Hefe Weiss Wheat Ale - Black Husky Brewing

                About a month ago, I learned about a relatively obscure nano-brewery in Wisconsin.  Then again, if I watched the Today show I would have heard about Black Husky Brewing a couple years ago.  Tim and Toni Eichinger started Black Husky Brewing in 2009 and based out of a log cabin in Pembine, WI.  Pembine, an hour and a half north of Green Bay, is up near Wisconsin’s Northwoods, and about 15 minutes south of the border from da UP.

It would seem that a nano-brewery would have a hard time distributing outside of a small town like Pembine, especially considering how far Pembine is from any major city.  However, Tim Eichinger is not about to let something like that stand in the way of sharing his artisanal beers with the world, or at least the state of Wisconsin.  In fact, Tim makes it a point to hand deliver his beers to the liquor stores and bars that sell his product.  Now that takes some dedication, especially considering that I can buy a bottle of his beer here in the Milwaukee area, a good 3.5 hours drive from his cabin-based brewery.

Those of you who have been reading this blog for a while might remember that I have a strong affinity for wheat beers, especially in the summer.  With summer just around the corner, and having experienced a few 90-degree days already, I decided to pick up a bomber of Black Husky’s Hefe Weiss Wheat Ale over at ThreeCellars (best liquor store/lounge ever!).  On to the review:

Black Husky Brewing’s Hefe Weiss Wheat Ale is apparently too rare to be listed on Beeradvocate, and only has one review over at ratebeer.  Then again, what fun would a small batch, special release beer from a nano-brewer in Wisconsin’s Northwoods be if everyone and their mother had access to it.

They say:

Hefe Weiss is a refreshing, cloudy beer traditionally served in the beer gardens of Bavaria.  Rosmunda – or “bad Rosie” is featured on this label.  She refused to wear her dirndl for this picture.  A beer with banana and clove yeast profile.  It is best served cold with a slice of lemon…

I say:

                Hefe Weiss pours beautifully for a wheat beer, a nice hazy golden color with a foamy white head.  The head was a little smaller than I had anticipated, but it had the excellent retention expected in German wheat beer.  It had a bready, yeasty aroma backed up by distinct wheat, apricot and citrus notes.  As it warmed, the apricot came to the forefront with the citrus and bready notes receding.

                Hefe Weiss is very carbonated, yet extremely smooth and medium bodied.  The flavors shift from being strongly clove up front, with citrus and apricot in the background.  Through the course of the beer, the clove and apricot became dominant.  I did not put a lemon in as Black Husky recommends, choosing instead to enjoy the wonderful natural flavors.  I often find that the addition of a citrus fruit overwhelms the more subtle flavors in a wheat beer.  The Hefe Weiss finishes smooth and dry, leaving me wishing for another bottle.  Unfortunately, I did not see any more the last time I was at the store.

               That’s all for today, check back either tomorrow or Saturday for a post on Abita’s Vanilla Doubledog.  I hope to be back on schedule next week.

                Happy Drinking!!!