trader joes hefeweizen

[studentofbeer]

this is a day after review, so i don't have all the details. suffice it to say, this was so far the best of the lot but still nothing to jump for joy other. when i first opened i thought i detected a slightly skunky smell and was worried, but upon pouring it all the way into the glass and taking a big inhale, it was strongly banana. i was no longer scared that this wouldn't be a true hefeweizen. there was yeast at the bottom to dump into the brew, and it had the right smell. the taste itself carried the banana flavor, though it was a bit raw. clove came through in the taste as well, but there was not very much spice or zing, i think due to the lack of breadiness and acidity in the malt.

mouthfeel was medium, but neither smooth and creamy nor really aggressive--and i usually prefer my hefes to fall on one side or the other (with an ayinger being on the creamy side and weheinstephaner on the bubbly). the malt flavor just wasn't quite right tho-- the beer just wasn't completely balanced, so the yeast flavor sort of took over all the way and the wheat malt didn't back it up. it just didn't gel--not enough acidity or something. anyway, this was the best of the bunch so far but since happy monk beer (aka franziskaner) is only a buck more a sixer, i will be sticking with it. the two actually have similar flavor profiles, but i prefer the mouthfeel and the tartness of the franziskaner.