In-Heat Wheat - Flying Dog Brewery

Summertime = hefeweizen time, plain and simple. As much as I love pale ales and other hoppy beers, there's no denying it's not quite as satisfying when you're drinking a heavier beer in the summer heat. As a result, there will most likely be a flux of wheat beers that I try out and review here on the site. If you're looking for a good one to check out in the meantime; check back to one of my earlier posts for Dancing Man Wheat by New Glarus. Fantastic, though I do admit that it's tough to try something that good early in the process; everything else seems unable to meet the bar, since it was set so high.

Vitals:

Name: In-Heat Wheat

Style: Hefeweizen

IBU: 12

ABV: 4.7%

Gravity: 12 deg. Plato

Purchased at: University Ave. Liquor Store

Descriptions:

Appearance: Surprisingly, this beer was not nearly as hazy as most hefes I've had. There were about 1.5 fingers of head when I made the pour (as seen in the picture above), but the beer had almost no head retention (makes sense from the low hop levels of this beer). Literally, in less than a minute all of the head you see in the picture was GONE. The beer is a nice straw colored gold and you can see tons of carbonation bubbles rising. A sign of good things to come!

Smell: The wheat and yeast in the beer comes through more than most hefes do, but by far the aroma is dominated by bananas and some kind of spice. My guess is probably either a.) cloves or b.) coriander. Either way it smells pretty good, albeit somewhat predictable. I am starting to think this will be a solid, but not totally spectacular, hefe.

Taste: Bananas up front and throughout the experience here; the yeast comes through somewhat slightly and you definitely get a nice clove taste. You can taste a subtle sweetness in the background, a honey-ish flavor I think. It's a nice touch at the end of the drink. There isn't too much about this beer that sticks out (in a good or a bad way); not too complex, which can definitely be a plus (and with wheat beers it often is). Overall a solid taste, confirming my suspicions from the smell.

Mouthfeel: The beer is definitely heavier on the mouthfeel than it looks. Not seeing a hazy appearance lulled me into thinking this would be super light, but the 12 degrees Plato is a solid gravity and definitely fits with the mouthfeel. Medium carbonation, not quite what I expected after seeing so much carbonation after the initial pour, but a respectable amount that adds a nice element. Again, nothing stands out as being incredibly different about this beer.

Overall Grade: B

Comments: So, though non-Wisconsin beers are few and far between here, this is a solid effort that you can most likely get throughout the country. It's a solid hefe that I would definitely drink again, and a good summer beer if you're laying out in the sun. Nothing stands out too much other than the cloves, but try it out and see what you think. A solid hefe on a hot summer day can never be a bad thing!

Cheers,

Hurls