Half-Life Hefeweizen
Atomic Ale Brewpub And Eatery

draught
IBUs: 14
Very little white head. Medium cloudy, light orange and amber look. Light, off-dry, clove and light toast grain, for the aroma. Pretty smooth, crisp, light caramelized grain and yeast flavors with a bit of clove/allspice, on the side. Medium light bodied, with a crisp and bright, spiced malt and lemon note, for the finish.

not retired at all, this was on tap when i was in recently, it must just be in a rotation. its a fine beer, maybe not as traditional as i like mine to be, or as well refined, but its easy enough drinking, not short on yeast character, and seems right for a sunny afternoon on their little patio at the brewery. its very pale and washed out looking, hazy whitish yellow, with a tall fizzy head like a soda, lemony to me in the nose, with some estery hefe yeast approaching phenolic but not quite there. some bubblegum and taffy notes, green hard pear, green apple, and hay. the wheat part seems really light but a little raw to me, starchy and like the mash wasnt real efficient either. the body is low, not fluffy like i want these to be, and even though the carbonation is good and lively, i want a little more from the mouthfeel here. the yeast doesnt quite round out to mellow banana and spice and classic german character, but it does drive the flavor here, and im okay with it, even if there is a little soapy thing to it. its basic beer, but it drinks fine and easy on a summery early fall day, i cant complain, kind of home brew level, but decent.

Color was a bit darker than I would expect. Head was not present.

Smelled like wet, dirty socks.

Taste was relatively bland, without noticeable notes of anything resembling a wheat bear (notes of banana, clove etc.). Taste lacked any definition of beverage resembling wheat beer category.

Mouthfeel was timid, flat, but some solid warming sensations present.

Server was awesome...but...

I am not a big fan of Hefeweizen's, so I was sure that I was not going to enjoy this one. I was actually suprised. Poured a cloudy yellow with a thin white head. Reminded me of lemonade. I am opposed to adding fruit to beer, so I left the lemon slice out. There was not much aroma but the taste was a lot of wheat and cereal grains. The texture was good, light and crisp on the tongue. This was fairly smooth with a decent flavor. This could be a session beer.

I sampled this beer sans the lemon and I regret that decision. I also could have experienced it as a prime ingredient in the establishments potato soup...perhaps that would have been a better opportunity to find virtue in a brew without much to recommend it.

A: It poured a funky lemony hazy yellow that looked bleached and washed out. There was a bone white head but even that could not hide the remarkably blanched color of the body.

S: At first I couldn't pick up any aroma then a wisp of diluted lemon tartness came out followed by a strange chemical aroma reminiscent of cleaning solvent.

T: Typically a brewer seeks to interpret a traditional style of beer by adding or accenting elements that argument the character of the beer hence making it his/her own. In this case it appeared the brewer sought to distinguish this beer by removing nearly all elements that one associated with a hefewwizen. It had an initial taste of diluted lemons bathed in a chemical solvent with a sour aftertaste that was hard to cover.

M: Watery light body with a citrusy front and sour chemical finish.

D: Never again.

Comment: This is a hometown brew so I'd like to be able to recommend it but can't. It is simply best used as a stock ingredient in potato soup and not served as one of three staple brews of any brewpub.

If they insist on calling this wheat beer “Half-Life”, I will oblige you by telling you which half I got. I got the half that had very little life. First, it’s not a hefeweizen, it’s an American wheat beer brewed with 60% wheat malts. The body is clouded gray-yellow, but all Bavarian elements are absent by design. Even without looking, the sullen mouthfeel betrays a complete lack of invigoration. A Brit-beer or high alcohol brew might get away with such a lack of vitality, but here it’s disappointing. You count on a lively body to deliver the full range of expressions in a wheat beer. The crisp edge is otherwise muted as it is in Half-Life.

A frayed peppery flourish does emerge, but nothing can hide the fact that this beer is flat. And it doesn’t help that the experience begins with the obligatory aroma-stealing lemon wedge and concludes with an industrial aftertaste. Not a complete train wreck, but otherwise uninspired and quite nearly insipid.

One of the regular beers at Atomic Ale Brewpub in Richland. The name is appropriate, as half the life had gone out of this beer, if it was ever there to begin with.

This was a weak, cloudy yellow color with a very modest white head. Lace was virtually nonexistent.

Smell was very weak as well. Vaguely earthy, and that was about it, besides the lemon the bartender tossed in - I forgot to tell her not to.

This is one bland-ass Hefe. Vaguely earthy, wheaty flavor, but it's very weak. One could almost pass this off as failed lemonade.

If you like your Hefe's chracterless and watery, this is a good one for you. Otherwise, avoid!