Rockfish Wheat - Blue Mountain Brewery

asabreed

New York

4.08/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 oz. bottle into a pint glass. Best by 8/2009 notched on a black part of the label. Easy to see, which I like very much.

Appearance: A clear straw color with decent carbonation rumbling to the top. White head foams up nicely at first and stays there floating above the body, but doesn't leave a lot of lacing or have much retention.

Smell: Big wheat aromas and esters, with banana cream and bubblegum coming to the forefront. I like it a lot because it's strong, and I'm a sucker for those aromas.

Taste: I like the initial sweet flavors of the banana and bubblegum, then some vanilla and cream and wheat notes, but then it slides into some herbal bitterness, somewhat initially halting the sweetness, but then the flavors linger without the sweetness combined with the nice bitterness. Oddly done really well, I'd say. Not entirely complex, but very tasty and with a finish that doesn't keep you sipping every second to find one.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and coating with great carbonation and nice subtle creaminess.

Drinkability: A highly drinkable version of the style. Complex enough without trying to do too much, and balanced enough to make it great for the weather. This year's batch is coming out at the perfect time. I only got a single bottle, but I wouldn't have minded if it were a six-pack.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2009 03:16:24 | More by asabreed

avalon07

South Carolina

4.33/5  rDev +18%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Poured from a bottle to a weizen glass. Had a yellow-brown color and a cloudy consistency with some sediment. There was a huge, long-lasting head and some good lacing. Not necessarily consistent with kristalweizen style, but good-looking.

S: Had a sweet smell of bananas and other light fruit, combined with wheat.

T: There was the flavor of bananas and wheat up front, with that bubble gum taste going down, that's typical of the style. Surprisingly tasty.

M: High level of carbonation and a smooth finish.

D: This is an tasty beer and one of the best American examples of the weissbier I've had.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2008 13:59:30 | More by avalon07

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.9/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bright pumpkin with 24-karat gold edges. True to its style, the beer is perfectly clear. In fact, there aren't even many bubbles disturbing the placidity of the liquid. The ecru hued head looks good enough, managing to stick to the glass in several spots like marshmallow cream.

The nose, although acceptable, isn't a barnburner. Since a lot of the yeasty goodness is filtered out, kristalweizens tend not to be aroma bombs. There's a pleasant fruitiness emanating from the glass that *might* be banana-like if I use my imagination.

Rockfish Wheat actually has a fair amount of flavor. I've had several hefeweizens that didn't deliver this much fruit and spice. It's also more malty than the style average and tastes bigger as a result. A hint of alcohol is contributing to that impression as well. I'd have guessed the ABV at least one percentage point higher.

This stuff would probably be killer if unfiltered. That is, if it had more fruit and spice. The (hefeweizen) banan-o-meter score is 2.0/4.0. Not too shabby, considering. Spicy clove and white pepper, in combination with an alcohol smack and tickle, gives the back end a bracing quality that keeps the drinker fully engaged. RW seems like more of a beer geek beer than a mass appeal one.

The mouthfeel reflects the ingredients. In other words, it's on the chubby side (for the style), maintains its structure throughout, and has enough carbonation to keep things hopping through the final ounce. Well done.

I love drinking previously unheard of beer from previously unheard of craft breweries. Especially when they're as good as Rockfish Wheat. For my money, when it comes to beer, aggressiveness beats timidity almost every time. Thanks ahatcher78.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2008 11:57:09 | More by BuckeyeNation

Proteus93

Virginia

3.78/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Giving this a fresh review, as I don't feel giving one from the sampler was reasonable, so now it's being done from a standard 12 oz. bottle.

A: A clean looking, light golden blonde. Head retains alright, not a lot of lacing.

S: Malts, cloves, sweetgrass. Some bubblegum aromas that float around quite nicely.

T: Bubblegum, clove, and a grassiness. Banana as it approaches the finish, but quite mild. A touch of bitterness towards the finish that seems a little out of place, but still a decent experience overall.

M + D: A little sticky, but not so much as to really damper the experience. As it gets warmer, this has a little more of a draw, and I can see myself having it a few times over the summer. It may start to seem a little bit thick after a few, though.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2008 21:46:31 | More by Proteus93