Bellwether Second Breakfast

Still remembering and pining for all of the excellent beer imbibed in Spokane a couple of weeks ago, and beginning to notice a definite beer for breakfast theme among many of the brews that made their way into my open hands, open mouth, and open heart.  And so we have the Second Breakfast, a non-traditional Hefeweizen from Bellwether Brewing.  Pouring a nice straw-tinted gold, the 5.7% ABV brew has aromas of banana, bread, and some slight lemon zest.  The flavor has notes of said banana and bread along with some hints of honey, and the aforementioned lemon to keep things crisper.  All in all, it's an easy drinker and a perfect beer for summertime, breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

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Red Horn Roggenbier

As i've been writing this blog for a number of years now, the need for new styles of beer to discover, try out, and write briefly about increases, but with the craft brewing community still chugging along strongly, i usually don't have to look too far.  Cedar Park, Texas' Red Horn Coffee House and Brewing Co, aside from being one of my favorite places in town to go to, has really been stepping up the game here in central Texas since first opening a couple of years ago.  Over the weekend, i tried their Roggenbier, a kind of Hefeweizen brewed with rye instead of wheat.  It was fantastic.  The beer pours a dark, malty brown with a foamy off-white head and smells of malt and spice with maybe some hints of banana.  The flavor consists of those same hints of banana swirled with a dry maltiness and some spice notes with a general earthiness to the whole affair.  And at 5.4% ABV, the Roggenbier is easily sessionable, and pairs with pretty much anything (i had a meat and cheese tray and salad to go along with it).  If you live in the area, take a growler home with you, and act quickly, as they may or may not brew it again.

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Big Bend Hefeweizen

Man, it's been hot outside lately.  It is August in central Texas after all, and a sure cure for the sweaty blues is a nice, refreshing hefeweizen.  So, why not imbibe one brewed out in the mountainous desert of West Texas from young upstart Big Bend Brewing?  The Big Bend Hefeweizen pours a light, hazy gold and gives off aromas of wheat and citrus.  The beer is subtly sweet with some hints of breadiness, and crazy easy to drink.  Weighing in at 5.6% ABV, it's certainly a sessionable beer, but lets you know it's there.

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Hell Or High Watermelon

Oh, the summer days and the beers inspired by them.  Of the too-numerous-to-count-them-all beers i drank while in San Diego a couple of weeks ago, Hell Or High Watermelon, a wheat beer from 21st Amendment Brewery out of San Francisco, just felt like the sort of brew to sip all day long on a lawn chair in the front yard.  To put it really simply, it's like a good hefeweizen...but with watermelon.  Said watermelon does not overpower the beer though.  The beer pours a straw color with minimal head, and smells of wheat, yeast, citrus, and watermelon.  The taste is the same, the watermelon mixing quite nicely with the light breadiness, creating a crisp and refreshing anytime kind of beer.  Unless you don't like watermelon.  In which case, skip this one you weirdo.

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Presidio La Bahia Black Hefeweizen

A few weeks ago when i overdid out at Austin's Untapped Festival, i managed to try quite a few beers, many of which i no longer remember, hence the "overdid" aspect of that weekend.  While i'm a little angry at myself for that, one of the brews i do remember is the delicious Presidio La Bahia Black Hefeweizen from Goliad Brewing down in southeast Texas.  It's the perfect beer for a hot day.  Pouring a dark amber, the beer smells of bananas, citrus, and clove.  The flavor is pretty sweet, but not overpowering, with some hefty banana notes and some maltiness to round the whole thing out.  I was pretty stoked to find some bottles here in Austin.

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Karbach Weisse Versa

While being the new kid on the block, the cats at Houston's Karbach Brewing Co. seem to outdo themselves with all the different beers they make.  It's summertime, and Texas is usually hotter than hell, so what better way to quench the thirst and refresh body and mind than with a nice Hefeweizen hybrid.  German Hefe meets Belgian Wit in the delicious Weisse Versa.  Pouring golden orange with white, dissipating head, the beer gives off a lovely aroma of orange, banana, coriander, and wheat,  all of which are represented in the taste as well.  Add just a little bitter bite at the end, and you've got yourself an excellent, refreshing summer brew.  If we could just start seeing some of this stuff in Austin...

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El Hefeweizen

And my summer beer binge continues...i know it's April, but it gets hot here early.  I've been doing this beer blog for over a year now, and looking back, i don't think i've ever posted about a Hefeweizen before, and that's a damn shame.  They're great for hot weather, sweet and refreshing, and Katy, Texas' No Label Brewing has the best named one i've ever come across...El Hefeweizen.  Aside from its fantastic name, the beer tastes good too.  Overtones of citrus and banana mix well with the malts and the ever slight sour flavor from the yeast.  And like last week's Summer Shandy, this is a great starting beer for people who don't usually drink it.  Sitting on a covered patio, you'll knock a slew of these things out easy.  Who would have thought something good would come out of Katy?

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