Victory Mad King's Weiss

Wasn't able to get any. Love to try it next time a place like Joe Canals gets some.

 

Wow...really...hyperbolic.

I'd...uh...disagree.

 

Solid beer, very nice fresh from the tap at the brewery, but I also have to disagree with the op. many others as good if not better. I like the Schneider and franziskaner hefes more, to name two off the top of my head.

 

It's powerful. Mad King is a beast. Huge phenolics. Is it the best hefe on the planet? Dunno. But it is huge for the style.

 

While a very good hefe, I would take that wager in a HEARTBEAT. Weihenstephaner the benchmark, a better than 2-1 underdog?

Nope, no shot. Love the Victory and what they do, but cannot beat the team that mastered the original.

 

+1 to what Chinon01 posted of huge phenolics – huge spice profile. I enjoy a Victory Mad King from time to time but the huge spice profile is not something I want to drink a lot of. Since Mad King is such a BOLD hefeweizen I can perhaps why the OP is such a big fan of this beer. My preference is for a more balanced hefeweizen like Troegs Dreamweaver, Stoudt’s Heifer-in-Wheat, Victory Sunrise, Sly Fox Royal Weisse, Weihemstephaner Hefeweizen, etc.

We all have our own palates and differing expectations in what we seek in a beer.

Cheers!

 

Dude - MAd King at 88 on BA and Weihenstephaner at 98...C'MON MAN!!

You can love the beer all you want but that does not instantly make it the best...

 

this is in the running for the stupidest thing I've ever read on BA

 

If the op likes it best, he likes it best. Like JackHorzempa said, we all have individual palates. Just because another beer has a higher average rating or because the majority of drinkers of a particular style prefer one beer over another does not mean that to other drinkers there is a different beer that is superior. I never understand reading on here people calling other people stupid or mocking them because their favorite beer isn't the most popular one. In this case, I've never had any of the beers mentioned in this thread, but it just seems unbelievably ignorant and small-minded to do so.

 

Or...it could be one person's opinion who's excited by a beer.

 

“ …drinking a Hefe with as much gusto …”

I have not thought of that word “gusto” in a long time. Yeah, “gusto” is a good descriptor for Mad King.
Cheers to you for using a ‘old school’ word for a modern day beer!

 

As a regular at Victory, I can appreciate the enthusiasm and overwhelming enjoyment of this very unusual strong and spicy Hefe by the Op since I have witnessed first hand at the brewpub a similar level of enjoyment as well as a madding level of disappointment when it's not available. It has become a very popular non-bottled Victory brew for almost 12+ years since it first appeared. There is a very interesting story that is associated with this beer.

Ron and Bill entered into a contractual agreement with the owner of the now defunct Ludwig's restaurant in Philly to create a truly unusual one-off Hefe to put on tap only at Ludwig's and Victory's brewpub. Ludwig's was one of the first center city German-style restaurant that offered authentic German style cuisine and German-brewed beers in Philly. Ron and Bill knew their German history since they both attended Weihemstephaner Institute and graduated as Master Brewers. They especially appreciated the unique reign of King Ludwig II of Bavaria from 1864 until shortly before his death. Ludwig is sometimes also called "Mad King Ludwig", though the accuracy of that label has been disputed.

So being Weihemstephaner graduates and appreciating what is considered by some as the best Hefe available in Bavaria is all about and also appreciating their German history and their relationship with Ludwig's, it was obvious they needed to create a really mad, "out-of-bounds" Hefe....thus, Mad King Weiss lives on in a very different, but very tasty form!

 

Thank you for your thoughtful post.

I have had the opportunity to drink Victory Mad King at Ludwig's many times and there is no doubt that it is a remarkable beer.

Cheers!

 

Opinion isn't fact.

 

Well.. now I know I'm going to try Mad King if its on tap in two weeks when I'm at the Victory Brewpub.

 

You could also try the Sunrise Weisse too (that is Victory’s non-gusto version).

If you like Pilsners I would suggest that you try their draft only specialty pilsners. On tap today is CBC Tettnang Pils, Hip Czech and Braumeister Pils – Smaragd.

Cheers!

 

Unless one is speaking about religion.

 

Yes, I'm really looking forward to it! Looks like the exact day I will be there is a Tuesday... August 6th... plan on being there right at 11:30 when they open for lunch. Do they offer flights? I might do a couple of regulars and then a flight. My wife doesn't drink so she'll be driving us on into Philadelphia after we are done. Prost!