fact, it seems to detract a little bit from all the other goodness that makes a weizenbock...well...a weizenbock. I'd tone down the hops a bit to make it less bitter. The yeast and caramel malts are the winners with this style. No need to over complicate this, as it shows flashes of brilliance. Sometimes more is less.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied, chewy, warming, mildly spritzy and spicy, and a dollop of bitterness that seems a tad abrasive.

This is the 2007 release, I got a growler-full yesterday at the Bowie outlet. It pours a cloudy brown fluid with a distinctly tan (*not* white) head that leaves little lacing. The nose is *sweet* with bubble-gum flavor notes, a little yeasty, and a promising, strong swagger and menace. There are faint overtones of citrus (lemon) and ripe green peppers.

The flavor fulfills the promise of the aroma. Sweetness is countered by a good dose of bitterness (the hops providing this perhaps contributing the citrusy flavor?). There is a sourness around the edges of the palate, held in check by the very complex flavor. Yeah, I can go w/ a little banana and cloves, but there's more, the kind of flavor that only yeast and alcohol can convey. And, oh yeah, alcohol, that's in there too. There's a little grayness to the flavor, again that lasting bitterness that makes it all balance out so nicely. And somewhere in the midst of all this there is a suggestion of molasses. The finish includes a graininess that is OK.

The sweet-and-sour-and-bitterness give it all an oiliness on the tongue, there is plenty of malt to make this a sticky, chewey experience. The alcohol doesn't provide a lot of heat, the carbonation is very pleasant, this is an easy to drink brew, highly enjoyable.

Comparisons to Dead Guy ale are, I guess, inevitable, and this brew compares *very* well. I think this is one of DuClaw's best seasonal offerings. I'll go back soon again to savor this one.