El Hefe Speaks - DC Brau Brewing Co.

GoodOmens

Virginia

4.09/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Can date on the beer is 06/07 and poured into a tulip.

A- Pours a cloudy yellow orange color with one inch of bright white head. My can seemed fairly carbonated but the head dissipated after a few minutes.

S - Smells of oranges, spices, citrus hops with a strong presence of banana.

T - A little disappointed here vs the tap I recently drank. Again the strong presence of bananas but the can doesn't seem to have the punch the on tap has.

M - Light body with a tingle of carbonation. Very easy to drink. A perfect hot day summer beer.

O - This will be my new goto canned DC brau if I can find it. A very refreshing summertime beer. My GF, who typically hates Hefe's, loves this.

Serving type: can

06-12-2013 01:01:34 | More by GoodOmens

tlazaroff

Virginia

3.88/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On the nose I get banana, wheat, and a nice breadyness, also are spices such as clove and something reminiscent of rye.

The beer is a really dark yellow to a light orange color with a crisp white head which laces lightly down the glass. Lots of carbonation visible in this one.

The flavor is like a punch in the face of banana right up front. Biscuits and a nice earthiness take shape in the mid palate but it finishes again with banana. Those are honestly the only two things I get from this beer, but it's well balanced and quite memorable.

Heaps of carbonation in this one just clean your palate, the body is on the medium side, allowing you to sip this, or quickly pour it down to beat that summer heat. I'm enjoying this beer a lot right now.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2012 00:10:04 | More by tlazaroff

nimrod979

Maryland

4.13/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bomber poured into a .5L weizen glass.

Appearance: Pours a dense orange-ish color in the thick part of the glass with a more yellow haze in the thinner part. Cloudy. 2.5 finger frothy head with retention that just won't quite. Sudsy lacing and legs all the way down.

Aroma: Banana, lemony citrus, cloves, and wheat

Taste: banana fruity esters. clove spiciness. bubblegum. lemon zest. wheat. a little sweet.

Mouthfeel: light on the palate. Soft carbonation creamy texture. Wet. Finishes clean.

Once again. A solid brew from DC Brau, even if it's a slight departure from their flagship brews.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2012 22:48:48 | More by nimrod979

mdfb79

New York

4/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From 06/09/12 notes. Had on cask at Meridian Pint during their/BA/DC Brau Drink Local event. Served in a pint glass.

a - Pours a murky yellow orange color with one inch of bright white head and low carbonation evident.

s - Smells of oranges, spices, citrus hops, bananas, lemon, wheat, bread, and grains. Nice nose, lots of bananas and oranges which I like a lot.

t - Tastes of bananas, spices, citrus hops, bananas, bread, grains, wheat. Some lightly bitter hops in the taste; again quite nice.

m - Light body and no carbonation. Smooth and easy to drink.

o - Overall a pretty good hefeweizen. Glad to see them tyring new things and another good beer from DC Brau. Lots of oranges and bananas, and easy to drink, I look forward to having this one again.

Serving type: cask

06-20-2012 19:14:04 | More by mdfb79

billab914

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle poured into my Terrapin glass. It poured a hazy, light golden yellow color. A dense, foamy, inch thick foam filled the top inch of the glass. The head did fade almost completely away though after a minute or so.

The aroma shows a lot of the sweeter, wheat malts. Banana, clove and a little lemony citrus all come out in it as well. Pretty nice aroma for the style, it's light, crisp and refreshing.

The taste has a lot of the sweeter wheat malts showing up throughout. The banana is pretty prominent as well, while the clove spice seems to make an appearance more towards the finish.

The mouthfeel is towards the lighter side with carbonation being moderate for the style. Overall, it's a pretty good beer of the style. The wheat malts may have felt a little dominant and sweet at times, but I liked it overall. Pretty easy drinking and refreshing beer for this hot afternoon.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2012 20:58:25 | More by billab914

malloyca

District of Columbia

3.93/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Hazy, dingy yellow or light caramel color, with a prominent, frothy white head. Well-balanced aromas of banana, clove, orange cream and yeast. The banana and clove aromas carry into the flavor and are similarly well-balanced and not too sweet. This mildly carbonated beer stood up well to pizza and sandwiches but would also be excellent on its own, with or without a twist of lemon.

Serving type: growler

09-06-2011 20:08:06 | More by malloyca

Daniellobo

District of Columbia

4.1/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A nice fresh take on a Hefewiezen, a tad too sweet but very, very quaffable.

Presentation: Growler from DC Brau's NE headquarters. Small dryboard with general growler offering notes. Tasting room staff offers a nice and diligent description of the brew, with an enticing free sample. Notes Alc. by Vol. (5.3%) Served in a Weissbier glass.

A - Very hazy deep gold pour, towering frothy head, fair retention, with good surface memory and lacing.

S - Nice nose, wheaty with a sweet character… Banana and clove start to emerge…

T - Sweet wheaty malt at first, maybe a bit too sweet but luckily never cloying and quickly followed by nice yeasty notes, with good banana and clove esters, characteristic bubblegum touch… Rich malty flow with that sweet fruitiness… Hint of cloved lemon peel in the finish…

M - Medium… Medium/light body with soft carbonation and a creamy sense.

O - It probably deserves the A- because ultimately it flows like a charm, with a pleasing range that lingers asking for more.

Notes: Kicking things up a notch. It is great to see this kind of operation take place in the district… The overall brewing experience, tour, tasting room, change of legislation to fill growlers, etc is quite remarkable and welcome. The pricing for a growler fill of this quality feels right ,and one can only hope that this venture solidifies and becomes a reference with this energy and bracket of quality.

Serving type: growler

09-04-2011 13:07:17 | More by Daniellobo

Rhettroactive

Virginia

4.03/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From 64oz growler to Bruges hybrid glass of 8/29/11
*From notes

-- Thanks for sharing, John. --

A: Extremely cloudy yellow-amber. A good pour yields a 2.25 finger head and some incredibly thick and sticky lacing.

S: Banana, but there's a firm maltiness to it, unlike so many in the hefe style.

T: Traditional hefe flavors of banana, yeast and so forth. There's also a decent amount of clove here. But what really stands out is that damn malt, which adds a sense of balance to the beer that I've never encountered in a hefe. The finish is yeasty, as it should be, and there's no trace of liquid smoke (thank god).

M: Considering how dense the beer appears, it's a slight bit sharper then expected, though luckily it keeps the brew from being too cloying, and makes it that much more approachable.

O: Regardless of not being a hefe guy, DC Brau's El Hefe Speaks is one of the finest American Hefe's I've encountered. Supremely well done, Brandon & Jeff.

Serving type: growler

09-03-2011 22:05:37 | More by Rhettroactive

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

3.95/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On draft at Churchkey in D.C.

The beer is hazy and yellow hued, with a half inch of fluffy, white head that leaves some decent lacing on the glass. The aroma is pleasant, but understated, even weak. Fortunately, the flavor picks up the slack a bit. Nice balance, with soft wheat malt and light notes of banana and clove. This beer really shines in the mouthfeel category. Creamy, soft, and smooth, this brew goes down effortlessly. Overall, a solid brew. It's a good omen to see more quality brews emerging from our relatively new local brewery.

Serving type: on-tap

09-03-2011 01:50:14 | More by Huhzubendah

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.7/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Churchkey. Served in a mini snifter.

Pours a very cloudy bright yellow color with a very nice white head and plenty of lacing on the way down. Great retention. The nose is fairly tame, bringing notes of light clove and bubblegum. Mild wheat comes through in the flavor in addition to the traditional German yeast presence. Light body and slightly chewy with good carbonation. Finish asks you to drink more. Pretty good overall and a nice first attempt at a German style.

Serving type: on-tap

09-01-2011 22:32:44 | More by Thorpe429

smakawhat

Maryland

4.1/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a wheat ale glass at Pizza Paradiso Dupont DC.

Classic creamy white head and dark lemon body with orange edged hues. Lots of sticky lacing too, looks super refreshing.

Nose has a muted mushy lemon sense and mild clove, bringng a classic wheat chew with just a hint of dry husky ripping grain.

First taste is unexpected. Sweet milk, and cream, with slight grain on fnish and mushed banana. Mild carbonation but noticeable giving to a lemon soda with light fizz, slightly wet but not too bad.

Overall, this stands with the best of them for classic style. Very enjoyable these guys just can't seem to do no wrong. I particularly dig this cream angle on this brew.

Serving type: on-tap

09-01-2011 17:49:56 | More by smakawhat

siege06nd

Virginia

4.18/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Growler from the brewery poured into Rhettroactive's Bruges hybrid glass...

A: Pours a very cloudy straw gold color. Beautiful. A two finger eggshell head erupts from this golden deliciousness and gently settles to a quarter finger. Some gobs of head swirl on top of the beer while a fine coat of lacing slides down the sides of the glass. The only hefe I've seen that looks better is Dancing Man Wheat, and that's a huge freakin' compliment.

S: Banana, clove, and the faintest of orange and apple. A creamy spiciness. Really good.

T: Clove, allspice, and creamy banana. Also some light pear. Creamy, smooth, very well balanced, light yet savory. Doesn't linger as nicely as the best of this style, but it's certainly better than most.

M: Light, creamy, and delicious. Cotton candy like. Medium carbonation. Very smooth. Very well balanced.

O: It's getting redundant, but DC Brau hits it out of the park (again). This is really a delicious hefe, so much more than what I am accustomed to from the style. The balance of the light and refreshing with the creamy and savory is just perfect. Smell and taste are absolutely delicious. Great job Brandon and Jeff!!!

Serving type: growler

08-30-2011 01:20:58 | More by siege06nd

drabmuh

Maryland

4.1/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Beer on draft at the brewery, also picked up a growler.

Beer is orangish and really hazy, nice thin white head of small bublbes, moderate to high carbonation, some retention, some lacing, looks fine.

Aroma is very yeasty, bready, lots of banana, some cloves, nice, a little grainy, I like the aroma a lot.

Beer is light in body and wet on the palate, the overall beer is quite fruity but finishes a little grainy but not dry. There is a minimal aftertaste. I enjoyed this beer and am looking forward to the growler I have.

Serving type: on-tap

08-27-2011 19:07:08 | More by drabmuh