Town Hall Kristall Weizen

Brewed by Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery
Style: German Kristallweizen
Minneapolis, Minnesota USA

Expectations. I had relatively low expectations for this beer from what I read in the description and what I understand from the style. An unfiltered hefeweizen sounds to me like you are taking all the good stuff, like flavor, out. But make no mistake, this brew has plenty of flavor. It has a Wow factor at first swallow. Very nice, sweet, slightly wheaty aroma with some fruit notes. Does not smell like a hefe. Slightly hazy, but otherwise clear light gold body. Nice, white head that is mostly diminishing. No lace. Wow! Flavor explodes on the tongue at 1st sip. Doughy; great session quality. Doesn’t taste filtered at all. Wonderful balance and complexity. Has some clove and banana notes. Very impressive brew. This is my 1st Kristal Weizen; I have a feeling it will be tough to beat. I look forward to trying Weihenstephaner’s offering and comparing. I see that my fondness of this brew is not really shared by my co-raters and two buddies that were with me who tried it didn’t really like it either. But, they are largely macro drinkers.

Poured an off lemony yellow color that was a little darker for a hefe. Also, true to style the beer was clear and crisp. The head retention was ok but dissipated over lime. The lacing also was limited. The smell was very sweet. Not really a German smell but more of an American feel. A limited wheat smell but some lighter spice and fruity citrus smell. Limited but not bad. The taste was similar. Very crisp with a light honey taste to it. Really the taste was boarder line cider feel to it. A light citrus lemony flavor with a good bite at the end. No real definite spice flavor noticeable but if you look for it some white pepper at the end. A light body and sweet honey feel mixed with a smooth yeast, which is much better then those skunky German feels, brings out a pretty good beer.

I must agree with badgerben that there is a certain element of solvent in this one. However, I feel I must come to the aid of this uncomplicated rye-smelling and lavender-palating treat. I believe that I could fall in love with this style, mainly because I don’t understand it and the only other kind I’ve had is Weihenstephaner’s Kristallweissbier (sorry for the spelling). Not a bad mid-sessioner, and it really helped me cruise through grading some of my students’ papers.

Golden Color with White Skin. Light Citrus, Coriander with Thick Yeast and Spice Aroma. Medium Bodied..Lightly Carbonated..Creamy Mouthfeel. Sweet Breaded Flavor with Fruit and Spices Intermingling...Most Notably Coriander...Making for a Balanced Sweetness. Sweet Lightly Dry Aftertaste. Very Nice...Although Seems Thicker Bodied Than Other Kristalls I Have Tried.

I’m not normally leading the cheers on this style, as I like the hefe with my weizen, but have to admit this won me over. Crystal clear, honeyed yellow appearance, under a slim, soon-gone head...whoops, where’d it go? Aroma, sweet, honeyish, light fruit, sly hops...very pretty. Taste: what was gleaned in the nose appears anew on the tongue. Slides smoothly down the palate, glides on the tongue and rolls down the gullet. Light/medium body, untroubled texture, nice wheaten taste, but dominated by a sweetness that remains unabated. Very clean and esily to toss back, with the sweet and the citric ringing through in every gulp. Lemon and honey hanging around in the mouth, bringing nothing but happiness. I like it, I like it...

On tap, a clear golden with an off-white head, nice lacing. Slightly weak aroma, citrus hops with a little wheat, light banana as well. Decent sweetness, barely noticable bitterness. Solid.

On tap at the brewpub. Mild aroma of banana and clove spice. Pours a bright gold. Tastes like a light hefe. Some wheat and banana sweetness, but slightly muted. Medium bodied with good carbonation. A lot fuller bodied and richer than I expected.

Dark gold coloring, and only a little cloudy due to the filtration. Light wheat aroma. Light hefeweizen flavor; medium sweet wheat, a touch of citrus, with some sourness in the finish.