Marzonis Wheat Wine

Sampler at the Allison Park location. Like an imperial hefeweizen as the assistant brewer put it. Hazy orange gold, white head. Aroma is banana, bubblegum, clove. Flavor is the same with dried fruit. This would taste more mellow and better with age.

Had on tap in Duncansville and brought home in a growler. Pours a super cloudy orange with a thin, off-white head. The aroma is a mix of bubblegum, flowers, cloves, bananas, and alcohol. Tastes very fruity and sweet, with lingering alcohol notes in the finish. Loads of brown sugar and pepper notes throughout. Kinda thin in the mouth. One of the more creative brews I’ve had from Marzoni’s, and very enjoyable. I wish it would have had a little more time to age, and it would be perfect. Definitely an adventurous brew, not for the weak of heart (or stomach).

I’m not good enough to rate this beer and out of respect for my beer rating pals; Nate and mJ, I’m a little nervous about doing so. They know I rate on enjoyability and not by style and I usually don’t like the palate of high ABV% beers. Mike would probably ask me why I would try it if I knew I didn’t like it and of course my reply is ’it was there, I was there and I hadn’t tried it yet’. On tap at the Marzoni’s in Allison Park, Pittsburgh. Slightly fruity aroma with tart hints. As that peculiar sweet smell that alarms me of a high ABV% beer to follow. There is the typical wheat spice aroma in there too. Slightly cloudy pale yellow like a good hefe or witbier. No carbonation per se. I was a little apprehensive about trying an imperial wheat for fear it would be too much for my lager loving taste buds, even tho wheat and wit is one of my most favored styles. This brew provides a strong alky impact on the palate. It’s just too much for my girlie taste buds. I’m not really sure if this can be classified as a beer, more like wine or barley wine to me. Overall, this taste experience is just what I expected. More personality than I care for. However, I bet many of you will love it and it has a special purpose niche that it can satisfy. Keep in mind if you read this, I’m not a beer expert and I rate by cheapdark enjoyability, not by style. This is an excellent example of this style!

10oz goblet @ brewery: This one pours a cloudy, golden color. There was almost no head on it at all. The aroma is surprisingly light, given the ABV. Some notes of banana and clove. The taste is good. Slightly sweet, with some banana and clove. It tastes like an imperial hefeweizen, if you can believe that. Good enough that I had a couple of them.

10 oz pour at the brewery. Looks like an hefeweizen, surprisingly! First whiff is moderately boozy clove and banana hefeweizen yeast, boosted by heavy alcohol, makes me instantly think of these new imperial hefeweizens. I understand they call it a wheat wine, but truly this is a imperial/double hefeweizen that only resembles barley wine in the alcohol level. Most wheat wines are barley wine recipes with the addition of wheat, but this one resembled closely the Schnieder-Brooklyner Hopfen-Weisse, only more alcoholic and less hopped. It’s chewy and thick, with heavy banana "meat" flavors, peppery and spicy as it rolls back across the tongue, warming the throat at the end. A big, beefy, boozy and hot wheat beer, that’s for sure. Very tasty, that’s for sure.

On tap at Marzoni’s. Light banana-wheat aroma, mild clove and orange blossom. Sweet with some vapors of alcohol and acetone (but in a pleasant way). Hazy golden amber, like butterscotch, with a thin off-white head that dissipates quickly. Medium-heavy body with medium carbonation. Alcohol warming, fairly noticeable at 10%. Starts with sweet banana-wheat flavor, light brown sugar, and a good slug of alcohol. Sweetnes is well tempered by a dry bitter hop finish, fruity with a mild chalky bitterness. It’s like a German wheat on steroids, with more sweetness and a more pronounced fruit pith bitterness at the finish. I’d really like to try this in a few more months, too. Doesn’t quite go down like a barley wine, but it’s no German Hefeweizen or Weizenbock. Too alcoholic for a wheat ale, too. Tasty, but perhaps a tad thin.