Just a quick entry to comment on Sierra Nevada Kellerweis, their golden-orange, cloudy hefeweizen. Obviously, it's not from around here, but it's not that hard to find and certainly isn't one of their more popular brews. Sierra Nevada is known for their pale ale, of course, but this brew is worth a mention. Maybe it's my way of bidding final farewell to summer. Sigh.
The label recommends pouring 2/3 of the bottle into a glass, swirling the rest, and then pouring the remainder into the glass, since yeast is suspended in the brew. It forms a big head that recedes pretty quickly to soft peaks and then a nice layer of foam with a touch of laciness on the glass.
The aroma struck me as mostly orange with a touch of banana. As for the taste, it's a whole lot of banana with subtle spice notes, followed with a nice bitterness, a touch of sweetness that doesn't quite balance it out, and a finish that sees the bitterness soften and disappear pretty quickly, mingling with fruit and leaving a bit of malty breadiness at the end. As I was getting to the end of my glass, I noticed a new taste: a distinct cinnamon quality at the back end that was really quite good. A nice surprise.
I'd drink this beer on its own or with food that isn't too salty or otherwise strong. It wouldn't take much to overpower the flavors of this beer. That's not to say it's not flavorful. It certainly is, but the flavors are delicate, and the interplay between them is subtle.
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I don't know, banana just doesn't seem like a beer flavor to me...creamy maybe? fruity perhaps? I must admit I am not a huge banana fan. On their own, I eat them only slightly green. I like them in smoothies or on sundaes--or made into luscious bread, of course, but no thank you in my beer... ;-)
ReplyDeleteDoes Carrie know about your little project yet?
Shannan
She knows indeed! Besides, she loves craft beers.
ReplyDeleteAs for those fruity flavors, banana is a pretty common flavor in certain wheat beers. The yeasts create phenolic compounds that, well, taste like banana. If that flavor isn't balanced by others, I don't like it much, but this beer was a complex, lively, balanced wonderland of flavors.