The Flying Dog Holiday Collection: Imperial Hefeweizen
Flying Dog Brewery

 

Beer poured from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass. Beer pours cloudy yellow orange with a small white head that disappears almost immediately. Smells of wheat with slight banana. Tastes of sugary, fruity banana, slight wheat. Beer is light bodied and extremely drinkable for an imperial hefe. Overall, a very good beer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

12oz brown bottle with no freshness date.

Fluffy bubbly head, cloudy amber hue.

Banana taffy, chalky yeast, mildly estery, bread, & spicy clove in the nose.

Smooth with some depth in the semi-chewy mouth feel, lots of yeast and bready grain to start then comes the usual banana and clove all of which meld pretty well together. Alcohol is a little off the handle but expect for this style.

Good stuff all around here, paired very well with the Otterbein's Sugar Cookie.

 

 

12 oz. bottle poured into a Burley Oak snifter (064A15)

A: Hazy burnished copper with a nice head that leaves a decent collar and almost no lacing.
S: Bready and yeasty, but slightly sweet.
T: Comes with a nice bit of yeast/sediment. Nice sweetness that comes from the imperial part of this. Quite good.
M: Smooth, with almost no present carbonation. Fuzzy, but no roughness.
O: By far, the best of the Holiday Collection. I might even buy this as a regular release. It is quite unique for a Hefeweizen. The Imperial nature of it gives it a bit of sweetness that really goes well with the yeasty nature of it.

 

I decided to grab this 12 pack due to the festive atmosphere penetrating my very soul now that I have a family. Anywho on to the brew.

So overall this is the best of the bunch in my opinion. Pours a murky amber/yellow with a decent 1 inch foamy head. Smell is huge bubblegum and spicy yeast notes. Bit of the banana coming through too. Taste is big spiciness and sweet banana on the finish. It's a bit medicinal and slightly minty. Mouthfeel is actually big and creamy which is very reminiscent of a banana which is the major flavor of a hefeweizen.

Overall I prefer this hefeweizen to all the others I have currently sampled. It's bigger, bolder, and more flavorful than the traditional hefeweizen. If that is what they were going for them I think they nailed it.