Hi guys.  For today’s craft beer review I’m going to be trying the In-Heat Wheat produced by the Flying Dog Brewery located in Frederick, Maryland.

It’s been sometime since I last had a Flying Dog brew and with the warm weather starting to be an everyday occurrence now, I figured a Hefeweizen might suit the mood.

From the website, flyingdogales.com, we find this enticing description.

Brewed in the centuries old tradition of German beers, our brewers use more wheat and proprietary yeast to give it the unmistakable character of a flavorful, authentic Hefeweizen. The High proportion of wheat gives In Heat its smooth, full-mouth feel and our special yeast gives it its unique fruity and spicy aroma. 

Let’s give it a taste.

This brew has an ABV of 4.7% and it comes in a 12 oz. bottle.

It poured a very cloudy orange to orange/yellow color.  The head was very white, soft and kind of soapy.  The size was decent, but not quite on par with some of the other Hefe’s I’ve seen.  The retention time was below average and the lacing was sparse.

The nose brought forth hints of banana, orange slices and touches of lemon citrus.  A befitting amount of wheat and grain circled the entire nose while spices of pepper and clove hid underneath to create, all in all, a decent smelling beer.

The taste seemed a little more relaxed than the bouquet.  I still found heavy savors of wheat and grain, however the banana, lemon citrus and orange zest could have used a little more “pop” in my opinion.  Even the spices of clove and pepper seemed a touch meager.  Nothing horrible by any means, but not quite as strong or forthcoming as I was expecting it to be.

The mouthfeel was medium to medium/light bodied.  Very smooth, crisp, refreshing, thirst quenching, a bit snappy and actually quite dry.  The carbonation was good and an “ok” amount of flavor was left behind on the palate after each gulp.

Well, this beer was mostly average in my opinion.  Don’t get me wrong, I had a blast drinking it and I know that it would fit in perfectly well around the BBQ pit during the heat of Summer.  It’s super easy to drink, straight forward and has no frills attached to it.  Just turn it up and drink.  If you haven’t tried the Flying Dog In-Heat Wheat, pick up a bottle when the sun is blazing and let me know what you think.  As I’ve mentioned several times before, the Hefeweizen style is one that has never blown me away.  I don’t have a problem drinking them, but I’m just having a hard time finding one that continually entices me to seek it out when I go beer shopping.  If you guys have any suggestions be sure to let me know.

Thanks for reading and commenting everyone.  I really appreciate it.

Until next time.  Cheers.

Score:  3.25 out of 5
Grade:  C+