Shotgun Betty - Lonerider Brewing

tectactoe

Michigan

3.15/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a pale golden-yellow color with lots of haze; opaque pretty much all the way though, except for maybe the very edges. A thin white head forms momentarily before it wisps away into nothing. Pretty standard looking hefeweizen, although maybe a slightly brighter shade of yellow than most.

I take a whiff and ugh, what the hell am I smelling? Something very weird and off-putting caught me off guard and took me a bit by surprise. Almost like a wet dog, or sweaty socks. Funky, but not an acceptable "brett" or "barnyard" kind of way. Funky as in old or mildew-ish. Lots of sulfur and yeast lay behind that weird-ass smell. Tons of yeast. That characteristic mint, clove, bubblegum combo is there, but it's almost too powerful, not to mention doesn't work well with the other strange aromas.

Luckily it doesn't taste nearly as bad as it smells, although it's still far from impressive. Mild astringency up front - not a tartness, just a small bite that grabs the back end of the tongue for a moment. Lightly fruity and sweet with some apple skins and lemon zest floating about. The yeast is also a bit lighter at first, but gets heavier towards the end, and even heavier when the beer has time to warm up. Light hop bitterness stings around three-quarters of the way through, but dissipates quickly without a trace. The aftertaste leaves your mouth coated with the yeast, and a bit of clove and bread. Thin-medium body, decent carbonation.

Yeesh, this one was strange. The smell was all over the place and unfortunately not too enjoyable. The taste was much better, yet still wasn't anything to rave about. Thanks to Jeff for sharing this, but I'll be passing this one up if I ever see it again.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2013 11:46:23 | More by tectactoe

Jwale73

Rhode Island

3.4/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Thanks to Dave Guay for sharing this one. Best before 06.08.12 indicated on the label. Pours a pale, orange-gold with no head. Nose is somewhat subdued - clove, light banana esters and a suggestion of yeast. Taste consistent with nose; however a wheat character comes out in the flavor profile which is a bit forward of those qualities expressed in the nose. There is also a light, non-distinct citrus character. Mouthfeel is light in body with a lively carbonation that comes off a bit coarse. Overall, not a bad domestic hefeweizen; however, there are definitely better examples of the style out there. Not sure if age has affected this beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2012 14:13:33 | More by Jwale73

Blargimus

Colorado

3.48/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle poured into weizen glass. Best before 5/4/2012, but who's counting?

Pours a crystal clear straw color until I stir up the yeast bed, then it's fairly cloudy. Not much head retention for a wheat beer. Lots of visible carbonation.

Smells of wheat, yeast, and light sour lemon. Pleasant.

Taste is also quite pleasant, but not particularly intense. Mostly wheat and clove, with a little banana at the end. No hop character and only a hint hint of bitterness.

High carbonation, but thin beer. Nice and light.

Nice hefe. I wish I had tried this fresher.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2012 22:48:43 | More by Blargimus

Yoda22

North Carolina

3.38/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A- Poured a slightly hazy light orange color. Very thin layer of head if you can even call it that.

S- Spicy smell with a hint of banana. I definitely enjoy the smell and it's appropriate for the style.

T- The spicyness is what hits you the most with a bit of bitterness. This gives us quite a twang up front. Don't get a lot of banana. Disappointing finish without much flavor on the end.

M- Thin slightly watery body, medium/high carbonation. Kind of lacking.

O- It's a pretty good sessionable beer - the taste and finish don't match up to the smell but it's still enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2012 19:19:51 | More by Yoda22

Cyberkedi

Georgia

3.53/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Aroma is wheaty and yeasty with a subtle citrus note, typical but still promising. It pours a hazy solar yellow; I was not able to get much of a head. Mouth-filling flavor has firm wheaty, yeasty and sweet lemon notes plus a hint of orange. Though typical and not complex, it is still pleasing and refreshing. Firm-bodied texture has plenty of sass and fizz, leaving a wheaty, tingly finish with plenty of citrus.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2012 03:25:55 | More by Cyberkedi

Luigi

North Carolina

4.08/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a cloudy orange color with a good two finger head on it. Retention is decent as it settles down to some nice lacing around the glass.

The smell of fresh yeast and a hint of banana nut bread. Some hint grassy hops make for a nice clean aroma overall.

The flavor hits the spot. Sweet malt and baked bread, cloves, and hints of orange zest. Nothing is over down and balances nicely with some clean hop bitterness.

Finishes crisp, clean, and has a light body with slight carbonation. Very easy to drink and is always around because I can drive to the brewery in just 20 mins. Just no thrills tasty Hefeweizen!!

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2012 02:06:47 | More by Luigi

Cylinsier

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

tap

Pours a light citrus gold color, whit head.

Smells of light esters and wheat malts.

Flavor is wheaty with citrus and coriander notes.

Medium body with light carbonation.

Pretty decent and tasty hefe, worth trying, among the better American hefes I've had.

Serving type: on-tap

01-02-2012 23:07:02 | More by Cylinsier

MTNboy

Missouri

3.88/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: This beer has a hazy straw body with a fair amount of white head and lace. The is a cloudy twisting carbonation to the body.

Smell: It a nectarous aroma that is pleasantly spicy and clove like.

Taste: The flavor is very fruity with tones of clove, banana and mild citrus.

Mouthfeel: Crisp and a little bit lighter than most hefes but that is one of the things that made it so refreshing.

Overall: Definitely, more an American style hefe than a German. Still a good beer all the same. Great logo too.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2011 20:52:26 | More by MTNboy

Georgiabeer

Georgia

3.6/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Not a bad beer at all, in fact it has some flashes of being very good indeed. The problem is, it's a bit too bitter. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm fine with some bitterness in a hefe, but it's a fine balancing act. If you're going to go that route, you need to be sure that the bitterness stays in balance with the lovely yeast notes in the hefe. Done just right, the bitterness can draw a line under the banana and clove and add a nice dimension. A little too heavy handed and you end up eclipsing the yeast and you essentially have a wheated pale ale. This one has some flashes of nice banana and clove, but the bitterness hides most of the yeasty notes. It also fades a bit on the finish and becomes a little too dry and thin. Still, it has some nice notes of banana, grain, and spice that peek through from time to time, and is fairly enjoyable, but I wish restraint had been the watchword here as far as the hops were concerned.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2011 03:26:20 | More by Georgiabeer

syrupjoe

Minnesota

3.93/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle into pint glass

Cloudy pale gold with almost white head.

Sweet clove and banana on the nose with a bit of honey and malt flavor.

Taste is sour, crisp, and fruity. Lots of banana and apricot. Moderate carbonation and very clean mouthfeel.

Overall a delicious beer - not as esthery and aromatic (read:banana milkshake) as most, but quite drinkable while still being interesting.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2011 00:20:28 | More by syrupjoe

halfbeer

North Carolina

4.78/5  rDev +28.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This beer is amazing. I'm guessing the only reason it has a B+ is that there aren't many girls on this site (who often love the stuff), and it isn't what I consider a typical Hefeweizen. It is a little sweet in a different way. You think Blue moon is ok? Blue Moon sucks balls compared to Shotgun Betty. It is great, great, great to have around in a kegerator, and if you get the keg from Lone Rider, it is pretty much cheaper than anything in the area. Even if you are from out of town and have to pay a premium- get a keg of this beer if you like Hefeweizens, or your girl does.

Serving type: on-tap

09-29-2011 01:25:08 | More by halfbeer

ccrida

Oregon

2.5/5  rDev -32.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Dark gold with a big bubbled collar, no lace, not too appealing.

Smell is pretty esters, classic Bavarian mix, banana and clove, rubbery.

Taste is similar, big esters, tons bubblegum, a touch phenolic as well. Really candied.

Mouthfeel is a little thin, lacking snap.

Drinkability isn't too high for me, this is just too candied, and the watery stillness doesn't help. Below average.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2011 01:36:02 | More by ccrida

BeerNoobNC

North Carolina

4.15/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Wheat beers in general are not my favorite styles, but I can safely say that this is one of the best, if not the best, that I have had in this style. It is a local beer from North Carolina, and I had it on tap at Chili's.
At first, I was very skeptical to try it, but with the limited selection they had, I went for it. They garnished it sort of gay, with a frosted mug and a wedge of lime and orange. I thought I had made a bad decisions. However, once I got past that, the taste was amazing with a good mouthfeel, aroma, and taste. I would highly recommend this beer, especially if it can be tried on tap.

Serving type: on-tap

09-27-2011 00:27:23 | More by BeerNoobNC

DeltaGolfSierra

Tennessee

2.88/5  rDev -22.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours a cloudy golden-orange color, with surprisingly little head after a straight-down-the-center pour. All other hefes I've tried had a huge billowy head - this one is the exception. The smell made me look twice to see if I was drinking a hefe. It doesn't have the banana scents typical for hefes - it is more like a wit with lemon and floral notes. Herbal and floral flavors are prominent in the taste; not much banana or bubble gum flavors found in the best hefes. If this were classified as a wit, I'd give it a higher score, but it falls well short of the top hefeweizens.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2011 20:38:30 | More by DeltaGolfSierra

Amalak

New York

4/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this off the tap at the luxury box in Raleigh, NC.
a. Hazy, opaque straw. Some head no lace.
s. Wheat and malt scent.
t. Crisp and wheats. Some citrus to it. Mild maltiness.
M. Refreshing and carbonated.
D. Very nice mildness to it. Goes down easy. Fine wheat, thought not special.

Serving type: on-tap

08-21-2011 00:15:31 | More by Amalak

kneeland

North Carolina

4.08/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I get this on tap every time I visit 16 Taps here in Wilmington (soon to be Pour House Music Hall).

It pours a hazy, heavy, faded orange amber color. Foam laced head sticks around throughout the pint.

A little citrus, clove, peach. I've yet to try a hefeweizen that I didn't love. I like to keep it regional with this one.

Serving type: on-tap

08-09-2011 14:58:55 | More by kneeland

Dodo2step

Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

P- Thanks to my buddy Trask in NC

A- a cloudy gold color. NIce head about 2 giners that leaves a nice sticky lacing.

S- Light pepper and banana spice. Some clove comes through in the nose as well. not bad could be better for a hefe though.

F- The start of the brew isnt bad with banana and peppery spice mixing well but the aftertaste leaves behind a musty pepper clove flavor.

M-wheaty clove and carbonation. The phenols overmatch everything else.

O- decent hefe but i have had much better. This is an average brew and nice color.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2011 23:05:34 | More by Dodo2step

brentk56

North Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours a cloudy honey color and while the head is decent, it is somewhat lacking for the style; not a whole lot of lacing, either

Smell: Rather subtle elements of banana and bubblegum to go along with the more spice forward elements

Taste: Bready, up front, with a lemon and clove spice character jutting forward; a hint of banana appears by mid-palate and lingers, after the swallow, but the overall effect is more lemony and clovey

Mouthfeel: Medium body and moderate carbonation; lacks a bit of the creamy character but it does have a bit of puckery crispness

Overall: Not anywhere near the great German hefes, this is a decent beer and would make for a good American wheat but it lacks the banana and mouthfeel that it needs to get into the upper echelon

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2011 01:03:49 | More by brentk56

tdm168

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +21%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Fork and Barrel in Raleigh

Pours a hazy gold with 1/4" head. Nose offers clove with a little yeast. Initially this beer tastes predominantly of clove and wheat, but as the beer warm clove, wheat, yeast, and a mild banana begin to blend nicely. The beer is light bodied and mildly carbonated. A great offering!

Serving type: on-tap

07-20-2011 02:07:00 | More by tdm168

smakawhat

Maryland

4.13/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured on tap into a shaker pint glass at the brewery in Raleigh NC.

Your classic Hefe is presented with a cloudy orb glowing lemon yellow with wonderful dark gold hues on the edges. Simple white creamy head. Looks great.

Brings the classic hefe sense, fresh banana ripe and peeled, with hints of clove. Very LARGE nose on this it's very obvious and aggressive.

It feels like a large beer is coming, but even for a hefe on taste this is very light. Light bodied fruit sense and esters, kind of wet with an airy clove finish.

Overall still a very solid beer, but it seems to smell better than it tastes if you ask me. Nobody though, is complaining.

Serving type: on-tap

07-02-2011 13:11:43 | More by smakawhat

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.13/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

From the bottle at SAVOR 2011. Served in a goblet.

Pours a cloudy yellow color with a small white head that diminishes pretty quickly. Thin collar throughout. The nose brings some bread and then the typical hefeweizen triumvirate of banana, clove, and bubble gum. Light astringency, actually. The flavor is a bit off in a manner that's difficult to describe, though the right components are all there. Light body with average carbonation. Not bad, though not something I would seek out again.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2011 13:26:13 | More by Thorpe429

KajII

North Carolina

3.43/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

[Best served in a Weizen glass]

Poured a hazy medium yellow- orange with an average sized white creamy head that lasted quite a while and produced excellent lacing. The aroma was robust with yeast and had a mild strawlike malt scent with notes of banana, clove and some citrus. It tasted lightly sweet with hints of banana and some spice at first then became very yeasty with a nice citrus note at the end. Mouthfeel was light to medium in body and very creamy in texture with a flat carbonation. Overall this is a good hefeweizen, very refreshing and quite pleasing to the palate.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2011 22:41:36 | More by KajII

NCD

Georgia

1.6/5  rDev -57%
look: 1 | smell: 1 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

On tap Very cloudy orange pour with a fluffy short lived white head and a little drippy lace. Aroma is all clove, one dimensional. Clove and mace. No banana no bubblegum, has the looks of a homebrew. meh city strait down the drain. Shogun Betty has taken way too many shots

Serving type: on-tap

05-03-2011 22:15:41 | More by NCD

wedge

North Carolina

3.73/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Foggy golden yellow with a fluffy, pure-white head. Wheaty, funky, yeasty clove aroma...a whiff of sweet banana and must. Lots of fresh wheat flavor - cereal grain, fruity esters, lemon, light bubblegum, unripe banana. Bright and somewhat herbal feeling, tart, and dry. Medium bodied and slightly creamy. Certainly a decent local stab at the style. A tasty choice for warmer days...

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2011 23:34:50 | More by wedge

TheKingofWichita

North Carolina

3.95/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a very hazy orange yellow color with a thick white head and a little bit of lacing. Smells of strong wheat, orange, and a good funk. Tastes of strong wheat, malts, orange, more citrus, and a little yeast and funk. Mouthfeel is medium and carbonation is high. I really liked this one.

Serving type: on-tap

03-18-2011 15:44:10 | More by TheKingofWichita