Pyramid Imperial Hefeweizen

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

Bottle. Rating from notes, this was originally consumed well over a year ago. Pours a hazy/cloudy dark orange with a large white head. Aroma is strong and typically yeasty and hefeweizen in nature with some banana and clove along with citrus and a general fruitiness. Flavor is fairly malty with a dense and creamy body that lends substance to a light, citrusy and fruity flavor profile. Not as much banana in the flavor as in the aroma but any hints of sweetness do not last and lead to a bit of a peppery spicy finish that is appropriately yeasty. The strength is a big surprise, as it was not evident at all during the tasting. It comes off as an amped up version of a hefe, the goal of course, and they did a great job of achieving it. I remember going back to find another bottle but there were none left. I was pleasantly surprised by this one.

Pours a murky orange with aromas of banana and spices. Flavor has toasted caramel, banana, and spices.

2007 Bottle received via trade. Clear dark orange pour, little carbonation and a slightly lemon citrus and banana aroma. Flavor was plenty of malt, some clove, pepper and alcoholic banana on the finish. Good? yes; but not one I would buy on a regular basis.

10/21/2007: Pyramid Imperial Hefeweizen Ale smells a bit yeasty with a touch of caramel. The flavor is malted wheat that is slightly toasted. There is also caramel and banana as well as a bit of spice and bitterness in the finish. The flavor is pretty clean. This beer is cloudy and has a deep golden to golden-orange color. It is medium body contains lots of tiny carbonation bubbles that feed the thick, creamy, beige-colored head. Overall this beer is respectable, but nothing special (although the alcohol is well-hidden!).

1 pt. 6 fl. oz. bottle (7.% Alc. by Vol.) from Jungle Jim’s International Market in Fairfield, Ohio. Rating #168 for this beer.

2007 Bottle for $4.99. Not a German Hefeweizen in any sense of the word...Should be listed as a Wheat ale. Pours with a small white head that fades over a murky orange body. Aroma of plastic, vanilla, rotting orange, wheat and cardboard. Taste is wheat, booze, caramel cardboard, vanilla and a light, lingering bitterness. Something about the taste makes me think it taste sterile, but I don’t really even know what that translates to, it just reminds me of it. Fizzy and dry mouthfeel. Really, surprisingly and totally boring!

From Firefly. My first Imperial Hefe, sorry, Wheatwine. This all began with only a trace of a head, merely a thin white film above a body of rather cloudy orange. The aroma was to me at least, mainly of some orange rind and maybe a couple of other things that I’m unable to identify. Taste was sweeter than a "regular" hefe and likewise the finish. Sweet yet not so sweet as to be cloying. Mouthfeel was more so than a standard hefe; luxurious comes to mind (don’t ask why). I liked this beer but I wouldn’t want to make a session out of it. Certainly not at $9/bottle.

UGHGHHGHHH. What the hell is this? Did they even taste it before bottling? I’m not down with this at all. Smells like a really fragrant, intense, high end shampoo. Don’t forget really ripe fruit that is baking in the sun. How do I rate this? The smell is really fine but it doesn’t really adhere to the Hefe standard that I’m used to. Plus, I’m having a night where I seem to be buzzed pretty hard super quick off of a Marston’s? Senior death camp home here I come. Cloves are first to be recognized, followed immediately by a shit load of wheat then warm hearty bread, sweet candy, ripe bananas (probably the sweet candy), nectarines, fake apple... I think that’s all I can make up for now. Dumped out hardly any crown, what was there is white and unimpressive. The brew is slightly orange and even more slightly hazy. The aroma seems to further and further down the apple road - how odd. The taste is very heavy on the wheat with an almost indistinguishable banana / orange blend. Noticeable hops that don’t ruin the experience but don’t help the Hefe cause. The 7.5% is only noticeable in my vision and slurred speech. The mouth feel is dry, sort of, medium or more bodied, not thick or viscous, fairly smooth, ok carbonation, short lived dull wheat / weak bitter finish. OK, I’ve changed my tune. I don’t hate this. It seems without classification, a beer floating in the neverworld of styles. Drinkable? Yup. Nothing really bad about this except that it’s outright odd. The whole time the aroma has been forcing me to think "faceless 40oz strong beer". A totally unappealing beer that is to get a 2.6 rating - get me another from the style to compare to. And it cost me 10 bux - never again. I’m officially drunk on two beers - tell my children I love them. It is apparent that I’ve lost all will to absorb alcohol.

"A impy Hefe you say………I guess all styles must need an imperial version……..I can’t wait to try my first imperial reduced alcohol. This came from a 650ml bottle labeled “brewers reserve 2007”. When cap first removed beer smoke poured at and I went after it like an 1980’s yuppie go’s after a line of coke, but this went horribly wrong when I realized the beer smoke smelt like feet. Other non-tasty aroma’s where apple, wheat, faint alcohol, and the always yummy sent of black rubber. Ugg…. Smelt interesting but not appealing. Brew is very cloudy tannish brown with some orange elements only a small film floats on top. I swirled and I swirled and I swirled some more but I couldn’t get all of the 1” of mud out of the bottom of the bottle. Why was this made? This style makes no sense to me. Malts are very wheaty and leave a caramel after taste, flavor is very mild and way milder then I would have expected. A apple flavor is very prominent and the apple combining with some banana is making a sweaty foot flavor. I guess this wasn’t horrible to drink it was just boring and bland, it shouldn’t have ever have been made."