Pinkus Hefe Weizen

04-Apr-08 (500-ml bottle: Purchased 23-Dec-07 for $4.49 at the Pizza Port Bottle Shop in Carlsbad, CA) Just in case the previous bottle I purchased was poorly stored or too old, here is a much fresher bottle that has been refrigerated the entire time. The beer pours a hazy, straw body, so no chunky sediment this time; the sludgy yeast stays in the bottle. the beer is initially topped by two inches of white, bubbly foam, but settles quickly to a thin layer, leaving a few spots of lace on the glass. Aromas of wheat bread and slightly funky cheese aren’t especially enticing, and of note is the lack of the common hefeweizen aromas like clove, banana, or dough. The flavor is lightly wheat with just a hint of banana and dough and a mild citric tartness, but this really comes across like a brewpub chain wheat beer. Body is light-medium, carbonation is medium-strong, and the finish is a bit stale. An overall impression: this is a pretty boring offering, especially since it’s a German import, and not even worth the time to try once. Skip it.

02-Nov-05 (500 ml bottle: $2.99 at Whole Foods in San Diego/Hillcrest, CA) Medium straw in color and sufficiently cloudy to obscure most of the carbonation bubbles that are rising swiftly toward the surface. Lots of dark, chunky sediment came forth from the bottle and now is being circulated by the carbonation bubbles. The tall white head has settled to a thin topping. Having said all this, I now have nothing else positive to say about this beer. Immediately jumping out of the glass is the grainy and very sour aroma, and I don’t mean a tart sourness, but more like sourdough. Flavor is mild and a bit offensive, again dominated by sourdough, plus a wheat maltiness in the finish. It’s minimally sweet or bitter, and missing are the banana and spice I expect in a German hefeweizen. Light bodied and actually quite watery in the finish. Wow, talk about a disappointment. (4, 4, 3, 2, 6 = 1.9)