Waldhaus: Hefe Weizen (Germany: Hefeweizen: 5.6% ABV)
Visual: Pale hazy lemon juice. Large mounded frothy white head.
Nose: Wheat flakes. Vanilla ice cream. Soft citrus lemon. Grapes. Coriander. Fudge. Soft lime.
Body: Fresh. Banana. Vanilla. Light cream. Soft lemon yogurt. Softly peppery. Grapes. Wheat flecks.
Finish: Toffee. Peppery. Cloves. Banana yogurt. Fresh.
Conclusion: This has hit one of my personal happy triggers. When something is a good example of a stile, but is also just a bit… different. That familiar, done well, but different take always seems to hit my pleasure triggers.
The first hit is the most different. The aroma is fresher than most weisses, there is familiar, if softly done, lemon, but also fresh grape notes in there. A bit sweeter as well, with ice cream and toffee touches.
However with that is a very weisse light spice, and as you sip more familiar heavier spice and banana notes join in. Still fresher tasting, a grapefruit note, not IPA like grapefruit, more easy sipping than that, but sparkles more than your usual weisse.
The finish is the most traditional, with cloves growing into a dryer, spicier end, yet still with a fresh touch hanging in there.
As you drink more the sweeter and fresher notes lessen and the drier and heavier notes take the fore, making a much more familiar end to your time with the beer.
Overall, I really like this. Easy to drink, familiar but different, flavoursome. A really good weisse.
Background: Don’t know much about Waldhaus, yet another grab from the incredible range of German beers Independent Spirit get in. Googling says that are from around the Black Forest, and that they win big awards for their pils, so I may have to check that out as well based on my experience with this beer. Basically grabbed as wanted a Hefe Weizen and this sounded nice, so figured worth a shot. Sometimes there is no deep thinking on these things. Music wise went with AFI: Silver Bleeds The Black Sun. Just loving its 80s influenced electronic, goth vibes.
