Starr Hill Love

(ODBF04) Opaque grapefruit body topped by small white head. Aroma is clove, banana, light lemon. Taste is medium sweet, lemon, clove, wheat, light banana. Light-medium body. All the ingredients to a great hefe are there, but this beer just doesn’t come together.

On tap at Mellow Mushroom, Charlottesville. Cloudy straw colour. Lots of banana in the aroma. More fruity esters and a hint of vanilla in the flavour. Mouthfeel is maybe a bit soft but a pretty decent Hefe.

Draft at the Shockoe Craft Beer Festival in Richmond, 8/26/06: Bubbly! Nice lemony yeast. Banana peaks in, but mostly lemon. Good in the heat, but not quite right in the vein of hefeweizens.

Draft at the Green Leafe in Williamsburg on 5-29-05. Called "The Love" Hefeweizen. Cloudy muddled gold body with a small foamy white head. Nose is big banana and fruit with moderate spices (clove mainly), light bubblegum, wheat and light yeastiness. Taste is more banana, bigger bubblegum notes, the wheat comes through more while the citrus/lemony notes make their presence as well. The spices seem lesser here as does the yeast. Seems sweeter than the nose would let on, but it’s still very good. Body is medium with light carbonation feel to it. Finished with more banana and bubblegummy notes mainly and followed up by light citrus, wheat, yeast, lgiht spice and some sugary notes. Granted it seems like a standard hefeweizen but is done very well.

GABF 03: Curiously, I think they had this one labeled as a "Belgian Wheat." Anyway, it was hazy with a gold, off-white hue. Lightly carbonated and light-bodied. Fruity (lemon, grapefruit) and sour. Hint of clove. I expected much more from a quality brewery like Starr Hill.