Hellaweizen by Miel Brewery & Taproom is a near-flawless offering in the BJCP 10A German Hefeweizen/Weissbier style. It delivers a lot of what you are looking for in a traditional German hefeweizen without having to be shipped across the ocean with the unavoidable aging that occurs with such a transportation.

The aroma of this beer is very typical for a weizen, with a combination of clove-like phenolics and banana character. The clove is pretty much in balance with if not slightly higher than the banana notes. No real hop aromas were noted, which is as expected for the style. The beer is a hazy golden color, with a solid white small-bubble head with fantastic retention.

As with the aroma, the base beer flavor is solid. There is a wheaty base malt backbone flavor up-front with moderate clove and banana flavors in nice balance that linger well into the drink. Hop impact is quite subtle in both bitterness and flavor, as expected for the style, but there is a subtle tartness in the middle and finish, which works very well to complete the flavor package in this brew. The finish is dry, the body is medium-light, and the carbonation is moderate. The body might be ever-so-slightly thin for style, but this is only a minor quibble. The palate is very clean after the swallow and prepares the drinker well for the next refreshing and flavorful sip.

If you are looking for a great traditional hefeweizen, I’d suggest looking this one up. This one clicks on all cylinders!