The PastryArchy Edition #17: Banana Bread Pudding Hefeweizen
DuClaw Brewing Co.

 

 

 

I must be a sucker, Duclaw got me again. So far they are 0 fer. This is their PastryArchy series again, banana bread pudding hefeweissen edition. It pours a hazy orange with a white head and a banana heavy nose. The banana is present in the taste, but there's an unpleasant chemical flavor that transitions to a metallic bitterness. I really need to stop trying this brewery.

These guys keep impressing me with these releases, even with insane descriptors like oatmeal cream cookie and banana bread pudding - they deliver a very enjoyable product that doesn't go as overboard as their names might describe...

Not a purist's hefe I guess, but definitely builds on the hefe banana, clove, and wheat profile - not too sweet, but banana and spice are bold, with subtler chocolates and soft fruits - almost feels like something of a tripel in there - a denser feel than a traditional hefe, but smooth and very easy to drink...

Canned 5/18/21

You know, I can't really say that I've seen many adjuncted Hefe's before. It just doesn't seem like a substyle that needs to exist. Why did I get it then? Absolute curiosity. I picked up this and their Oatmeal Cream Pie one just to see how strange they can be. It seems like this series is leaning into the absurdity so I'm all for it. Let's see if there's any surprises here

Pours a cloudy dark gold with 3 fingers of soapy white head that fades to a thin cap and leaves minimal lacing

The nose on this one is most definitely strange, bringing a sweetness to the style that is really not needed. I'm not sure that I want it in there, but I'm intrigued by it. I'm picking up on aromas of overripe banana, fresh baked bread, cinnamon, chocolate syrup, light honey, and a touch of vanilla

While it's interesting in its odd aroma, the taste is a bit muddy, with everything kinda tripping over everything else. On the front end of the sip I'm tasting ripe banana, nutmeg, milk chocolate, and light bready malt. The swallow brings notes of overripe banana, pie crust, vanilla, clove, and light cacao. A lot going on, but as I said it all blends together messily

A light medium body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a beer with a very strange feel, starting off too sweet but finishing much more crisp. Finishes off dry with a persistent note of banana

Why? That's the one question I was asking myself the whole time. I mean, maybe I can kinda see this thing working out right, and this was by no means bad, but why does anyone need this? Still, it was a fun enough drink where I feel I might get sucked into a rabbit hole after I try my next PastryArchy

 

 

Getting the Banana but not feeling the total mix. A bit of honey on the nose, but not tasting the spices.

The look is really neat with foam laced across the top, but the taste doesn't work for me.

 

Canned on 5/18/21. 16oz can poured into a tulip. Pours a glowing golden with some haze; fluffy white head that falls leaving solid retention and lacing. The aromas have a nice amount of banana bread coming through along with some hints of whipped cream. Yeasts and malts do their thing. The flavors definitely have a "banana bread pudding vibe". Lots of banana. Some graham cracker crust. Some subtle cinnamon and spice notes. Hints of cocoa in the mix. Mild hints of bubblegum as well. Nice little earthiness and bitterness going on. Soft sweetness. Yeasts do their thing while almost taking a backseat. Solid malt backbone. Alcohol goes unnoticed for the most part. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied with moderate carbonation. It's extremely fluffy and smooth.

This is a really nice brew. They truly nailed the "banana bread pudding" characteristics, which really takes this one to the next level. It kind of has a dessert vibe going on, so don't expect a classic or traditional example of the style. Despite it not being a traditional Hefeweizen, it's still really nice, enjoyable and fun to drink. I really like it.

L: Poured a fairly uniform burnished gold, and even with a not at all careful pour, only formed about a finger and a half of just off-white foam. Said foam did cling nicely to the glass during consumption.

S: Plenty of banana presence, with hints of clove and citrus.

T: Opens not unlike a bite of particularly mushy overripe banana. By mid-mouth, that was overwhelmed for me by a heavy tart citrus, which obliterated most anything else I could taste. Post swallow, the citrus bite lingers, with something of a metallic tang.

F: While not watery, not quite as full or creamy a mouthfeel as one might want from their wheat beer.

O: The name alone seemed a tad gimmicky, and the beer met that expectation. While the look and nose held some promise, the actual drinking experience was a bit underwhelming, even for a US hefe. I doubt I'd repeat this one, even if the brewery were to repeat it.

With the flirtation with pastries and beer, it was just a matter of time before DuClaw Brewing set their sights on banana bread and bread pudding. Weaving this all together on an already banana-forward taste of Hefeweizen, and this culmination was a no brainer.

Glowing with a diffused golden glow, The PastryArchy Banana Bread Pudding Hefeweizen pulls no punches releasing a strong banana and cream aroma. As hints of soothing spices cross the nose, so does hints of citrus and cookie dough that waft from its creamy meringue. Quite sweet to start, the early palate opens up with pillowy wheat, vanilla, cream, honey, angel food cake and caramel in a confectionary start to the session.

As the sweetness rolls over the middle palate, its sweetness, creaminess and breadiness holds strong in anticipation of the soft spiciness of allspice, nutmeg, vanilla, clove and cinnamon in a slight Christmasy kind of way. Seeming like a bananas foster midway through, the beer then turns to a bitter taste late with a sharpness of pine, hay and grasses in an attempt to balance the lingering sweetness.

Full bodied, creamy and seeming bigger than it is, the beer finishes bitter-sweet with an acute hop bite that's distracting from the banana pudding and banana bread focus. A linger of grassy and peppery bitterness outlasts the banana for a hoppy final impression. DuClaw would have been better off to allow the beer to become a wheat wine and forego any try at offsetting the sweetness with such assertive hopping rates.