Herold Psenicne (Hefeweizen)

Brewed by Pivovar Herold
Style: German Hefeweizen
Breznice, Czech Republic

1. Cask Handpump at the Palladium, Llandudno (JDW) 19/07/2005 Golden coloured with a slightly hazy appearance. Lemon fruit flavour. Some dryness in a lasting finish. 2. Cask Handpump at the Penny Black, Northwich (JDW) 02/08/2005 Golden coloured and hoppy with a cloudy appearance. Spciy and lemon aroma and flavour. Crisp slightly bitter creamy finish.

Bottle. Sour stale wheat malt aroma. Cloudy orange-yellow with moderate but quickly collapsing head. Sour stale wheat malt flavor primarily - slight vinegar and banana flavors as well. Probably quite a bit better when fresh. A bit below average when compared to the style as a whole but not too bad - a rare beer style for Czech.

500 ml bottle from DiCarlo’s/Armanetti’s in Mundelein, IL (Dec 2005). Served at cellar temperature in a Weihenstephan glass. A loud hiss...the beginnings of foam in the bottle....it pours rather gracelessly into the glass, with massive gouts of creamy off-white foam that decay fairly quickly, atop an oily, lightly hazy dark amber body....the glass emanates essence of bananas into the eager nostrils, of course, and touches of nutmeg and clove, also a touch of sour or perhaps spoiled apple, and vinegar....hmm, perhaps too old?....the body is lightly sour, somewhat sticky and flat on the tongue, a touch of lemon-lime character, carbonation heavier towards the surprisingly dry finish....to me it’s rather like banana 7UP, just too light and boring to really win. Still, quite drinkable and not seriously flawed.

Has a fairly mild but still quite enjoyable flavor. Has some sweet banana as usual with hefes. WHile I am certinaly enjoying drinking this, there are many others like it that are really better choices.

Bottle. Poured a white small fizzy head that mostly diminished with fair lacing, hazy, carbonated, and a yellow golden hue. Nose was malty, wheat and light hops. Flavor was malty and some wheat flavor. Mouthfeel was tingly.

Malt and caramel aroma, dark golden, tiny off-white head. Taste is sweet malt, mild caramel. Light bodied, sweet and easy drinking. Fine beer, just didn’t seem to be a hefeweisse. Thank You Radek.

Bottle from Radek. Cloudy straw color, white head. Dougy aroma with notes of wheat. Flavor is on the malty side of things with a bit of wheat character and a touch of cardboard. Mid sized body. Not all that bad but pretty standard.

Sample at DougShoemaker’s 2005 December gathering - bottle courtesy of Radek. Gold with a small white head. Aroma is a bit grainy/bready along with the expected wheat beer character. Flavour is on the malty side, mild, with bitterness in the finish. Not bad.