Pyramid Imperial Hefeweizen

Brewed by Pyramid Breweries
Style: German Hefeweizen
Portland, Oregon USA

Draught, Pyramid Alehouse Seattle
Extra cloudy. Dull beige. Banana and alcohol on the nose. Firm alcoholic character, light banana fruitiness, and lots of malt. Still manages to retain drinkability despite its size. A fairly well-executed rendition of a silly concept.

Date: 10/19/2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Cellar Party

hazy orange, wispy white head, big wheat aroma with a slight sweetness and spicyness, creamy body, sweet malt flavor, lots of wheat character but only a hint of tartness, light fruityness, more of a light wheat wine than a hefeweizen

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3.1/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *4

Appearance: Pours a hazy, tanned-orange body with a thin, wispy white head. Smell: Aroma full of malted wheat but little else. Any notes of bubblegum or banana remain very light. Same goes for the spicy-smelling hops. Taste: Malted wheat flavor with a subdued sweetness. Spicy hops remain mild at best. Again, any bananas and bubblegum lurking within are nearly imperceptible. A hint of sour lemon rind rolls in midway. Finishes with a soft yeastiness and more of that oh-so subdued sweetness. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Mild carbonation. Chewy mouthfeel. Drinkability: Decent, however entirely unnoteworthy it may be.

Bottle via trade with jake65. Aroma has lots of dry, dusty and mildly spicy yeast. Just a hint of malted wheat sweetness. Some green apple upon warming. Pours muddy orange with a quickly disappearing rich white head. Flavor is fairly one dimensional with yeast and dry and nondescript hops at the forefront. Some earthiness. Only a small hint of banana and clove spiciness. Inoffensive, but not overly complex. Medium bodied. Creamy. Finishes with a burst of earthy, dusty hops. A unique beer for sure. Definitely not brewed to style, but lacks complexity for my tastes. Thanks Jake!

Pours a hazy orange golden with a thin-lacing white head. Fairly authentic aroma of sweet malted wheat with a touch of doughy German yeast and clove. Starts slightly sweet and wheaty with plenty of noble bittering hops and mild yeastiness toward a drier, slightly earthy finish. Could use a little more authentic yeastiness, but has decent body.

Pours a hazy orange color with a white head. Aroma is green apple and some wheat. Flavor is wheat and green apple.

On tap in Walnut Creek brewery. Tastes like their regular hefe, except slightly sweeter. Doesn’t have the estery cloves and bananas that a german hefe does. Medium-bodied and looked nice and hazy goldenrod.

22oz Bottle, from Whole Foods in Seattle. Interesting and seemingly unique style attempt. I get the ’Hefe’ base but pushing it beyond puts it a little over the top, this hits the mouth syrupy and sweet on top of creamy bread and wheat. The nose and first tastes are reminiscent of a normal Hefeweizen but it finishes thicker and spicier (alcohol-wise) than I like. Again, interesting attempt worth a taste, but not something I’ll come back to.