Fujizakura Kougen Weizen

Brewed by Fujikankokaihatsu Co. / Sylvans Restaurant
Style: German Hefeweizen
Kawaguchiko-cho, Yamanashi-ken, Japan

[2220-20090605] Sample. Fresh banana wheat and mild cardboard aroma. Hazy, light orange body with a long-lasting creamy white head. Mild petrol and fresh wheaty fruit yeast. Medium body. Fresh and good.
(2T @ Mondial 2009; Montreal, QC)

Mondial 2009. THanks to Dany for the reccomendation. Solid Hefe. Pours a nice very light golden- hazy and a nice foamy soapy head. Aroma is phenolic, light soap, lemon zest, peppery, modest clove- ok fruity esters, banana, and doughy wheat. Flavor is spritzy with lemon, lime hints, toasted malts, wheat, dough, phenolic spices, and good fruity esters banana- clove hints of vanilla, but seems a bit on the thin side as it warms up and the yeast itself doens tplay as much of a role in the body. Pretty solid though and very well made. Nice stuff.

In short: My greatest most best favourite hefeweizen? Probably.
How: From the bottle at Montreal Mondial de la Bière 2009 (many samples)
The look: Cloudy yellow body topped by a medium off-white head
In long: The intriguing nose mixes banana cake, lemon and a really nice wilderness (almost Saison-like wild). Fantastic cushiony body. A lot of wheat, a big fluffy cake, a wild character that sneaks in, good astringency without being acidic, very big body without apparent malt sweetness, leafy and grassy hops dry out the beer with very little bitterness. Of course not the most tasty beer (it’s an hefe after-all) but there are very few beers I would like to drink in larger quantities than this one. I went back many times to get more samples. In a beer festival (Mondial de la Bière 2009) with all my favourite styles well represented I really didn’t expect a hefeweizen come out as my #1 beer of the festival. Nor did I expect to come out sober enough to stand on my feet. I was surprised once.

Bottle @ Mondial de la Bière
Appearance: golden bright look with fine haze. Large cloudy pillow like foam.
Nose: Soft front , herbal with grainy scents ,leafy sides. Good. 7-
Flavor/Palate : Medium bodied with lighter textures. Good character of wheat. Sweet with mid plus carbonation. Gentle,refreshing wheat ale.

2009-06-05. Golden/pastel yellow with a nice foamy white head. Pleasant aroma, sweet wheat and esters. (7+) Flavour is likewise, pleasant wheat with mild esters. A very simple straightforward wheat beer but ultra drinkable. Average palate suits the beer. Really enjoyed it. Bottle at Mondial 2009, Montreal

Bottle @ Mondial 2009. Great wheat nose, spice, yeast and a trace of banana, light hazy yellow, pours a large billowy, long lasting white head. Taste is a milder wheat, malt, corriander, and banana. Light bodied, balanced and refreshing. Really good offering.

Draught at the brewpub. Cloudy yellow, rich lively head. Strong estery banana/bandaid aroma. Sweetish with medium body, soft and very drinkable. Light and cottony with a whiff of citrus. A remarkable weizen!

On tap at Ushi-Tora. Cloudy pale yellow with a good head. Harmonious banana and spice aromas and flavours. Some clove. Well-made.