Windansea Wheat Hefeweizen - Karl Strauss Brewing Company

JayDiddy

4.75/5  rDev +35.3%

09-15-2012 02:48:21 | More by JayDiddy

westcoastbeerlvr

California

3.75/5  rDev +6.8%

06-09-2013 04:25:27 | More by westcoastbeerlvr

largadeer

Kentucky

3.75/5  rDev +6.8%

06-07-2013 19:56:15 | More by largadeer

Beermazter310

Nevada

3.5/5  rDev -0.3%

06-05-2013 07:00:59 | More by Beermazter310

TheSixthRing

California

3.76/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Appearance - Pours a cloudy golden orange with a white, finger width head. Fair retention, resulting in a flat, smooth surface within minutes. Virtually no lacing.

Smell - Huge banana and clove notes smack the nose upon first opening. Faint citrus and wheat rounds out the aroma.

Taste - Huge banana character upfront and throughout, backed by a strong clove spice punch. Mild citrus (lemon zest) notes ring mid-taste before a touch of wheat makes it's debut near and into the finish.

Mouthfeel - Medium in body with lively carbonation. Goes down smooth and easy with a nice, crisp finish.

Overall - A fine example of the style, and another of the few U.S. breweries that has done it right. Not much in the way of bubblegum character, but the banana and clove combo is there without fail.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2013 01:37:06 | More by TheSixthRing

afrokaze

California

3/5  rDev -14.5%

05-18-2013 22:23:01 | More by afrokaze

gshak

Texas

4/5  rDev +14%

05-15-2013 13:18:30 | More by gshak

SoCalBeerIdiot

California

3.5/5  rDev -0.3%

05-10-2013 17:57:35 | More by SoCalBeerIdiot

ArrogantB

Colorado

3.48/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

On tap at the downtown Karl Strauss location. Hazy, cloudy yellow like a witbier usually does. Yeasty aroma with some wheat. Flavor was all banana, overpowering. No bubblegum unless someone makes banana flavored bubblegum. It wasn't gross but I wouldn't buy it.

Serving type: on-tap

05-03-2013 21:18:36 | More by ArrogantB

Braz

Washington

3.5/5  rDev -0.3%

04-24-2013 19:08:57 | More by Braz

ThaddeusGhostal

California

4/5  rDev +14%

04-20-2013 20:06:17 | More by ThaddeusGhostal

hpthebull

California

4/5  rDev +14%

03-31-2013 00:48:52 | More by hpthebull

likesbeer

California

3.5/5  rDev -0.3%

02-02-2013 21:39:34 | More by likesbeer

rawfish

California

3.69/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a cloudy banana hue with huge head, four fingers if poured too vigorously. Decent retention and a slight lacing that slips down towards the liquid.

Banana, clove, heavy yeast, generic hefe aroma but this beer absolutely flaunts it and keeps down the grain and cereal malt aromas. It even delivers a bit of lemon and grass hops, hmmm.

Big carbonation is getting in the way of the nice banana, and clove spices leaving just enough to mingle with some cereal grain, lemony wheat and powder in the finish. Really good profile, the carbonation starts to fade as the beer warms.

Carbonation bomb, the first few sips I felt as though I was missing half the flavor after fighting through all the bubbles. Other than being grossly overcarbonated the body is lighter than it looks and is easier to drink the longer the beer sits.

All in all I was surprised by this beer, it has all the makings of a good hefe in flavor and bouquet. If it could just tone down the carbonation a bit this could be alot better.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 03:31:45 | More by rawfish

DoubleJ

California

3.7/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Karl Strauss gets the call. From a 12 ounce bottle, on to the beer:

Not much head is formed on top of this bright yellow, almost goldenrod colored beer. It's cloudy, with head retention which is below average and is just a small lace. But the nose is very promising. It's big on banana, offers some good wheat notes, a pleasant baking spice, and good yeast.

Pleasant banana bread flavor upfront. There's some lemon and unitty yeast going on as well. The taste isn't far off from a "4"., it's that close. Light bodied, crisp, and easy to drink. All this makes Windansea Wheat a good (and underrated) beer to drink.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 04:51:33 | More by DoubleJ

yoitsarch

California

4/5  rDev +14%

12-21-2012 20:33:50 | More by yoitsarch

HellesTrinker

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +14%

12-07-2012 02:10:29 | More by HellesTrinker

fastback2008

5/5  rDev +42.5%

11-22-2012 01:29:58 | More by fastback2008

brentk56

North Carolina

3.15/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: Pours a very murky honey color with a head that fades quickly without leaving a trace

Smell: Green banana, vanilla cream, artificial sweetener and a hint of clove

Taste: Wheat bread with mashed green banana, up front, with a building sense of vanilla cream that overwhelms, in the middle; the clove adds a bit of spice, after the swallow, but the finish is very very sweet

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body with moderate carbonation

Overall: I was expecting more of an American Wheat so it was interesting that the beer turned out to be a Hefe; but still, this is well off the mark of the better examples of the style

Thanks, cocoapuph, for the opportunity

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2012 21:41:49 | More by brentk56

t0rin0

California

4/5  rDev +14%

10-17-2012 02:59:32 | More by t0rin0

Backlash209

California

4/5  rDev +14%

09-09-2012 21:12:56 | More by Backlash209

a_sh0pping_cart

3/5  rDev -14.5%

07-28-2012 01:53:43 | More by a_sh0pping_cart

UCLABrewN84

California

3.48/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a murky yellow with a 1/2 inch foamy bone colored head that settles to wisps of film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of wheat, grain, spice, banana, and slight bubblegum. There is a slight vegetal aroma that I am picking up on as well. Taste is much the same with a grain and spice aftertaste. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer and definitely drinkable for what it is, but I am not too sure I would go after this one again.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2012 02:39:04 | More by UCLABrewN84

Jason

Massachusetts

3.48/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz brown bottle with no freshness date.

LOOK: Pale beige amber cloudiness, ok lacing

SMELL: Powdered clove, banana taffy, chalky yeast, bready, vague ripe fruit

TASTE: Crisp, slick, wheat, faint twang, soft lemon, spicy, bread crust, green banana, mild esters, yeasty, semi-dry finish

A decent stab at the style, really hard to compare to the originals or even US brewers that nail the style. Not so far off that mark so it is still worth a go.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2012 01:02:52 | More by Jason

Halcyondays

California

3.43/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle,

A: Pours a hazy goldenrod with a medium white head, some lace.

S: Banana notes, cream, bubblegum.

T: Lemon and banana, with some definite wheat malt flavour. By the books, to style.

M: Light-bodied, crisp carbonation, creamy feel overall.

O: A solid American hefe, and actually has some solid yeast flavours. A good local beer for the summer, the first time I've seen it in stores.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2012 01:29:23 | More by Halcyondays