Horse Heaven Hefeweizen
Whitstran Brewing Company

I bought a six-pack of Horse Heaven Hefe at the brewpub while passing through Prosser last week. Poured in to a weizen glass.

Pours a tarnished gold color and is for the most part clear. Just a touch of haze. Modest frothy head for a Bavarian style hefe, not the massive foam head I expected, even on a aggressive pour.

The smell is authentic enough. Sweet soft fruit aromas fill nose.

The taste is also that of an authentic Bavarian style hefe. Banana and clove flavors dominate. Perhaps a little green apple flavor, and a very mild bitterness.

Mouthfeel is crisp, clean and refreshing. It would be an excellent warm weather beer.

All in all a very drinkable beer. I suppose the absence of the massive head even makes it more so? At the brewpub they serve this in a pint glass with virtually no head.

Except for the appearance a very good representation of the style. As good as the In Heat Wheat and the hefe brewed in Big Horn brewpubs.

Fairly clear for a hefe. But the tall white head and strong banana nose (banana nose?) are stylistically targeted. Banana also shows prominently in the flavor, especially towards the finish. A taste of apple also mingles among the fruited components.

Perhaps it’s fitting that Whitstran calls this “hefe” and not “hefeweizen” for though it’s brewed with greater than 50% wheat malts, that element is deferential to yeast esters (and apparently reconstituted in the Steamy Cream.) Though only quasi-traditional for its lack of a highly particulate body, Horse Heaven stands out as both different and good. Named for a local mountain range.

I was poured a four ounce sample from the tap at the brewery tasting room in Prosser, WA.

A: It poured a very clear, light straw yellow with a bone white abundant head that supported a modest lacing. I expected the signature cloudy unfiltered signature of a heffe. The brewers spouse assured us that the beer was unfiltered but that this was more of a "Bavarian" heffe rather than a wheat heffe.

S: There was a noticeable aroma of bananas and light spices (pumpkin, cinnamon, white pepper and nutmeg).

T: It was creamy and malty sweet with a distinct banana profile and a recessed hop bitterness and spicy bite.

M: Light to medium body with a warm, clean, and dry finish.

D: Not as heavy and filling as a standard heffe making it more palatable for a session brew.