10/2008 FESTIVAL: OKTOBERFEST AT THE GERMAN EMBASSY IN WASHINGTON, DC
Aren't we lucky? The Rosen Group, who does PR for DRAFT magazine (a beer glossy), pitched us an invitation to the Oktoberfest held at the German Embassy. What fun we had! Horst D. Dornbusch, the author of Prost!, the easy-to-read book on German beer, was on hand. There was music, dancing, heaps of food, and folks dressed in both Black Tie and German finest.
We were given a beer stein when we entered, which we used to sample the dozen or so German beers being poured. The on-tap TUCHER HELLES HEFEWEIZEN was very refreshing (Rating ****),and the WARSTEINER PREMIUM OKTOBERFEST was malty sweet (Rating ***3/4).

Moving onto the bottled beers... The ZOTLER KORBINIAN DUNKEL struck us as pleasant but bland (Rating ***), and the ST. GEORGEN-BRAU KELLER BIER, an unfiltered, low carbonation lager, was intriguing --- its slightly dry, slightly malty, and slightly bitter. (Rating ****) We enjoyed the MECKATZER GOLD, which was clean and showed citrus notes, making it a nice palate-cleanser. (Rating ***3/4)

The stars of the show were the LAMMSBRAU ORGANIC DUNKEL, which was light-bodied and delicious (Rating ****1/4), and the unbelievable MILTENBERGER HELLES HEFE-WEIZEN, a wheat beer with an almost effervescent body that boomed with clove, bumble gum, and banana notes. (Rating *****)

All in all, we and the couple hundred others who thronged the Embassy had a blast. We'll put it on the calendar for next year, for sure.

Labels: Beer Book, Dunkel, Festival, Germany, Hefe Weizen, Hefeweizen, Lammsbrau, Meckatzer, Miltenberger, St. Georgen, Tucher, Zotler

 

6/2008 WIDMER HEFEWEIZEN
"Uncompromised and unfiltered," announces the label of this WIDMER wheat beer. Well, we're all for that; we like honest hefeweizens. As readers may recall, we are rabid fans of SCHNEIDER WEISSE and its doppel-brother, AVENTINUS. This brew was a disappointment. It looks good in the glass -- pretty color, fat head. ... But it delivers nearly nothing to the nose or palate --- just a little yeast. Where are the clove, fruit, and banana notes? In the mouth it felt thin, and it closed with an odd, bitter, almost metallic flavor. Maybe we got a bad batch. (The labels on the bottles in this six-pack say they were bottled "040208".) Toss in a lemon, and the taste improves, but only because it is lemony. Bummer. According to the folks at Widmer Brothers, this brew has won medals in years past. Go figure. (Rating **1/2)

Labels: Hefe Weizen, Hefeweizen, Oregon, Wheat Beer, Widmer

 

5/2007 HARPOON BREWERY UFO HEFEWEIZEN
How does this American-made wheat beer compare to the great wheat beers of the old world? Not badly. Unlike, say, Schneider Weisse, this hefeweizen lacks the wild clove and bubble gum notes. Nonetheless, at the end of a hot day, UFO is awfully satisfying. The wheat profile is evident; the head is robust. And at $23 for 24 12-ounce bottles (the price we paid at at a Costco), it's a bargain. (Rating***3/4)

To see if our retailer can send you UFO HEFEWEIZEN, click SHOP and type "HARPOON" in the search engine and click the magnifying glass. Otherwise, surf to http://www.HarpoonBrewery.com/.

Labels: Harpoon, Hefe Weizen, Hefeweizen, Massachusetts, Vermont, Wheat Beer