I’ve graciously been added as a beer reviewer to Fort Worth Beer. Seeing as I’m currently living in Houston, I’ve decided to first review a beer from a Houston brewery that has been making some serious noise; Karbach Brewing Co.
The beer that I’ve chosen for this review is their Weisse Versa Wheat. They’ve taken a German HefeWeizen Yeast (known for tastes like clove, nutmeg, and banana) and combined it with spices that typically go into a German Wit beer (creating flavors like orange peel, coriander, and lemon).
I’ll be perfectly honest, this hybrid beer (coming from a can, no less) worried me. Sometimes combining two good things can quickly turn into a bad thing. Note: http://www.amazon.com/Smuckers-Goober-Grape-Jelly-Stripes/dp/B002RSFL7U. My point is, some things aren’t meant to be messed with.
My first impression of this beer is the aroma that it gives off. Karbach has somehow put together all of the aformentioned beer style qualities, without any of them overpowering the others. You immediately smell the clove, coriander, orange peel, and lemon peel upon cracking the top.
Once you take your first sip, you immediately notice the lemon peel, but the finish is the exact flavor of banana cream pie with clove mixed in. No joke. Banana. Cream. Pie. It also has a sort of thick, cream soda like finish that lingers for a few seconds. If you haven’t already realized, this beer is sweet.
The beer drinker truly gets the full experience of a crisp easy tasting wheat on the front end, and the spicy finish of a Hefeweizen on the back end. It reminds me of the classic mullet line from Joe Dirt (2001): “business in the front, party in the back.”
This beer greatly surpassed my originial expectations. Like I said, the hybrid beers can sometimes be a red flag. But Karbach really pulled off this complex profile well. It pretty much reminded me of what you’d hope to happen if you poured a Live Oak and a Blue Moon into the same pint glass. This is a beer that would be great immediately after mowing the lawn (or at any time in the summer for that matter).
Geek Stats:
IBU: 20
ABV: 5.3%
Malts: 2 row pale, wheat, honey malt and carafa
Hops: Magnum, Hallertau-Mittelfreuh
Spices: Coriander, citrus peel
Overall Rating: 8.5/10
– See more at: https://fortworthbeer.com/articles/karbach-weisse-versa-wheat#sthash.Teqe6Xoe.dpuf
