Wagner Valley Summer Sail Hefeweizen

Brewed by Wagner Valley Brewing Company
Style: German Hefeweizen
Lodi, New York USA

Opaque tan; slight clove notes. Fruity, with some barnyard in the aroma. Hint of acidity. Funky, unique, interesting. It is basically a German hefe, with low phenols, where there is some brettanomyces or related mutation in the US. It adds a fascinating dimension to a beer that would otherwise be an everyday beer. So while the infection/mutation is not entirely deliberate, the brewer had the good sense to keep the beer because the effect is very desirable.

Hazy yellow to bronze, small constantly replenishing head. Lemon and wheat on the nose, some grain. Taste very nice: upfront a bit indistinct with tart wheat note, some honey. Mid-palate this turns distinctly fruity with both lemon and predominant banana. Finish is extremely spicy, clove and coriander, as the fruit fades out completely. Aftertaste brings it back full circle, to grains and some overpowering wheat. High carbonation while retaining a full feel on the palate, some slight bitterness. Very nice, really refreshing. Better than the sum of its parts.

Another surprisingly nice brew from this brewery. Pours golden pale with a small head that quickly fades and leaves absolutely no lacing. Some thick sediment comes out as well, usually more used to seeing this in tripels. Aroma is strong, lots of banana and lots of clove, just the way I like it. Nice bananna sweetness. Taste is lemon-y and zingy. Too bad most other beers labeled as "summer" beers dont end up this good. Just my type of hefe. Nice light-medium body, very low bitterness.8/3/7/3/15

Rerate: 7 months later, now about a year old bottle. This has aged nicely and has really turned into a sweet yeasty bomb. Aroma is straight sweet candy and taste has went Belgian-esque with thick sweetness. Also a very fizzy head and palate. Looks very nice with the thick sediment making clarity low and the large fizing head thats loud as heck. Gotta love a good yeast!8/4/8/3/16

Hazy yellow with a thick white head. Light estery aroma of banana and clove. This does have some sweetness, but compared to most hefes it actually falls on the dry side. Banana notes are there, but I actually get quite a bit of lemon tartness, along with a zesty yeast bite in the finish. If you are looking for a super estery hefe, this may not be for you, but I think I found my new favorite beer for the dog days of summer.

Hazy golden body, fairly large head, varied lacing. Big nose of bananas and cloves. Very fruity. Smooth finish with quite a bit of tartness. An interesting Hefe. Nice, I liked this.

12oz bottle. Pours a clear, medium golden-orange color; fluffy white head with fine-bubbled lacing. Pleasant clove and banana in the aroma; a bit of spice. Medium-to-full mouthfeel: lively carbonation at the tip of the tongue, with a dense, almost fluffy banana and clove presence; light presence of esters; some bitter citrus notes come through at the very end. Very enjoyable and drinkable. I feel like some of these Wagner Valley beers are sorely underrated.

growler. cloudy gold, small white head. aroma of spice and banana. sweet citrus taste, slightly sour, lots of banana. nice hot summer day beer.

Pours a haT golden orange with a small buubly white head. Aroma of banana, clove, wheat and light citrus. Flavor of lemon, clove, light banana and some tart wheat.