Muskoka Summer Weiss - Muskoka Brewery

ritzkiss

Ontario (Canada)

3.25/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pint at C'Est What. Arrives a hazy golden, a couple shades darker than your average per style.

Nose is HEAVY on the banana, hint of cloves and phenols and something herbal. Pretty sweet smelling. Nice though.

Taste is too unbalanced for me - loads of banana, light bandaid phenols, spicy clove in the finish with a nice herbal coriander quality, lightly floral. On the sweet side of things, way too hefty of a body for the style, makes it seem even more muddled. A pint was enough for me, I wouldn't revisit. I know I'm in the majority but I enjoyed the previous incarnation better, more balanced and drinkable.

Second try: At The Only, heavy on the cloves and banana with a decidedly medicinal (aspirin) and bandaid note in the finish which increases with time. Really not digging this offering.

Serving type: on-tap

04-24-2011 23:19:33 | More by ritzkiss

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

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

750ml bottle, part of a two-pack, readily available almost everywhere here in Alberta.

This beer pours a cloudy, very pale golden hue, with a tumultuous boil of thin foamy, billowy white head, which settles at a snail's waiting room pace, eventually rendering some attractive chain mail fence lace around the glass.

It smells of grainy, semi-sweet toasted bready wheat malt, a touch of caramelized barley, sharp banana phenols, somewhat astringent earthy yeast, and some mild leafy, musty hops. The taste is sweet bready wheat malt up front and in your face, followed timidly by some banana loaf notes, restrained edgy yeast, and more nicely hovering leafy green hops.

The bubbles are a tad frothy, but generally even and supportive, the body an assured medium weight, for the style, of course, and actually rather smooth, with only a tiny snag from the yeast. It finishes off-dry, the various malts still running the show, with the attendant fruitiness, and a bit of lingering banana and clove esters.

A decent weiss, I can agree on that - big and malty, but with just enough spice and yeast to keep things in a nice Canadian order, i.e., one where you would gladly step over someone to get another. Beer, at least...

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2012 19:21:23 | More by biboergosum

korguy123

Ontario (Canada)

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

2012 bottle into weizen glass.

A- Hazy pale yellow with a three finger snow white, foamy head. Lacing is good.

S- Typical hefe aromas of bananas, cloves, coriander and a little lemon rind and pear.

T- Bright citrus, lemon rind, banana, spicy yeast and some cloves and cinnamon.

M- Light bodied, good carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2012 22:40:38 | More by korguy123

leaddog

Alberta (Canada)

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

Appearance- Pours a hazy pale straw with two fingers of bubbly frothy head.

Smell- Yeast, banana, clove, spicy aromas

Taste- Banana and clove come in nicely with the yeast and the spicy characteristic. There is a breadiness to this brew and faint grassy hops and grainy malts are present. The beer finishes wet.

Mouthfeel- Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Has a pleasant smoothness.

Overall- An enjoyable Hefeweizen by Muskoka. This beer stays true to the characteristics of the style. The banana and clove are not too overpowering which is good. This beer is definitely good for a hot summer Albertan day!

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2012 04:17:43 | More by leaddog

joemcgrath27

Alberta (Canada)

3.68/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - very cloudy straw golden, tall soapy white head dissipated slowly and unevenly leaving considerable random lacing
S - strong sour citrus, coriander, and bready grainy malt
T - similar to the nose but with the grainy malt more prominent, finishing with a herbal and bready flavour
M - light and well carbonated, creamy and refreshing, finishing somewhat bready
O - tis the season for hefe and this one is crafted for hot day outdoor sipping, not top of the class but better than average and worth a bomber or two

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2012 00:57:22 | More by joemcgrath27

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

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

2012 Vintage.

Beer is cloudy golden with a big, smooth snow-white head. Good retention, little lacing.

Banana, wheat and bready malt, clove all in the nose. A bit of bubblegum. Classic hefe and nice.

Taste is similar. Clove is prominent, with a creamy, doughy, bready malt base. Banana. Bubblegum.

Medium bodied, creamy, bready. Heavy for a hefe. Moderate to high carbonation.

Overall, very good. Great on a hot day.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2012 21:26:40 | More by jrenihan

andrenaline

Ontario (Canada)

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

Props to peensteen for the hook-up on this bad boy...

A - Pours a slightly hazy pale golden colour, finger of big bubled head with decent retention and no real lacing.

S - Scent is dominated by sweet cloves, bananas, orange citrus, some musty caramel and a lingering bitter citrus rind.

T - Loaded with flavour with the cloves and banana notes continuing to dominate. A bold wheat flavour lingers on the tongue alongside some sweet tangerine and a hint of grassy hops.

M - Light bodied ale that fills the mouth, but goes down smooth and finishes wet.

O - A tasty hefe and a must try for any fan of the style. It is indeed a perfect summer ale and I'm super glad I was able to grab a few bottles.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2012 19:59:44 | More by andrenaline

thehyperduck

Ontario (Canada)

4.33/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750 mL swing-top bottle from the LCBO; 2012 vintage. I love this time of year for various reasons - and the fact that there is no shortage of wheat beers on shelves right now is a significant one. Rolled the bottle a bit before opening, as per instructions, and served only slightly chilled.

Pours a sunny golden-yellow colour - foggy, but not murky or totally opaque like some hefes. Highly effervescent - and with one impressive pillowy white head. I had to pour my pint slowly over a period of minutes so that it wouldn't erupt out of the glass - sort of like a delicious baking soda volcano. When it finally does settle into a rocky, one-finger head, the glass is caked in lacing. The aroma is great as well - yeasty with lots of banana, peach, apricot esters and some light citrus. Good wheat malt backbone with some grassy hops underlying it all, but not much clove. Still, it's pretty enticing so far.

The taste does not disappoint at all. Wheat malt sweetness and the yeastiness provide a firm backbone for the variety of fruity flavours. Banana is probably the most prominent one, but I would also mention the orange peel, ripe pear and juicy apricot, as well as an understated clove spiciness. A bit chewy for a 5%er, with a yeasty, slightly dry aftertaste. Medium-bodied, with spritzy carbonation that helps cut through the chew - just the way I like my hefes. Relatively light mouthfeel for the style, but the improved drinkability vs. other examples is noted.

Here I was all set to complain about having to buy two wine bottles of this (packaged together) - and now I'm just happy that there's another bottle! I sincerely hope there are more of these left on the shelves the next time I am shopping in London.

Final Grade: 4.33, a very respectable A grade. Muskoka's Summer Weiss is a superb hefe; nailing most of the things I like about the style, but with a few added twists that give it a unique, memorable character. I skipped out on Muskoka's winter seasonal (Winter Beard), but I am sort of regretting that after seeing the quality of this one. Oh well, the seasons change - to everything turn, turn, turn and all that nonsense. Turn your vehicle into the parking lot of your local LCBO and pick this one up while you still can.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2012 06:13:26 | More by thehyperduck

mick303

Ontario (Canada)

4.33/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Instructed to agitate bottle before opening it. 2012 Vintage. Pours a really solid head of foam, dies down with good lacing, and a lot of carbonation here. Colour is hazy as expected, a murky medium gold.

Nice aromas of ripe wheat, refreshing fruit, bit of malt as well, distinct and inviting.

Initial taste is strong and of fruit with orange and a bit of straw-like background. Some sweetness too, but its well-balanced. Really flavourful. Enjoy it a lot.

Mouthfeel is remarkably robust, its not full bodied, but definitely got a strong presence, quite carbonated. Finishes really nicely, refreshing.

This is a quality weiss, distinct and very exciting and flavourful.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2012 23:09:29 | More by mick303

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

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

Can: Poured a lightly hazy dirty orangey color ale with a rather large foamy head with average retention and no lacing. Aroma of bubblegum and banana is very nice. Taste is also a nice mix between some banana bread and bubblegum 3ith some quite delectable wheat malt. Body is about average with great carbonation. Very well done with some really interesting ester.

Serving type: can

01-11-2012 19:24:12 | More by Phyl21ca

ZorPrime

Quebec (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Received this bottle in a trade with liamt07. Cheers!

Tasted in July 2011.

Tasting notes: The color is golden yellow. Little head. Big bottle, so the first pour is clear. A little bit surprising. The second glass is slightly veiled. I would expect more haziness here. The aroma is fruity (orange and citrus). The smell is refreshing and inviting. Taste is fruity with some cloves. Dominated by fruits (oranges). The mouthfeel is very carbonated. Dry. Refreshing. Thin body. This is tasty and refreshing for the summer hot days. I like it. Thanks Liam.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2011 15:35:15 | More by ZorPrime

TheHammer

Ontario (Canada)

4.3/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Awfully clear for a hefe as it produces a very light apricot skin orange. The carbonation is stead and ta finger of head stay around for a while.

Smell: Pretty much what I would expect from a Hefe, Banana and clove, although this one seems to have a bit more spiciness and almost a nutmeg note to it.

Taste: Starts with a mild wheat bread with a touch of banana that builds up with more citrus and apple notes that gets punctuated by a nice clove kick with a bitter note that just barely goes overboard.

Mouthfeel: Smoother then expected, superb transistioning and excellent carbonation although it leaves a little bit of a dry filmy aftertaste though, but the positives outweigh the negatives by far.

Drinkability: Yeah, this didn't last very long as the only thing the held back the beer was clove kick, which really isn't much to nitpick about. Refreshing, and I should also note it also fared quite well cold before warming.

Final Thoughts: I enjoyed the beer quite thoroughly, although I really don't know if I'd rank this one as better then their retired Hefe recipe. I mean, this one is certainly more balanced but the other one was a Banana explosion. We'll let the chips lie where they may on this one but you really should give this beer a shot.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2011 01:34:32 | More by TheHammer

scott451

Ontario (Canada)

4.22/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Best before Nov. 29, 2011. Poured from a swing topped 750ml into a weizen glass.

A hazy apricot with a one finger white head which soon diminished to a persistent thin layer. Some patchy lacing.

Smells of bready yeast and banana. Tastes mildly of clove and fruit, perhaps pear. Some spice. Kind of sweet but finishes dry. A mild lingering bite in the aftertaste.

Very smooth. An unusual body. Light at first, possibly helped by the carbonation but firms up at the finish.

An awesome wiezen. I would like to have another.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2011 00:50:35 | More by scott451

Rijtjeshuis

Ontario (Canada)

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

Served in weizen glass.

Look (3.5) - pours a golden-straw color (about 3-4*SRM). Clarity is a bit more than I'd expect from a Hefe. Head is good, rising to abolut two fingers and falling to a good, thick cap that really lasts. No real lacing. Good carbonation is visible.

Smell (4) - The nose is really good for the style. Some strong wheat graininess of the front. Both the banana and the clove yeast aromatics are present, leaning a bit more to the spiciness (which I really like).

Taste (3.5) - The flavor is good as well, but just a bit too light for my liking (very similar to Mein-Grunes from Schneider-Weiss). The balance has a lot more wheat flavor than on the nose. The yeast profile could have been a little stronger and lasted a bit more into the finish. Minimal hop profile.

Feel (4) - Lighter body with higher carbonation. The high carbonation dries out the finish a bit for me, which is good given that the wheat flavor lasts a bit longer.

Very, very drinkable, with a light flavor. A good example of the style, but I'm a bigger fan of a hefe with a stronger yeast profile on the palate.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2011 01:35:48 | More by Rijtjeshuis

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.45/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

amber, hazy with a nice tow inch head at the top. Head faded to reveal a thin film, with no side glass lace. Nice visible carbonation from the bottom.

S - Lots of wheat and yeast, light with a touch of banana. Good balance, nice aroma.great wheat, earthy yeast like flavor, light with just a touch of fruit, banana and pear mostly. Not watered down, flavor has a nice pop. Light enough to just slide down, good carbonation kept it from feeling too thin, not slick, crisp and clean finish.

Superb, I could drink this all day long, the flavor and feel combine to make a perfect summer taste, great hot weather drinker.

Overall this was a damn fine hefe.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2011 01:51:11 | More by mikesgroove

papat444

Quebec (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

***2011 Vintage***

Thanks to TheSevenDuffs for this one.

Poured from a 750ml. bottle and shared with my wife.

Appearance: Generous off-white head tops a faintly cloudy yellow body. Good retention and average lacing.

Smell: Bubblegum, bread, strong cloves, banana and plump fruit. Nice & full.

Taste: Bready dough, overripe bananas, strong wheat tones, plump orange and spices. Light on the citrus. Pretty good.

Mouthfeel: Feels oddly flat a little at first. Other than that, full and smooth.

Overall: A good flavorful beer. Body was a bit weird at first but got used to it. An overall strong showing.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2011 23:55:58 | More by papat444

SebD

Ontario (Canada)

4.2/5  rDev +5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: It has a nice cloudy yellow/golden colour to it. It has a nice white head that dies down quite fast and has minimal lacing.

Smell: The aromas definitly give out hints of spices, oranges, citrusy fruit and yeast.

Taste: Like the aromas, it has a very nice orange burst with some banana, citrusy fruit and a bit of bready malts.

Mouthfeel: It has a medium carbonation with a nice overall balance of flavours.

Drinkability: It's a very smooth drinkable beer accompanied with good flavours and aromas. Props to Muskoka Brewery for this great summer beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2011 18:46:01 | More by SebD

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

4.15/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Finally got around to this one which had a best before date of Aug 1, 2011 but should still be fresh enough.

Poured in to Sierra Nevada pint glass.

A - Light to medium yellow with half a finger of bubbly, white head that quickly disappeared. Lots of visible carbonation.

S - Citrus, honey, Belgian yeast and some light bready notes.

T - Citrus, cloves, banana, Belgian yeast, some bready notes. A good overall sweetness with a slight bitterness.

M - Light body with moderate carbonation.

O - I really enjoyed this one. A great example of the style. I wish I had tried this one sooner as it makes an outstanding summer beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2011 16:19:45 | More by TheSevenDuffs

Roke87

Ontario (Canada)

3.83/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

750 mL swing top bottle, chilled and poured into a weizen glass.
best before date: August.1/2011

Appearance- Pours a hazy golden amber colour with a miniscule pinky finger worth of bubbly white head that very quickly, almost immediately dissipates into nothing, not even any ring around the glass what so ever. Very lively carbonation from the looks of it, especially when it is first poured wow, and no lacing on the glass either to speak of.

Smell- Has a very typical hefeweizen smell to it, lots of clove and spice notes immediately dominate the nose, some very nice fruity aromas also coming through very strong in this one and almost takes over, I get almost a banana smell coming through. Typical yeast aromas and a mild touch of orange peel in there as well.

Taste- The clove and spice aromas really come through more on the palate and those nice fruity smells really take a back seat on the taste department, although they are still there, you really have to almost search for them if you will. Again typical hefe tastes with the yeast in there as well, and the orange peel does come through a bit more in the tastes as well, also I am getting a weird almost metallic taste every now and again, maybe I should have cracked this one sooner?

Mouthfeel- Definitely medium bodied with ample carbonation to it, goes down somewhat smooth and crisp and finishes dry.

Overall- Not too shabby, Very impressed by Muskoka’s offerings this year thus far, they are really turning themselves slowly into one of Ontario premium craft breweries. The smells are actually very nice and a pleasant change to the usual hefeweizen’s that are out there, really like the fruity banana aromas coming from this one. Although to be honest the smells don’t really translate into the taste, and the tastes come through very lacking in my opinion although nothing too bad. I would drink this one again if I was really in the mood for a hefe, but for the price it might almost be better to just pick up a quality European hefe.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2011 03:22:26 | More by Roke87

GodOfBeer

Ontario (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a cloudy light peach with a thin white head. Nice lacing and carbonation.

Smells winey and fruity upfront with cloves and various spices. Some orange peel yeast also.

Tastes like it smells, somewhat winey, yeasty, very fruity, some banana, orange, cloves, pear. Very refreshing!

One of the best Hefe's I've had in a while, very interesting. Lots of subtle flavours in this beer not found in typical Hefe's.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2011 19:19:30 | More by GodOfBeer

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

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

750ml Bottle

Appearance - Hazy amber colour with a massive size fizzy off-white coloured head. There seems to be an average amount of carbonation and there is some good lacing. The head lasted for 5 minutes before it began to dissipate.

Smell – Breads/grains, lemon zest and juice, banana, cloves

Taste & Mouth - The beer has a high amount of carbonation. I can taste lots of lemon juice and zest mixed with bananas and wheat. There is also quite a bit of yeast taste and some cloves. I also picked up on a bit of a metallic flavour too. The beer finishes with a grainy lemon/banana aftertaste.

Overall – A pretty decent effort once again from Muskoka, they are quickly becoming one of my favourite Ontario brewers. I wouldn't mind if the beer had a little bit more of a fruitiness and a little less carbonation, but other than that it is highly drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2011 13:45:24 | More by spinrsx

Stocean1

Ontario (Canada)

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

A = poured a piullowy two finger head - good carbonation - paychy lacing - beautiful orange wheat color - cloudy

S - bananas, wheat and orange

T - bananas, biscuits and cloves - then a little orange peel - then a lot more orange - as it opened up the orange peel became more apparent and in fact it became a little unbalanced at the end - scored it based on the first half

M - medium body and plenty of carbonation - a little dry and sour in the finish - very noce overall

O - really enjoyed the first half of this beer - upon the first sip I felt I had tasted something special however as it opened up it seemed to lose its centre and was a little unbalanced

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2011 04:31:43 | More by Stocean1

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours a cloudy golden colour. Two finger white head that snap, crackle, pops away fast. Lot's of carbonation. Very little head retention and no lacing. Just barely average.

S - Sweet spice, yeast orange combo is quite good. Very strong smelling. All mixed in well so no one element wins out. Spice seems to take a slight back seat here. Strong bubblegum note also.

T - Citrus and yeast really dominate with spice being pushed to the wayside. Orange and pear strongly come to mind.

M - Good carbonation and a definate medium, slightly creamy body. Very smooth.

O/D - A quality hefe. I can't say it's great but it's what it should be. Needs a yeastier character I think but it's good for the Summer.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2011 02:17:14 | More by tbeckett

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

4.28/5  rDev +7%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml swinging pop top poured into tulip May16,2011

A cloudy golden orange that's cloudy enough that I can't see the bubbles, they do however spawn a fast falling two finger bone white head that leaves zero lace

S banana, dry cereal, lemon and some yeasty spice and some very faint soap

T some bubblegum comes out and there's just a little more earthy spice then I could smell, somehow everything mingles just right and this is what I think the stereotypical Hefe should taste like, the bananas just a little bruised compared to the smell but I always liked my banana just a little overripe anyways

M light and fluffy due to a decent amount of carbonation, lingering flavors stick to my lips well after the liquids in my tummy

O When I visualize a Hefe I think of a big ass, hard to fit into my over sized glass, top hat of foam that just lasts forever, this was not that beer. Other then the look of this one everything else was exactly what I look for in this style

Another kick ass Hefe from Central Canada, that's right Ontario your not Eastern Canada from where I sit in Alberta. (got in a fight today with a dude from Ontario who didn't believe me that there's more Provinces East of Ontario then West of it) And when I say "Another" I suppose I'm referring to Denison's and that's the only other I can think of. Thanks liamt07 for sending me this hidden gem and knocking yet another want off my list

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2011 06:04:36 | More by wordemupg

3.38/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - pours bright yellow with a slight haze and a finger of white head that disspates very quickly. Fairly clear for the style.

Smell - the dominant aroma here is banana supported by a touch of clove and a tiny hint of citrus. Pleasant with no off smells, but fairly one dimensional.

Taste - sweet flavours of malt and banana with a mineral finish.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2011 23:53:02 | More by