Pint-Sized Review: Sacramento Brewing Hefeweizen
Posted by brianS on Tuesday, April 29th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
With the light beisbol schedule this week, I figured it would be a good time for a beer two-fer. Today's selection is the lovely "Grand Opening Ale" Hefeweizen from Sacramento Brewing Company.
The Sacramento Brewing Co. is a small, local producer. They operate two brewpub-restaurants in Sacramento as well as bottling a number of their products. And it just so happens that my local Costco is carrying mixed cases for the low, low price of $22.90. Can't beat that with a stick, considering that sixpacks normally retail for about $8 at my grocery store.
The Sacramento Brewing Company is perhaps best known for its Red Horse Ale, a hoppy, delicious amber, which recently took home the bronze (of 53 entries) at the 2008 Brewers' Association World Beer Cup for American-style amber/red ale. The World Beer Cup is known as the "Olympics of Beer". The competition is held every other year and draws competitors from around the world in all size categories. So that's an impressive accolade.
This hefe is a fine rendition of the style. Commercial description: An authentic unfiltered Bavarian wheat beer. Light and refreshing with a slight citrus flavor, perfect on a warm day. Subtle hopping and a Munich yeast strain give this ale its unique character. 5.3% abv. Hefeweizen literally (and I do mean "literally") means "yeast-wheat". Hefe's are distinguished from American-style wheat beers (e.g., the Leinenkugel Honey Weiss, or spicier versions, such as Sierra Nevada Wheat or Bell's Oberon Ale) by the use of special yeasts rather than ordinary ale yeast, low hopping and the lack of filtration. The Sac Brewing version has a very nice banana-ey nose and a light, fresh, fruity taste. Lots of malt here, but well balanced by the carbonation and the phenolic, yeasty character. Hefes are highly carbonated and this one was no exception, as you can see. I took the picture before I finished pouring the bottle, so the beer looks pretty clear at this point. Most of the yeast was still in the bottle (obviously, I need to review the pouring advice offered below).
Because of the characteristic, high carbonation, it is important to pour this beer correctly and to use the correct glass. As a helpful guide, I've included the following primer. Note the swirling technique at the end. You want to pour the yeast too. Lots of flavor there.
Serve cold on a hot summer afternoon. Like, oh, when I drank this one (temps near 90 today in Sactown). Or when you wish it were a hot summer afternoon.
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I some day hope to be rich enough where I can have a beer-pouring robot just cuz.
Not a big fan of hefe weizen. Fruit characteristics in a beer just don't do it for me. Although, I do appreciate the info. I have been trying to learn more about beer and what makes up the different styles, since the general public has become more interested and informed on the brewing process.
The "pouring discussion" reminds me of the movie I watched when I got home from work late last night. "Cocktail" not only is just a bad movie, but did any of us really think Tom Cruise and his co-star(he was that forgettable) were really that slick as bartenders? Their flips and pours were so stiff, staged and mechanical compared to many bartenders I have seen since. What a horrible movie.
Can't wait til it's actually warm here in MN - fish tacos and hefe weizen is a perfect celebration of summer. Though I've taken to some of the belgian whites as well, with Summit's Scandia Ale my clear favorite so far.
Mmmm. Fish tacos. Might have to have an exchange of recipes from the nation. A friend of mine makes the best I've had: a spicy black bean paste, finely shredded red cabbage, avocado, and a squeeze of lime. He deep fries the fish (any white fish will do, though fresh caught at the cabin can't be beat) and stuffs it all in a hard corn shell. Muy bueno!
A hefe weisen would go well with it, though he's partial to serving a Negra Modelo.
I like Hefes, although it's mostly been Summit and Paulaner.
Summit's is sharp and tastes like green tomatoes.
Paulaner's is smooth like Banana cream.
I've drank some German Hefe Weisen over at that German place in NE Minneapolis. I remember them being quite good and inducing quite the headache.