22/10/2011. BRAUSTELLE, Christianstrasse 1/2, Ehrenfeld, KÖLN, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

6.5

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Draft at Braustelle. Very hazy orange with an off white head. Aroma of yeast, banana, dough and light malt. Flavour is light moderate sweet and light to moderate bitter. Light to light medium bodied with soft carbonation.

5.5

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 4

Hazy orange with medium white head. Aroma is flour, some light fruits, a hint of smoke. Not much at all. Taste is a shallow bitterness accompanied with watery citric sourness. Too aggressively carbonated. No real finish. No character. I don’t like.

5.5

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

Hazy orange color with white head. Aroma is fruity-orangy, yeasty. No bananas. Taste is again oranges and spicy yeasts. Surprisingly crisp mouthfeel. Not bad, but not a Hefeweizen...

7.6

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

500 ml bottle into weizen glass, no bottle dating. Pours hazy deep orange/copper color with a 1-2 finger dense light khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Spotty soapy lacing clings down the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of lemon, orange zest, pear, apple, light banana/clove/pepper, wheat, toasted biscuit, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of citrus/floral hops, fruity yeast, and bready malt notes; with solid strength. Taste of lemon, orange zest, pear, apple, light banana/clove/pepper, wheat, toasted biscuit, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness. Light herbal/spicy bitterness and wheat tangon the finish; with lingering notes of lemon, orange zest, pear, apple, light banana/clove/pepper, wheat, toasted biscuit, herbal, floral, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a while. Very nice robustness, complexity, and balance of citrus/floral hops, fruity yeast, and bready malt flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, creamy/bready, and slightly sticky mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with minimal warming present after the finish. Overall this is a very good and unique hefeweizen style. All around good robustness, complexity, and balance of citrus/floral hops, fruity yeast, and bready malt flavors; and very smooth and easy to drink. Even with the use of Kolsch yeast, you still a nice amount of flavor complexity and balance; with subtle banana/clove notes due to the wheat malts. A very enjoyable offering.

6.8

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6

500ml bottle - pours a turbid orange - this certainly takes some getting used to - as the label alludes to, this is not a typical Hefe - more like a German version of a hoppy wheat beer - as usually with this brewer, the texture is quite nice - flavor is mildly sweet orange up front, followed by a light acidity and verybmild banana - moderately bitter hoppiness late, and a touch of pepper in the finish - really not much like a Hefe, but it’s an enjoyable enough beer.

5.9

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5

500ml bottle as Freigeist Pimock. Orange-red body, big foamy off-white head. Not that impressive. Almost has a rye thing going on. Like a boring 90s American Wheat, with some odd ingredient choices. The hops are faint,but steady and almost try to poke through the blandish, stale malts. Not recommended.

5.6

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5

Pour is a orange-red with a large white head. Aroma is malty and caramel but no real hefe aromas. Flavor is some caramel malt with a touch of wheat malt. Way too watery and has no banana or clove going on. This is not a hefe, I don’t know what this is.

6.8

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Cloudy light amber. Aroma is faint, mostly wheaty. Slightly sweet, with a wheaty signature. Good, balanced wheat in the "not Bavarian" style.

6.4

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5

500ml bottle. Labelled as Freigeist Pimock. Pours a clear mahogany with moderate head and lots of carbonation. Aromas of brown sugar, plastic, dried fruit, and floral wheat. Flavors of bitter dried fruit/marmalade, bananas, resin, and light spice. Not much of a fan.