Rogue Half-E-Weizen (MoM Hefeweizen)

Brewed by Rogue Ales
Style: Wheat Ale
Newport, Oregon USA

Bottle:   Straw in color, very hazy and dull, moderate soapy white head, falls quickly, spotty lacing.   Mealy/Bready nose.   Very cereal oriented.   Quite a bit of Hay as well.   This is a Wheat beer?   Very dull wheatiness on the tongue, remains somewhat cereal oriented.   Did I mention dull?   Wow, this one is extra boring.   It is quite heavy, but in the mealy/cereal sort of sense.   This does not remind me of anything Wheat like, American nor German.   Body and mouthfeel are quite full, but while thats fine and dandy, its quite un-sweetened and dry on the backside.   I don’t know what they were shooting for here, but as a Hefeweizen I would say its quite uninteresting.

Draught at Rattle ’n Hum, New York
Hazy blond color. Weak and watery Weizen, with a light herbal touch, almost no wheat, quite strong bitterness.

Bottle. Wheat and barley malt aroma. Golden yellow color with small head. Wheat malt and strong bitter dry grass hops flavor. Straight forward wheat beer.

This isn’t really a hefe but who cares. Light gold brew with a decent foamy white cap and thin retention. The aroma is pretty cool here: ginger, grapefruit, sweet orange, nectarine, weak wheat, sort of lime, coriander, lemon, intriguing spice - a very nice, interesting aroma. More ginger in the flavour. There is lots of it but nothing too strong or disgusting. Wheat, spices..... I think I’m bored instantly. Creamy mouth feel. Ginger throughout is cool. Less smooth near the bottom of my glass and finishes forgetful. This was excellent cooler but it’s terrible when warmer.

Beer looks like a hefe, hazy dull gold with a thick white skiff but there were no chunks at the bottom of the bottle that’s no good. Aroma is weak and has no trace of banana but there is ginger, lime, and some spice. Smells awesome but what is this?!? This taste good but nothing really like a hefe, ginger more lime, spice, mild amounts of wheaty malt. Good beer I could drink this on a regular bases and it’s an interesting twist on an old style but it’s so different can you still call it a hefe?

At first impression I had to do a double take and make sure that I didn’t crack an IPA. I couldn’t believe this was a heffe and now that I’m on the site I wonder about what the ’half’ means, though the ingredients don’t lead me to think it should taste so IPA ish. Perhaps there is a flavour contaminant in the glass or still on my tounge, but after several more sips to aquaint the mouth: smells malty and like a wierd BO spicey, ewww, slightly cloudy but still too clear especially for a hefe, bizarre hops and spice combo is just too complex tasting and the specialy bubbly mouth feeling from a Belgian hefe is just not there though I’d guess that was the point. It’s certainly an ok brew, but the label is all kinds of misleading.

650ml bottle. Clean and clear and well carbonated with a dense white blanket of foam. Aroma of bubblegum and vanilla that is sweet and inviting. Smooth with a nice soft texture and mouthfeel that is easy to drink.

Yeasty and spiced aroma. Cloudy and hay colored. Smooth and on the lighter side, but the spiciness of the coriander make up for it. Another words, the body could be fuller. Reminiscent of or a cross between a Weissbier and Witbier.