Mad King's Weiss - Victory Brewing Company

jampics2

Ohio

4.13/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the Bier Markt. Enjoyed several pints of this gem over the course of an early evening.

The beer is a straw color with gold and pear colored highlights. There's a beautiful head and remarkable retention and lace. The beer is cloudy but doesn't have the haze and depth that the best German beers do.

Wheat dominates the smell and the phenolic spices from the yeast are a bit muted. While those esters aren't as prominent as I'd like, the beer still has a pleasant smell overall. Clove and banana become more apparent as it warms, and are joined by a touch of citrus.

The taste kicks things up two notches. This is a really great American Hefeweizen. The flavors of clove, banana and wheat are very well integrated without seeming too artificial. What I like the most about this beer is that it packs in a ton of flavor while avoiding the bubblegum tastes that so many American Hefe's take on this classic style flaunt.

The mouthfeel is characterized by lower carbonation and wheat creaminess that makes the light to medium body feel heavier than it is. Drinkability is excellent and I will happily sample this again if I run into it. A Hefe with class that shows mastery of the art of flavor nuances.

Serving type: on-tap

11-12-2010 21:17:22 | More by jampics2

doc17325

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -17.5%

05-16-2013 21:30:05 | More by doc17325

touchmeimsac

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -11.2%

05-15-2013 12:52:47 | More by touchmeimsac

Bierman9

New Hampshire

3.69/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Sampled from a growler I picked up at the brewpub when I last visited (during Reading WWII Weekend 2012).

Poured some into a weissbier glass... It is rather clear, without the typical cloudiness usually found in the style. Color is a medium yellow-gold, with a steady stream of carbo present. Head was initially full and frothy, but it has ebbed to a thin, fine white layer, with little lace to speak of. Aroma has a little clove and bubblegum, though it is a touch on the mild side. The body is solid, and a touch of prickle alights on the tongue.

A bit of sweetness starts things off, with some dry, crackery notes present. There is some banana lurking, but also some added fruitiness leaning towards rindy lemon peel. Fairly hoppy for the style, with some subtle spiciness in the dry finish. Not bad...

Prosit!

3.69/5 rDev -6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

1564

Serving type: growler

05-12-2013 18:06:59 | More by Bierman9

pottergator

New York

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

05-03-2013 03:05:01 | More by pottergator

Jason1337

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -17.5%

04-17-2013 18:01:26 | More by Jason1337

jjd315

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

04-06-2013 16:29:56 | More by jjd315

Maseitz

Delaware

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

03-24-2013 16:12:13 | More by Maseitz

random846

Georgia

4/5  rDev +1.5%

03-21-2013 01:49:11 | More by random846

DudMan

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +7.9%

03-19-2013 21:23:42 | More by DudMan

WDJersey

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

03-14-2013 02:40:38 | More by WDJersey

Phillyz

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +1.5%

03-13-2013 18:27:10 | More by Phillyz

cclark67789

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +1.5%

02-25-2013 00:20:42 | More by cclark67789

salinasa

Michigan

4/5  rDev +1.5%

02-21-2013 16:27:14 | More by salinasa

stobliss

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -17.5%

02-18-2013 06:20:27 | More by stobliss

JohnK17

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

02-12-2013 17:59:32 | More by JohnK17

ferrouswolf

Delaware

4.5/5  rDev +14.2%

02-08-2013 22:30:53 | More by ferrouswolf

hockeyfighter19

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +14.2%

01-26-2013 02:17:47 | More by hockeyfighter19

BMan33

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +1.5%

01-25-2013 20:46:50 | More by BMan33

BierStein711

Illinois

4.14/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Draught into pint. I wish it would have been a weizen.

Two finger off white head with cloudy gold body!

Smells of cloves and spices

Tastes of clove, bubblegum, spices, and a little hop!

Mouthfeel: Smooth and refreshing.

Overall, this is a good example of the style.

I plan to try it from the bottle, as I prefer Weissbiers to be from the bottle and not the tap.

Serving type: on-tap

01-18-2013 21:36:23 | More by BierStein711

NeoZaZ

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +7.9%

01-15-2013 03:40:04 | More by NeoZaZ

falloutsnow

Illinois

2.95/5  rDev -25.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

From: On tap @ Blind Pig Brewery, Champaign, IL
Date: Keg tapped 1/10/2013, two days prior
Glass: Weizen glass

Review from notes

Looking forward to Victory's Mad King's Weiss based upon reviews, I quickly sought this out during a tap take-over at the local brewpub. Unfortunately, instead of a fresh, delicious hefeweizen, I found something that was fairly two-dimensional in playing strong, clove-like phenolics against bread-like malts. The bitterness, particularly in the aftertaste, was also offputting. I missed the complexity that I typically enjoy in hefeweizens, notably the banana, mild citrus, bubblegum, and assorted spices, along with the usual slight tartness (none here) and creaminess (this was too thin to be creamy, and too carbonated to be anything but foamy). Ultimately, while this was a drinkable beer, I don't think I appreciated Victory's choice of hops, malt, or yeast when brewing this one: I'd avoid this in the future.

Arrives with a 1.5cm head of fairly clean, white foam. Retention is above average, lasting over two minutes, before settling to a thin cap atop the beer for the duration of the drink. What lacing is left is modest, a few lines and dots scattered across the inner sides of the glass. The body itself is a mostly transparent (so this is more of kristallweizen or filtered weizen, than hefeweizen) golden yellow, with light bringing out pale yellow hues. Carbonation is readily visible and extremely active, streaming from all over the bottom of the glass.

The beer smells alright, a fairly strong yeast and phenolic (clove-like) presence with a background of wheat malt and biscuit-like aromas. The intensity of the phenolics was "something different," not entirely off-putting, but very different than most hefeweizens I've tried.

Tasting opens with somewhat grainy, bread-like malt sweetnes on the front of the palate, with noticeable yeast and clove-like phenolics. Mid-palate is of fairly generous yeast, bread, wheat malt, clove-like phenolics, and bittering hops. Back of palate reminds of the initial flavors, but with stronger yeast and phenolic presence over weaker grainy, bread-like sweetness. Aftertaste is of strong phenolics (clove, but also medicinal) and surprisingly, sharply bitter, which does not go well with the style and makes you want to take another sip as quickly as possible to wash out that particular sensation.

The beer's body is of medium-light to light in weight, with carbonation of medium intensity. The resulting mouthfeel is slightly fizzy at first, but gradually calming down and becoming gently foamy as each sip moves across the palate. Closes fairly dry, with little residual stickines, making that next step fairly desirable.

Serving type: on-tap

01-13-2013 01:43:22 | More by falloutsnow

ryanpj

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -11.2%

01-11-2013 19:46:59 | More by ryanpj

tobelerone

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

01-10-2013 05:04:52 | More by tobelerone

lookrider

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +1.5%

01-09-2013 19:04:36 | More by lookrider