Ahh, the brew that started my love affair with wheat beer. Hoosick Street Beverage in Troy has pint-sized bottles of this old favorite and I picked up a pair for myself and the friend I went with to Germany. We cracked them before The Big Game and enjoyed a flood of great memories as we savored the sweet, fruity taste. The pour is important here, and you need a proper glass for it. There’s actually such a thing as a weizen glass, but a pint glass was pressed into service for us. A nice white head was the result, though I remember the weizen glass holding the aroma a touch better.
There’s a certain candy flavor to this beer when it first hits your tongue, reminiscent of butterscotch. That gives way to the fruit flavor you find in most wheat beers; there’s definitely a banana flavor in here, though it’s not overwhelming. The unfiltered grittiness is a little strange at first, but there’s enough carbonation here to give it a very pleasant mouth feel in the end. Beer Advocate has a few Hefes that rate higher, but this one has a special place in my heart. If you’ve never tried this style of beer before, you owe it to yourself to pick up a Franziskaner (and a weizen glass if you can) and give it a shot. You won’t be sorry you did.
My Rating:
February 12th, 2007 at 11:59 am
You should write a post about different types of beer carrying and devouring devices. Learn us all on some different beer glassware facts.