Time for another beer review!!!  Tonight, I thought I would sample another brew from the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company located in Chico, California.  But which one?  There are so many to choose from.  

It’s been about 90 degrees at my house this afternoon with the sun blazing down and humidity so thick you could cut it with a knife.  Not to mention that I had to mow my lawn today, so I figured I needed a refreshing, thirst quenching brew to cool me off.

I decided on the Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen to see if it would do the trick.

The website, sierranevada.com, reassures me that it might.

Kellerweis is one of the only American Hefeweizens made using the traditional Bavarian style of open fermentation.  This difficult and labor-intensive technique adds uncommon depth and flavor complexity.  Our hazy-golden hefeweizen is deeply flavorful, refreshing and perfect for a sunny day.  To serve, pour two-thirds into a glass, swirl and pour the rest.

I’m thirsty!!!

The Kellerweis is a 4.8% ABV beer that comes in a 12 oz. bottle.

After a near perfect pour the brew appeared a cloudy, yellowish/orange color with a very nice, snow white, thick head that was somewhat soapy looking.  Both large and small bubbles comprised the cap, which had great size, retention and lacing.

In the aroma, I found some spicy cloves, wheat and yeast along with a mild lemon citrus note.  Other reviews that I’ve read speak of a boisterous banana fragrance in the nose.  It was there, but I, personally, thought it was a bit mild and almost subdued.  The spice and wheat seemed to be more of a forerunner in the fragrance than the banana.  In the background, I started to detect some type of artificial “plastic” smell that was somewhat odd and out of place.  It wasn’t so much distracting, but rather it just didn’t seem to follow what I typically find in Hefeweizens.  Oh well, let’s take a sip.

From the first gulp, I got the wheat and yeast tones juxtaposed with the spicy clove and a slight peppery savor.  A slight bit of sourness was noted from the lemon citrus, but it didn’t disagree with the overall flavor profile.  Again, I found the banana to be mild and not very direct.  Nonetheless, the taste seemed to be well balanced with no one flavor dominating the other.

The mouthfeel was medium to light, very crisp, refreshing and smooth.  It was a tad on the watery side, which justifies the thirst quenching abilities of this brew.  Not a whole lot of flavor was left on the palate either, however with a thirst quencher like this, one may not want much.

Well, it would be so easy to “slam” several of these on a hot day like today, but I actually found this to be a relatively standard “Hefe.”  It’s very nice looking, sessionable and decently well balanced.  I would have no problem drinking it again if it was offered, although I was expecting it to be a bit better.  I love the brews Sierra Nevada brings to the table, but I’m starting to come to the sad conclusion that maybe I just don’t like this style of beer in general….. regardless of who makes it.  With that being said, if you favor a Hefeweizen on a hot, humid day, give it a try and let me know what you think of it.

Is Sierra Nevada a favorite brewer of yours?  What beer do you most like from them? 

Thanks for reading guys.  I really appreciate it.  I hope you are enjoying the reviews because I have many more to come.

Score:  3.3 out of 5
Grade:  B-