Deutsch Bier Wednesday: Schneider-Weisse's Original

Well, it’s the 5th Wednesday of March, which means it’s the last Wednesday of Deutsch Bier Wednesday. March has been a fun month to try some great German biers, and many of you might be curious what April holds. 2011 has been filled so far with a different regional focus each month, but, unfortunately, I’m having some trouble getting quality, interesting, diverse craft beers in my area that would allow me to focus on a specific region. Granted, I could easily do a California, Washington, Oregon, and Colorado focus and we’d be into August once we’ve finished, but I’ve got a better idea. I was speaking with G about a podcast idea (new podcast by the way is in editing), which I wanted to call IPA showdown and have three IPAs going head to head against each other. Well, long story short and much beer consumed, I’ve decided to make Wednesdays in April IPA Head to Head (with 2 beers not 3), and we’ll continue throughout the year with a different head to head focus for each month. With all that being said, let me know what you think, and let’s get into our last Deutsch Bier for March - Schneider-Weisse Original.

Schneider-Weisse’s website has this to say about their Original:

With its amber-mahogany coloring and streaked with fine top-fermenting yeast, this beer has a fine, persistent head that adheres well to the glass. It is pleasantly spicy with a typical top-fermented smell. An arome of clove and nutmeg apple tantalizes the nose. On the tongue it is fresh, clean, full-bodied, harmonious and well-balanced. It finishes lightly sparkling with a light and fine bitterness.

The Original pours a beautiful creamy thick off-white head, which fits right into the hefeweizen style. The color is a dark amber with strong carbonation and red hues. The bier initially didn’t pour cloudy, and it didn’t have the unfiltered characteristics that I expected. So, I turned to the bottle. I got some light to shine at the bottom as I looked inside, and I could see that much of the yeast had adhered to the bottom - I wasn’t too thrilled about that. After swishing the bottom around and bringing the bottle to room temperature I was able to pour much of the unfiltered goodies into the glass, which I wasn’t too happy about having to do. Head - 10, Look - 11. The smell is sweet with a light hoppiness to it. The yeast comes through with subtle breadiness, and there are fruit hints of banana as well as spice characteristics of cloves. Smell - 22.

The initial taste and feel on the palate was light and refreshing with some bread like notes - it wasn’t as complex as I expected based on the description. The aftertaste had a slight bitterness, but was very smooth and the spices really came through - cloves and nutmeg.  Palate - 7.5, Aftertaste - 7.5. The overall flavor was of strong carbonation and light refreshing flavors. The spice and fruit notes become more and more pronounced with continued drinking, but this hefeweizen is still a great hot weather beer. The taste doesn’t resemble any of the earlier hefeweizens we’ve reviewed nor does it remind me of any of the American counterparts. This is a unique bier that has its own personality. I find that some of its flaws are its uniqueness, which provides a special flavor. Flavor - 26.

Scheider-Weisse is a unique, but refreshing hefeweizen that I recommend picking up for a change of taste. With an Overall Flavor of 41/50 the Beer Fusion gives Schneider-Weisse’s Original...
 

Rating: 84/100

   

La Trappe Tripel Sunday - Bellevue Friday, and Redmond Saturday

What a weekend, what a weekend for beer drinking. I flew into Seattle Friday night to surprise my uncle and aunt at their baby shower, but that was going on Saturday afternoon - so of course I went out for some drinks. My college roommate and fellow Gentlemen - Stohn, met me at my hotel and we ventured to downtown Bellevue. Now, I’d like to say that Stohn and I have never truly gone bar hopping together, because he turned 21 days before he got married and after we both graduated from the University of Oregon. So, I was kind of excited to hit the bars up with this guy, but I let him call the shots regarding where we were going to go. We first hit up Rock Bottom Brewery, which I think would have been better if our waitress wasn’t completely awful. I would like to say to Rock Bottom in Bellevue - make sure your wait staff is friendly or at the least not bitchy to the customers. After leaving Rock Bottom we headed next door to the Tap House (link here), which had an amazing 160 taps! Stohn and I spent a good amount of time here, because the beer was flowing in great variety, and the wait staff was friendly and knowledgeable even though it was incredibly busy. Stohn had his first taste of Monk’s Blood by 21st Amendment, and I started with Avery’s Dugana Ipa, of which we both found fantastic! Next, we both had a try of Russian River’s Damnation, and we both thought it was a decent ale, but nothing that really blew us away. I can’t speak for Stohn, but after my IPA the sweetness of the Damnation was just not sitting well on my palate. The last ale that I tried was a collaboration of Elysian and New Belgium called Trip VIII, which is one I’ve known about, and have wanted to try. This beer was fantastic, if you see this on tap get it, and you will not be disappointed. We went to another place before calling it a night, but it was nothing special. The next day I went to a great place in Redmond called Malt and Vine to pick up some beer as a gift for my uncle (Dogfish Head World Wide Stout and Great Divide’s Oak Aged Yeti). The selection was great and the service was friendly. So, enough of me talking about my fun weekend, we’ve got a beer to review, and this week we’re going to the Netherlands. We’ll be taking a look at La Trappe’s Tripel, which is one of my favorite Belgium styles as well as one of G’s favorites who just happened to come over to help me review it.

You can go to the La Trappe website here:

A special and powerful Trappist. Including the use of coriander owes it its spicy character. Golden in color with a fruity, bittersweet taste.

La Trappe’s Tripel comes in at an 8% ABV, and poured an off-white creamy head that coated the glass perfectly - G described it as “perfect”. The Tripel was cloudy and a dark amber color with lighter hues when placed in the light, in other words this ale looked fantastic/near perfect. Head - 10, Look - 14. The smell was incredibly complex, but the main aroma was sweet - a fruity sweet. G picked out an aroma of golden raisins, and I found a presence of sweet ripe apple (maybe Fuji). There were citrus hop notes that finished off the sweetness, as well as some sweet malt characteristic paired with the Belgium yeast. This ale had a tartness to its smell that made we worried about how sweet this Tripel might be. Smell - 22.5

This beer hit the palate like butta’. This beer hits and expands with a creamy texture of a fruit tartness and usual sweet bready Belgium yeast characteristics. After the first sip, G and I were happy there was more. The aftertaste was somewhat bitter  with a sourness/tartness that balanced well, but wasn’t very dry. G found it to be very clean, and he continued to repeat that word regarding the aftertaste - clean. Palate - 9, Aftertaste - 8. This beer is very well balanced, the sweetness isn’t overwhelming and the alcohol provides a pleasant warmth and presence to the overall sweetness. The complexity of this beer is great, as you continue to drink the malt characteristics come out more and more, and the hops in the finish are very tasty. Well worth the $11.99 price tag. Flavor - 28.5.

Aright, so let’s get a recap of this weekend. If you’re in Bellevue and Redmond you must visit the Tap House and Malt and Vine. I did not have the food at either of these places so I’m only recommending their craft beer. If you have a chance to try La Trappe’s Tripel, I recommend you do that, as well as Avery’s Dugana and Elysian/New Belgium’s Trip VIII. With all that said and done now, with an Overall Flavor of 45.5/50 the Beer Fusion gives La Trappe’s Tripel....

Rating: 92/100

Deutsch Bier Wednesday: Paulaner's Salvator Double Bock

It’s that time again, what time? Deutsch Bier Wednesday time! And, yes, I know it’s Thursday, but I got caught watching the Human Centipede last night, and didn’t get a chance to write up this review. Anyone who knows what the Human Centipede is should understand. With that said let’s get to it. This week’s beer is Paulaner’s Salvator Double Bock. Now, I haven’t had a lot of double bocks or bocks, because it just hasn’t been a style that has stood out for me to try. So, when I was looking for Deutsch biers for March and saw this double bock I had to give it a go. You can visit Paulaner’s website with this link, but it looks to be in German.

Salvator comes in at an ABV of 7.9%, and pours a short, somewhat creamy, off-white head that quickly dissipates. The look is an unfiltered cloudy dark honey/amber color with red hues.  Much like the hefe-weisse from last week, there are a lot of little goodies floating around. Head – 6, Look – 15. The smell is very complex, it hits with a sweet aroma of light honey and dried fruit with hints of citrus acid. The malts follow strongly behind with an array of roasted and sweet malt. The characteristics of the smell remind me of some sweeter or more tart Belgium beers, which leads me to believe that the yeast is playing a strong aromatic role here.  Smell – 23.

The Salvator hits the palate with a strong presence of malt, a good amount of roasted malt, with some bitterness from the hops behind the malt, and the sweetness tasting like it is coming from the yeast. The aftertaste is a dry bitter, but after a few drinks becomes more of a tart bitterness. Palate – 8, Aftertaste – 8. The sweetness of this bier is what surprised me the most. I expected more of a bitter roasted flavor, but tart fruitiness mixed with the darker malts provides for a tasty balanced bier. The hops are behind those two strong flavors, and plays the role of what could be called a catalyst.  The texture is thick and full, which is to be expected with its cloudy complexion. Flavor – 28.

Malt and I have a love hate relationship. I like malt, because it gives me alcohol and the ability for my favorite brews to exist., but I’m not the biggest fan of malt being the overall flavor. Biers like this however are starting to change my opinion. This beer is very well crafted to provide a complexity with malt that I’ve only recently experienced in a couple other brews (Iron Horse’s Malt Bomb to name one), but this Salvator does so with really no hop characteristics. If you are a fan of malt, or want to give a smooth complex Deutsch bier a try pick up this double bock. With an Overall Flavor of 44/50 the Beer Fusion gives Paulaner’s Salvator…

Rating: 88/100

   

Iron Horse's Double Rainbow & Malt Bomb

We’ve got an Iron Horse Brewery theme for this week’s review, because we’ve got not just one beer to review, but two! Iron Horse recently came out with a beer that upon hearing of its release many thought was a joke, but sure enough they released a beer to pay homage to the viral video - double rainbow. If you haven’t guessed it the beer is called Double Rainbow, and it’s an interesting blend of a red and an IPA, or as Iron Horse put’s it: “Not quite red, not quite ipa but quite big”. That was going to be it for this week, but G kept talking about Iron Horse’s Malt Bomb, and it just felt right to give both a drink this week. So, let’s get to some DOUBLE RAINBOW, because it’s so beautiful.

Iron Horse Brewery write this about their Double Rainbow:

Not quite red, not quite ipa but quite big. This beer is built upon a solid malt foundation of medium crystal, biscuit, and vienna for a considerable dose of toffee, bread and nutty flavors and aromas. We then laced the beer with hops throughout the process. First hops go into the first wort runoff and hops continue to be added through the boil, after boil, and then dry-hopped in our conditioning tanks at 37 degrees. Ranbow 1 = MALT; Raibow 2 = HOPS: A double rainbow of flavors. 7.0% ABV

Double Rainbow, as seen above, comes in at 7% alc./vol., and has unknown IBUs. Double Rainbow pours thick and creamy with an off-white head that lingers for a good while. G described the look as a medium brown, almost a sweet tea color. I saw a dark brown with red tints, which was very cloudy. Head - 8, Look - 13.5. G was having a hard time getting a good smell from his glass, but we both agreed that the hops were the strongest aroma coming through. I kept smelling hints of what I thought was cinnamon, brown sugar, and a slight roast, but the best description would be toffee. Also, there was a slight nuttiness that’s normal to reds, but that was at the end of the toffee aroma. Smell - 21.5.

As it came time to taste the Double Rainbow, I felt as if this was a special and magical occasion, or, at the least, a tasty one. The first sip was hoppy, but smooth and had a fullness of a red with nutty notes. It was somewhat of a different taste. G tasted hops as well, but found it dryer than myself. The aftertaste was bitter, but not a whole lot going on with the flavors left at the end. Palate - 8, Aftertaste - 8. The overall flavor of Double Rainbow was heavy in hops. It seemed closer to an IPA than a red, but the red qualities, i.e. the toffee and nuttiness accompanied the main IPA flavor very well. The malt seems to be really the hidden player in this beer, but without that nutty oiliness the full texture of Double Rainbow wouldn’t be possible. Flavor - 24.

Double Rainbow is a great tasting beer, and my only issues are in the mild aftertaste and I would have liked either darker malt or more of them. But, regardless this beer is one I hope to try on-tap, and would definitely buy again. Iron Horse continues to impress me with their brews. With an Overall Flavor of 40/50 the Beer Fusion gives Iron Horse Brewery’s Double Rainbow

Rating: 83/100

Malt Bomb:

This full-bodied, slightly sweet Brown Ale has just the right combination of chocolate malt and hop bitterness to make your mouth explode from flavor, and also happens to be high in gravity at 6% ABV. There’s a reason we call it Malt Bomb. You’re welcome.

The Malt Bomb pours a strong thick off-white head that isn’t afraid to stay for your enjoyment. This is another cloudy brew, but much more than Double Rainbow. It’s ruby red and dark amber. Head - 9.5, Look - 13.5. G found the malts to be very strong in the smell, and the hops to be very light. I felt the same way; the dark/chocolate malts are the overwhelming aromas with a light citrus smell following behind the heavy malt. Smell - 23.

The first sip was rather sweet, with a milky chocolate presence that filled the mouth. Behind the sweetness really came the hops, which added an interesting bitter sweetness. But, it was definitely a bomb of malt in the mouth. G found the aftertaste to be pretty smooth, but I felt kind of different. For me it ended with a mix of malt and hop dry and bitterness, which had a slight sweetness behind it. I didn’t find it very smooth, but very different. Palate - 8, Aftertaste - 7. The flavor, the flavor of a beer called Malt Bomb, well there is dark malts, pale malts, and bi-malts that aren’t quite sure if they want to be dark or pale or they kind of a bit of both. The hops for me really took a back seat to the explosion (see what I did there? Bomb reference) of malt flavor. Flavor - 25.

Iron Horse was one of those breweries that I almost, mistakenly, wrote off because of its location, and I was truly taught a lesson in my rash judgment. Iron Horse has come to be one of my favorite breweries, and each beer I try by them is enjoyable - sometimes mind blowing amazing. With the majority of beers that I truly enjoy the most being over 9%ABV, and for Iron Horse to produce beer below that ABV that I really like is a true testament to the quality of beer produced by this brewery. With an Overall Flavor of 40/50 the Beer Fusion gives Iron Horse’s Malt Bomb

Rating: 86/100

Deutsch Bier Wednesday: Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse

It’s Deutsch Bier Wednesday once again, and this week’s bier was an interesting one - Franziskaner’s Hefe-Weisse. Now, the bier itself wasn’t particularly strange, it was the change in flavor that was partially due to my lack of observation at the bottom of the bottle. See, I poured the bier as a normally do, and as usual there was a good amount left in the bottle. So, I went about the Beer Fusion review process, and I gave it a rating of a strong “C”, i.e. 75/100, but it wasn’t until I began to pour the rest of the bier into my glass did the light hit the bottle just right. I was then able to see all the unfiltered goodies/deliciousness that lay at the bottom, and as I poured the remainder out of the bottle... it all changed.

Franziskaner’s website is a little buggy, but you can read up on this bier here.

The Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse poured a strong white head, but it quickly reduced down into a somewhat creamy head. The carbonation of the head was a bit much for me, but still a good head none the less.The color was originally lightly golden and slightly cloudy, but once I got the full pour the color became a denser gold and became very cloudy. The heavy carbonation was present throughout. Head - 7, Look - 14. The smell was of a zesty yeast, and zesty with lemon and other citrus notes. I suspect that the hops also aided in the citrus aroma of this weisse, and the yeast presence only grew stronger with a full pour. There was really no presence of malt, but the overall aroma was clean and crisp. Smell - 23.

Being that I had two palate experiences, I’m going to focus primarily on the full pour. My initial reaction to this bier was light and full of carbonation, but with the full pour the yeast really expanded and the “zestiness” of the smell emerged into a full weisse flavor. Once again, the extra hint of citrus zest seems to be supplied by the added hops. The aftertaste is yeasty and smooth with a slight dry bitterness that isn’t too noticeable. Palate - 8, Aftertaste - 7. The overall flavor didn’t change much from my initial taste, but the full pour made a world of difference. The complexity of this weisse bier really expanded with the extra goodies, and the strength of the yeast obviously increased. There was more of a fruity flavor that seemed to have hints of banana with the lemon and citrus zest, and the extra zest/spice from the hops really pulled the flavors together. I was happy that I couldn’t taste any malt, because I think that would have added to much of a grainy flavor. This beer would be fantastic on a hot day. Flavor - 25.

Franziskaner’s Hefe-Weisse has been a great representation of the wheat bier category, and a very enjoyable beer in general. I do recommend using a weizen glass, and you can avoid the issues that I had. All and all a great hefeweizen that I recommend you pick up if you are looking for a great wheat bier. With an Overall Flavor of 40/50 the Beer Fusion gives Franziskaner’s Hefe-Weisse

Rating: 85/100

THE BEAST...Grand Cru (Avery Brewing)

This week’s beer has been one that I’ve wanted to try for a couple of months now. It’s from Avery Brewing, and it’s my first brew by them.  As I mention over and over again, I like strong intense beers, and I thought what better way to experience the brewing artistry of Avery than to have their “The Beast Grand Cru”. Saturday night G came over to review, and I popped open this beer - I think both of us were curious about The Beast. The curiosity for myself stemmed from flavor description on the bottle as well as the alcohol content. Avery write this about “The Beast Grand Cru”:

The Beast is a seducer - accomodating, complicated, powerful, dark and created to last the ages. With a deep burgundy color and aromas of honey, nutmeg, mandarin orange and pineapple, this massive and challenging brew has flavors akin to a beautiful Carribean rum. Dates, plums, raisins and molasses are dominant in a rich vinous texture. Cellarable for 10+ years.

You can also check out more about this beer on their website, but the interesting thing about the stats on their website is the alcohol content listed is different on my bottle, o well.

Avery’s “The Beast Grand Cru” comes in at a whopping 16.21% alc./vol. and 68 IBUs. The head pours small, which is consistent with the strong ale style. It’s slightly off-white, but doesn’t stick around long enough for you to really notice. The look is a reddish copper tint, or as G put it a “golden cognac appearance”, and has a small amount of carbonation. Head - 7, Look - 13. The alcohol hits the nose hard followed by a heavy sweetness. G could really smell the molasses, but I noticed the date and raison presence a bit more. The Belgian yeast came through with the sugar, and the smell finished with hops and roasted malt notes. There’s such a complexity to the smell of this beer, which makes it something special. Smell - 24.

Obviously, after such a unique complex smell the bar was raised high for this beer. All I have to say about my first sip was - wow. My initial reaction to the flavor was there was so much happening on my palate. It was slightly overwhelming. The alcohol is definitely present and in charge, which gives a nice warming feel. G found his initial taste to be of a strong lingering alcohol taste. The aftertaste was slightly dry and hoppy, but with sugary sweetness coming through with the heat of the alcohol. G felt similar, tasting a good amount of sugar - almost candy like - in the aftertaste. Palate - 9.5, Aftertaste 8.5. The sugar and alcohol for G were the main players in the overall flavor, but the sugar didn’t play as big a role for my taste buds. The Beast hit the palate with heat from the alcohol and some carbonation expanding in my mouth, which is what I expect from a good full flavor beer. The uniqueness from Belgian yeast (somewhat sweet) came through next with fruit notes and hints of roasted malts providing some good balance. The sweetness from this beer got a little strong after continued drinking, which is my only big complaint. The Beast finished with a consistent aftertaste that was described above. Flavor - 26.5.

The Beast gives me high hopes for a couple other Avery beers I have cellared at home, and I’m definitely going to be trying some of their other ales. The Beast is just that - a beast. It’s so full of flavor and complexity that I’m left puzzled while drinking. I think I understand what I’m tasting at one moment than the next I’m tasting something completely different. It was a delicious beer to try, but I truly think this beer is meant to be enjoyed after a year or couple years of aging. With that said, pick yourself up a couple, and enjoy one now and the other in a couple years. With an Overall Flavor of 44.5/50 the Beer Fusion give Avery Brewing’s The Beast Grand Cru...

Rating: 88.5/100

Deutsch Bier Wednesday: Hacker-Pschorr Original Oktoberfest

Once again it’s Deutsch Bier Wednesday, and this week we’re taking a look at Hacker-Pschorr’s Original Oktoberfest. I’ve seen this bier over the years in the grocery store, and it wasn’t until now that I finally got around to trying it. The issue I run into when I look at Deutsch biers in the grocery store or specialty beer store is that the bottles are so simplistic. The Deutsch biers have the brand and the style, and nothing else - I want a description of the bier, even if it’s in German. Either way it doesn’t take away from the bier itself, which is why we’re here – to review this bier!

You can check out the Hacker-Pschorr website, but be warned it’s all in German.

The Oktoberfest pours a thick, somewhat strong, slightly off-white head that slowly dissipates. The color is a clear amber, i.e. very easy to see through, and the carbonation is very strong. Head - 8, Look - 11. There’s a sweet hop aroma that surrounds the malt presence, and a slight yeast smell also comes through. The smell is very similar to darker American macros, and not something I was very impressed with. Smell - 18.

My expectations for this bier were pretty low, and after the first sip my opinion didn’t change much. It hits the tongue with a smooth light, very light, taste with a strong presence of carbonation, and a slight sweetness from the hops and yeasty malt. The aftertaste is slightly bitter and dry with a tartness, which is almost sour. Palate - 6, Aftertaste - 6. Upfront this bier tastes heavily of water, but then the sweetness of the hops makes its way through with the malts bread-like (yeasty) taste. All in all pretty simple. Flavor - 18.

There isn’t much to this bier, or, at least, nothing that makes it stand out. This probably the most average/boring amber I’ve ever had, but its lightness makes it drinkable. I don’t recommend buying this beer unless your only choice is some American macro, because it’s a slight step above. I don’t see myself buying this beer again. With an Overall Flavor of 30/50 the Beer Fusion gives Hacker-Pschorr’s Original Oktoberfest...

Rating: 67/100

A Ruud Awakening...IPA

This weekend has been an interesting one, between having my hand slammed in a car door (my hand is fine now) and playing in a charity event for cancer (to get rid of cancer not to support it), I’ve been busy. Unfortunately, the beer tasting this week was done solely by myself, mostly due to the craziness of the weekend. Luckily, this beer did not disappoint. This week’s beer is Old Schoolhouse Brewery’s Ruud Awakening IPA, and from their website we get this about the beer:

Expect you taste buds to be rudely awakened and temporally disabled by the plethora of hops used in this IPA. The brutally bitter beginning is followed by a citrus aftertaste.

The Ruud Awakening IPA is my first beer by Old Schoolhouse, and it comes in at an alc./vol. of 7%, and the IBUs are 100+. It pours a small, but thick creamy off-white head that coats the glass. The color is of dark honey with a slight cloudiness to it. Head - 10, Look - 10. The smell is hops, hops, and more hops. I love Columbus hops, being that my favorite IPA (Dogfish Head 120 Minute) uses them, and the aroma of the Columbus hops comes through very well. The Cascade and Amarillo follow closely behind, and the citrus aroma of the high acid hops makes for a pleasant fragrance. Smell - 25.

My first taste was what I expected this beer to be by the smell, which was smooth, but with a strong hop bitterness. With the high IBUs, this beer leaves a nice fuzziness to the tongue, and provides pleasant citrus notes. The aftertaste was very dry and bitter, and was lacking any kind of floral or citrus notes that the bottle described. Palate - 10, Aftertaste - 7. There isn’t much to this beer besides an amazing amount of delicious hops. If you’re a hophead this beer is for you. I really would have liked more of an alcohol bite, which was the only flaw I found in this beer. Flavor - 27.

What else is there to say? I was, I am, very satisfied with my first experience with an Old Schoolhouse beer. Since I am definitely a hophead, this was a great beer with very few flaws. If you are not a fan of hops or the west coast style of IPAs than this isn’t for you. This is an IPA for the hop lover! With an Overall Flavor of 44/50 the Beer Fusion gives Old Schoolhouse Brewery’s Ruud Awakening IPA a

Rating: 94/100

Deutsch Bier Wednesday: Ayinger's Brau-Weisse

It’s almost 11:30pm on Wednesday, and I just recently got home from work, but it’s still Wednesday for another 30 minutes, which means Deutsch Bier Wednesday! This is our first of five Deutsch Bier Wednesdays (a lot of Wednesdays in March), and our first bier is Ayinger’s Brau-Weisse.  You can visit Ayinger’s website here, but it’s completely in German - good luck.

Normally, I mention the alc./vol. content and IBUs, but the bottle gave me very little information, so we’re going to jump right into it. The Brau-Weisse poured a great thick white head that gradually condensed into a smaller creamer head. It was a light golden color, looking like a freshly polished gold ring, but cloudy like a hefeweizen should be, and heavily carbonated. I would, however, have liked it to be a bit cloudier. Head - 9, Look - 13. The first characteristic that hit my nose was yeast; it has a strong bread aroma. After the initial blast of yeast comes nice lemon citrus notes, and light sweet notes that seem to be from the alcohol. Smell - 21. 

The first thing that hit my palate was the carbonation. This bier is heavily carbonated, but very light and smooth - the definition of balanced. My first thought about this bier was - simple. The aftertaste is almost nonexistent. There is a lingering taste of malt, yeast, and lemon, but really nothing at all. Palate - 8, Aftertaste - 5. The flavor was dominated by the yeast and citrus flavors, but the overall flavor itself was not dominating at all. This is a simple bier that comes across as wanting to be just that - simple. This is probably the lightest hefeweizen that I’ve ever had. Flavor - 25. 

I really like this bier, but there’s not much to say about it, which is why I like what it has done for itself. I talk a lot about a beer needing complexity, but sometimes a simple beer wanting to be simple deserves recognition for its achievement. Ayinger has brewed a bier that's perfect for a hot summer day or a hard workout, this is a beer that's meant to be refreshing and not make a statement. This is not the best hefeweizen I’ve had, but it’s one I will buy and bring to a bbq on a hot summer day or if I’m out playing tennis or the like. Don’t cross this beer off because it’s simple, give it a go, and you might be surprised how much you enjoy this easy drinking beer. With an Overall Flavor of 38/50 the Beer Fusion gives Ayinger’s Brau-Weisse...

Rating: 81/100

Beer Fusion Radio Ep. 3

What makes a great beer? G and I discuss our thoughts on that very question. We also would like to hear from you, about what you think makes a great beer.

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