Mad Brewers Hoppy Hefe

Brewed by Malt Shovel Brewery (Lion Nathan Co.)
Style: Wheat Ale
Sydney, Australia

Serve in Shaker, Weizen

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What a great looking beer, deep golden orange big white head, Hefe sytle with bonus hops. Ticks all the boxes this one including enjoyment.

pours hazy orenge with a thick white head, with fruity citrust aromas with a very subtle wheat . tastes sweet, fruity and with plenty of malt. not really any hint of a hefe here, a lot closer to an IPA. a good beer, but the name is deceiving.

650mL bottle Finally got my hands on one of these bad boys. Pours a deep gold body into my Erdinger weizen glass. Clarity is somewhat hazy - to be expected from a hefe right? Holds a decent sized creamy white head, leaving sparce lace. Aroma screams hops - pine, pineapple, peach, along with some golden syrup malt character and faint clove phenolic. Full on the palate, somewhat chewy alluding to a bit of extra booze/high finishing gravity. Carbonation is relatively high, perhaps not as much as a hefe, but it think that’s a good thing; high carb + hops = not so good. Plenty of malt upfront; biscuit, light caramels, some grainy toasted cereal wheat character which is nice. Hops are at the forefront without being overly aggressive; more pine/cedar, ripe stonefruits. Finishes with seemingly just the right amount of bitterness, more hop woodiness lingers with a suggestion of yeast-derived phenolic. It has to be said, well done to the Mad Brewers on this one. A hybrid style that really hasn’t had many attempts on the Aussie brew scene, and particularly by such a big player. The beer is very sound, tastes great, well balanced, excellently drinkable; can’t help but compare it to the closest Aussie beer in style, Murrays Whale Ale, but a far bigger, more substantial version.

Pint On tap at The Generous Squire in Perth. Nice fluffy 2 finger head, that settles slowly. Xclnt lacing. Apricot colour. Not as cloudy as I would expect for a hefe. Has a fantastic hop aroma of citrus that is backed up by great hoppy taste. Only problem is that the subtle complexities of a wheat beer are lost in the hops for me. Great beer that I will drink again (I bought 6 bottles), but probably because I am a hop head rather than a hefe fan.

This one pours rich amber with a lovely thick creamy head, I gave in 5/5 for appearance. The aroma is wonderful and dominated by resinous and tropical fruit like, pineapple perhaps, so it certainly looks and smells the part. However the flavour is a real let down. It has no real decerning hop flavour, a slightly warming alcoholic finish rounds out the palate but theres not much else...average really from this brewer.

Tap. Pours a crystal clear golden amber with decent white head. MInimal lacing. Aromas are doimnated by cloves, a touch of candy bananas and biscuity wheat malt. Bugger all hop aromas showing through. Pretty straight for wiezen really. Flavour is much the same. Syrupy sweet with a dryish finish thanks to the year. Once again bugger all impact from the hops. Some alcohol on the finish. OK but had hoped for more.

Pours a deep golden colour with a 1 finger head and a wonderful fruity aroma with a touch of wheat. Has a nice hop resin flavour to it with out being overpowering, drinks similar to an IPA. It really tastes like a Heffy x IPA and its very interesting, great job.

Bottle, 8C. Clear rosy amber with a large off-white head. Aroma of kumquats, lychees, passionfruit, lemon pudding. Taste is slightly sweet with caramel, a hint of wheat, window cleaner, tropical fruits. A little odd licorice note at the end. Seemed a little syrupy as it warmed. Quite interesting. Nothing to do with hefeweizens at all.

(bottle) Slightly hazy golden amber with great head. Lovely aroma, primarily citrusy hops with some pleasant complex esters. Medium body with god carbonation. The flavour is rather unusual. The start seems strongly nfluenced by te hops with similar citrusy hoppy notes. This develops some interesting spicy pepper notes and hints of banana. Then it falls a bit flat. Overall this is an interesting and very drinkable beer, but a bit of an unusual combination of styles. They sort of work pretty well together, but it is a bit mixed up - not at all unpleasant, just disconcerting.

Of two minds about this one and that was before I tried it. The marriage of wheat malt and wheat beer yeast is a fantastic thing and high-hopping goes against the grain and is best left to pale ales. After all, what is the use of it being a wheat beer to start. Anyways.
5 on 5 for appearance, but not of a wheat beer; radiant light copper and just off bright with well conditioned, fine carbonation. Off-white head, a good inch thick, rocky and steadfast leaving a curtain of foam upon the glass. Big, bold, juicy, perfume soaked hop nose; resinous and full of tropical fruit esters with little nuances reminiscent of vine-clippings, green cooking plantains and olfactory piercing spice. Syruppy, jungle juice mouthfeel; reminds me a lot of Golden Circle™ pineapple juice in both feel and taste. It is rounded, soft and oily past the tonsils. Perfumy rasp in and around the swallow with moderate bitterness quashed under the syruppy, tangy and sweet fruit esters. So much pineapple, a little peach and apricot, guava, etc, like the aroma. The alcohol makes an appearance too giving it a liqueurish, warming feel. Little of anything else really. I’d be daft to call it anything but a tasty, appealingly aromatic ale. I just don’t get it is all!!! (66cL, BB 23/01/13, Mane Liquor, Belmont)