Arizuma Series Wheatstalk Imperial Hefeweizen - The Phoenix Ale Brewery

udouche

4.35/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 22oz bottle into 12oz snifter

A - Poured a hazy deep orange with carmel notes. One finger head that dissipated fairly quickly leaving some thin lacing.

S - I detected bread right up front and not as much of the banana and citrus you expect from a wheat beer, but they are present. A touch of honey.

T - Lots of fresh bread. Settles in with some slight malty sweetness, but still hidden behind the wheat. Washes very dry, but not much hop flavor with that dryness.

M - It felt full but not sticky in the mouth. It goes down smooth and despite the higher alcohol content who don't feel it.

O - Very unique beer. I like the higher ABV in a wheat ale. It makes it a more bold beer, but not hard to drink at all. I wish I'd picked up more than one bottle when I was in Arizona.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2013 15:31:13 | More by udouche

bambam2517

Arizona

3.36/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Poured from the bomber to a tulip glass, enjoyed at 50F.

A - Ripe wheat-colored body, slightly hazy. Some really lazy carbonation develops a weak watery lace ring, which does not hold at all down the glass.

S - The bottle says cherries, I'm not getting it. Smells like boiled gooseberries before they are mixed with sugar into jam. Its astringent, not especially appetizing. It is very unique though!

T - The hops outplay the grains in this one, and although they are nicely developed in the bitterness range it is not very interesting. A little bit of wheat comes through, but not enough for me. A little bit of a letdown.

M - Pretty easy on the palate, especially for 7.8 ABV. Clean finish also.

O - I was excited to give this a go, saved it for AZ Beer Week. Unfortunately, this one is low on my list of local brews.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 03:47:50 | More by bambam2517

Auraan

Arizona

4.56/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75

Served on tap at the Phoenix Brewery tasting room. Poured a deep orange hue, with an inch high, fluffy white head that receded to a smaller floating head. The scent was of cherries and coconut. The flavor was of bread and wheat, a slight bit of malted barley in the background and a pronounced coconut flavor. There is also a bit of a high hop bitterness, with 60 IBUs in the beer. The mouthfeel is smooth and easy to drink, not as highly carbonated as many wheat ales and hefeweizens. It's an interesting experiment in making a higher alcohol wheat ale and the addition of brown rice to add a coconut flavor when it interacts with the wheat was a gamble. It was a gamble that paid off, as this is quite the unique beer and one that is also quite enjoyable to drink.

Serving type: on-tap

01-11-2013 03:14:30 | More by Auraan