Andechser Weissbier Hefetrüb
I had a really exciting, but false alarm moment earlier tonight. Thought I saw Andechs doppelbock at a local store! It was, in fact the dunkelweiss bier. Not as good as the almost impossible to get doppelbock, but sitting next to the dunkel was this one. I remember trying it once before and liking it, so I picked it up. Poured into a small weizen glass, I basically get 2 different-looking beers out of 2 pours. The first pour shows a bright golden beer with very enthusiastic carbonation and decent head. The second one, with the yeast, is a perfect banana-pineapple color with a thick, short head. I love this kind of beer for appearance, very sexy indeed. Sweet, almost bubble gum banana smells, a little subdued. The spicy clove character is weak in the nose, but seems to come through alright in the taste. Much more hop presence, bitterness in the finish than expected. After some consideration, I really must bump my score up from good to 4.5 for taste. It's not that different from other great German hefes, but right now, for me, it's a nearly perfecet beer. It's been a long time since I've had a world-class hefeweizen, and this was a real treat. I almost want to give it all 5s. But then I remember Weihenstephaner. And this one still holds up as a fine example of the style. Highly recommended!