Portsmouth Winter Weizen - Portsmouth Brewery

NJpadreFan

New Jersey

3.85/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Portsmouth- Winter Weizen

A- Hazy brown with a small head but heavy lacing.
S- Clove and spice, black pepper.
T- Syrupy spicy malt with big doses of clove and black pepper. A touch of toffee.
M- Very spicey and dry.

Overall- Tasty but the alc. really comes through for a 5.5% beer.

Serving type: on-tap

12-29-2007 23:21:13 | More by NJpadreFan

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

3.6/5  rDev -13%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured on-tap and served in a tumbler pint, the beer is a cloudy, golden-brown coloring that is slightly hazed with a thin, filmy coating. Good lacing along the glass. The nose is subtle, with fruity highlights, some clove spicing, as well as some coriander. Flavors are heavily spiced, with coriander, nutmeg, and all-spice on a tangy caramel backbone. The aftertaste is a spicy blend, with a smooth, creamy finish. Interesting brew.

Serving type: on-tap

03-28-2012 23:22:49 | More by GarthDanielson

deltatauhobbit

Maine

4.33/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at the Portsmouth Brewery for dinner.

Pours a hazy yellow/orange color with some decent lacing.

Smell is very yeasty with a hint of orange zest, some clove.

Taste is very spicy, bit malty but the spiciness really controls this beer, strong orange taste with a yeastiness, very sweet, slight lemonish taste, good carbonation if only slightly high.

Serving type: on-tap

04-07-2008 17:50:39 | More by deltatauhobbit

joepais

Maine

4.22/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On tap poured in my Imperial pint glass with a cloudy yellowish orange body. There was a large quickly dissipating white head that falls away to almost no lace

Aromas of Belgian yeast is strong along with the typical bananas and clove

Medium body and smooth on the tongue

I have been drinking a few of these this weekend getting ready for summer. The experience has been quite pleasurable
I say this brew is a must try for any fans of the style

Serving type: on-tap

04-19-2008 23:34:30 | More by joepais

u2carew

Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz bomber
A) Pours with a two finger head that settles quickly. Slightly hazy body. Rusty to brick red in color.
S) Fruity esters. Hints of caramel and toffee. Bready.
T) Caramel. Clove. Yeasty notes. Grainy with hints of apple.
M) Fizzy. Medium light body.
O) A delicious beer. I'd say I would have another one, but this is my "other one".

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2012 01:04:59 | More by u2carew

scootny

New York

4.7/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

So I go to Kate day and since I'm a hefe head and love all related beers I had to get a growler of this.

A cloudy burnt orange with a white head. Decent retention and touches of lace. Not much bubbling going on until you sip, then a fog like carbonation wells up from the middle of the glass.

Smell is your first clue that you have struck gold. Large amounts of banana followed by a healthy amount of clove and an undercurrent of bubblegum. Nice. A deep dark wheat grained malt with a peppery spiciness and maybe a hint of alcohol. Just maybe. Some caramel like notes. A light hefe like yeasty funk with faint lemon adds the finishing touch.

Taste is just perfect. If a 5 means can't improve then that is what I'm saying. All the attributes of the nose with a bigger lemon presence. There are so many flavors in this glass. All of the nose flavors with so much more. Banana rides in first and sits on the horse. Followed by cloves and juicy sour green apples. A subtle lemon background. There is a roasted wheat malt breadiness for a backbone and faint cinnamon. So delicious. Sweet caramel and more banana. There is a dry tartness that expresses the peppery spiciness. Finish is long and filled with banana bread, caramel, and dry tart apples with a melon juiciness and cloves. Alcohol just barely peeks out but if you are not paying attention on a hyper level you will miss it. Feel is crisp and light with a perfect microfine effervescence. A quenching brew that while satisfying does not have any heaviness.

Drinks like a low abv beer. You want to quaff this one and kick back but it's so well made you have to sip and savor. At least for the first glass. After that all bets are off. Then you have to watch out for the sneaky abv. Now that I've had it I'm going to have to contact my new friends in the area to procure some more of this stuff. If I could get this all the time the only thing that would stop me from drinking it would be a hefe of the same caliber. Then I could switch beer from warm months to cold. Best dunkel I've had

Serving type: growler

03-04-2010 02:42:26 | More by scootny

PatandDavid

Massachusetts

3.98/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer was still on tap when we last visited the brewpub. Pour when served was the color of burnished copper, and was slightly cloudy. The 1/2 inch white head died quickly. I was still able to pick up on the banana/cloves/yeastiness in the aroma. Medium in mouthfeel, tastewise the bananas and yeastiness is what stood out for me.

Serving type: on-tap

04-16-2005 18:32:40 | More by PatandDavid

carln26

Missouri

4.43/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I was wonderfully surprised to see this beer on tap today when I drove to Portsmouth for lunch. It poured a hazy dark gold color with little head or lace. The nose has the clove, banana, and vanilla character you expect from a hefe weizen, but there is a little caramel not from the malt. All of the same is found in the flavor along with just a hint of orange peel, and a little roast malt character. Nice rich, smooth mouth feel. This is a highly drinkable beer that is really growing on me. I'm not sure about this being a dunkel. Great beer though.

Serving type: on-tap

03-06-2005 20:26:01 | More by carln26

Truh

New Hampshire

3.88/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Walked in a winter wonderland with this one on 12/28/2004. 16-oz. pint in a shaker glass at the source.

Fluff of half-inch head that stuck and laced straight down; very pleasing. Hazy, golden honey to an almost amber hue with little discernible action going on. Kind of a soapy fining note on nose with orange peel and maybe some annise; on the whole, a sedate bouquet that is difficult to pull out. Cloves, allspice, nutmeg, clover honey, husky wheat throatiness to taste that dissipates quickly. Quite busy at the start, it finishes quickly and leaves little residue.

Serving type: on-tap

12-29-2004 16:19:29 | More by Truh

mountdew1

New Hampshire

3.78/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a weizen glass. Color was a golden amber, beer was very cloudy with small amounts of bubbles rising from the bottom. A very small thin foamy head disappeared quickly leaving a ring around the top. Aroma was strongly banana bread, and was slightly sweet with a dash of vanilla. Taste was slightly of banana bread, more bread than banana with a bit of sweet cloves. Also a bit of citrus hiding in there. Felt good in the mouth. Coated nicely, a bit of carbonation. Vey easy to drink. Worked pretty well for a style I usually associate with summer not winter.

Serving type: growler

12-06-2008 23:30:22 | More by mountdew1

Kinsman

New Hampshire

4.15/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Seems a little late in the year for them to be serving Winter Weizen but hey, who cares? I'll drink it anyway. Grabbed this bottle on my way out the other day.

Cloudy dark amber colored body with an impressive eggshell colored head, a full 3 fingers thick and pillowy at first. Fades with a fair bit of sticky lace left behind. Unfortunately I don't have a Weizen glass on hand but I'm sure this beer would look damn sexy in one.

Aroma initially has hints of banana bread before the stronger spice not comes along. Yeast strain seems quite appropriate for a dunkelweizen, providing plenty of phenolic notes and some estery fruitiness.

Taste is rather heaving on the spice note, with the usual suspects of clove, corriander, and maybe even a bit of white pepper (admittedly, I need to become more familiar with this so I can more easily identify it in beer). Wheat adds some sweet biscuity like qualities. Finishes with a light touch of grassy and earthy hop flavors.

Mouthfeel is a bit heavy for a wheat beer but it gives this more of a robust quality I feel is appropriate for a Winter beer. Overall, a nice dunkelweizen but spice qualities overpower the malts a bit too much.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2011 00:14:53 | More by Kinsman

corey0212

Massachusetts

4.18/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Got the last bottle in the shop at The Portsmouth Brewery!!

Pours a hazed copper color, darker around the edges. Creamy white head diminishes, but stays with the beer for the duration. Smells like banana bread, and I'm loving that! There's clove in there, too. Crazy lingering banana flavor, spicy too. Nice creamy mouthfeel....this is just excellent!

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2008 23:02:39 | More by corey0212

selecter70

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A summery winter wheat, or a wintry summer wheat? Both. And as such, something very drinkable throughout the year. Recommended by staff at the brewpub itself, this Weizen poured out a bit flat with no head, yet upon sampling had 'hidden' carbonation that opened up a nicely complex flavor. On on hand there was a slightly Christmas quality with apple ginger hints and a medium body. On the other hand, there was a lightness that displayed lemon-cloves that reminded one of summer. Not too sweet, nice wheat hops and definitely an easy beer to enjoy.

Serving type: on-tap

12-15-2008 23:12:17 | More by selecter70

mjn5036

New Hampshire

3.4/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 1 | overall: 3.5

On tap at the brewery.

The beer arrives at my table in a standard pint glass. There is not head to be found. No lacing. No carbonation seems to be present at all for that matter. The color of the beer itself is vibrant amber with golden/orange hues. Not a great start.

The nose is a little subdued for the style but I still get the generic banana and clove, a bit of spice and a nice malty background.

The initial flavor is ripe banana and other sweet fruits. From here on out the clove and heavy dose of spices takes over and never really leaves. Clove and cinnamon seem to be the culprits here. The taste is good; don't get me wrong, I just prefer a more balanced tasting brew in this category.

The mouthfeel seems to be spot on with a light-medium body and silky smooth feeling over my tongue, however it lacks one thing...CARBONATION. As this was the way it was served to me I feel as though I have the right to review it as such. There was zero carbonation in this glass of beer which is a killer for it.

Overall, I think this has the potential to be a quite solid dunkelweizen. It would have been vastly better if the spice and clove was cut back a bit in order to let the banana shine, and if it were carbonated - these two crucial areas really hurt its overall score.

Serving type: on-tap

04-09-2011 03:46:38 | More by mjn5036

Norica

Massachusetts

4.63/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured into a weizen glass, appearance and lacing doesn't get any better. Aroma and finish of slight cloves, faint banana in the nose but predominantly bubblegum. This beer blows away any import dunkelweizen that you can find stateside, a true joy to drink. 7% and loaded with yumminess, a beer to drink all day/night long that doesn't B$#@*slap your palate and forget where you parked your car. If only other US brewers would pay more attention to similiar styles and doing them as well as this. I hope there is more left the next time I'm in Portsmouth. Cheers to great beers <7%!!!

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2009 05:53:27 | More by Norica

GarthTaargus

New Hampshire

4.78/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A: 22 oz bottle w/ classic Portsmouth Brewery label w/ "Winter Weizen" hand-written in sharpie on the front. No freshness or bottling date. This beer pours with a towering creamy head, standing tall for awhile, then settling into a rocky yet igneous surface of at least 1/2 inch throughout. Beautiful cloudy golden color. Looks great.

S: Smells of freshly baked bread, ripe bananas, clove, and cinnamon. Like a loaf of banana bread.

T: First sip is bananas and spice, giving way to a strong wheat taste, finishes both buttery and cinnamon-fresh. The slightest tang. Tastes crisp with mild bittering hops paving the way for an oh-so smooth sweetness, but not cloying. This is like the best dessert ever.

M: Like drinking cumulonimbus clouds. A great body containing a light, delicate fizz with a slickness that keeps it sliding down the trap, begging you for another quaff. So luxurious and refreshing.

D: A perfect five for drinkability. You couldn't find a more drinkable beer. I could drink a gallon of this.

Notes: This is absolutely the best Weizen/Weizebock/Dunkelweizen I have ever had. Better than all the big name german ones, even. Kudos to Todd and Tyler for putting Portsmouth on the map, again. I wish this was a year-round brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2009 03:42:37 | More by GarthTaargus