Muskoka Summer Weiss - Muskoka Brewery

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

My weizen glass looks like a science center exhibit. The fury of these bubbles is fantastic: they attack the solid, studded surface like seething flames but are actually bounced from it and left to bobble there momentarily before finally being able to amalgamate into the big bed of foam. The bright, golden beer actually looks like a children's ball pit.

Muskoka could not have gotten much closer to the mark they aimed to hit - this thing seems every bit as German as Volkswagen or Lederhosen, despite that it's not even brewed on the same continent! There isn't much spice in the nose, but mushed bananas and traces of vanilla are noted, also a very perceivable tangy lemony flavour.

Some German weiss beers have a lot of clove and spiciness, others are more fruity and tout notes of banana and bubblegum - this one does both. Tiny, red-hot phenols - courtesy of a bona fide German yeast strain - lightly singe the tongue with a fresh pepper zest. Ramped-up carbonation intensifies this with prickling, sharp-toothed bubbles.

On the other hand, ample wheat malt has ensured a mouthfeel that is lusciously creamy, an ideal habitat in which drops of sweet vanilla and over-ripening banana can thrive. It is these flavours, and not the clove-like spice, that persevere in the aftertaste. Lemony, citrus acidity is splashed in there too. Bitterness, as you'd expect, is virtually omitted.

If I had to choose only ten brands of beer to drink for the rest of my life, I think at least two of them would probably be weizens. I love this distinctive, refreshing style and its consumption has become an integral part of my spring and summer rituals. Muskoka's is a very pleasant, credible example and it's something I'm sure I'll be buying again.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2011 17:30:00 | More by biegaman

ritzkiss

Ontario (Canada)

3.25/5  rDev -19%
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

Swedes21

Ontario (Canada)

4.2/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance - beer pours a cloudy ale colour, very lively head. there is some good carbonation levels as well. the head is a white, light in volume and very active. lot of air pockets. there is some minimal lacing.

Smell - one of my favourite smells, banana! there is a good banana smell to this beer along with some orange hints. maybe there is a slight hint of citrus as well.

Taste - very smooth, amazing tasting beer. the bitterness is faint but present, there isnt much aftertaste. i can pick up the banana combined with a citrus hint.

Mouthfeel - some added carbonation, although not much. maintains a light feel and is very smooth.

Overall - I think this is one of muskoka's top beers, one of the best releases. I will buy more and keep on hand, look forward to many more beers from muskoka!

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2011 21:35:37 | More by Swedes21

phirleh

Ontario (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Beer comes in a 750ml swingtop bottle, perfect size to share, or just enjoy by one's self. Beer appears with a frothy white head, bubbling with a hazy straw colour. Smell is of banana, wheat malt and yeast. Taste is spicy, refereshing and citrusy, hints of clove. Mouthfeel is light, frothy and dry. Overall, this is quite the weiss coming out of Ontario, a great local brew for the summer.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2011 14:27:28 | More by phirleh

uno99

Ontario (Canada)

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

A new offering from an Ontario brewery that has been turning heads lately. This one presented in a beautiful 750ml bottle like the other "seasonal" offerings

Bottle advises you to agitate before pouring. I shouted a few insults at it -- nothing really exciting happened save my wife and cat having a laugh at me.

2011 edition, served at 53 degrees.

A: An agitated pour yields a bright white and dense 2 finger head atop a cloudy straw colored beer. Retention and lacing is not remarkable.

S: Really well done clove, bannana, bubble gum -- standard weiss territory. Suggestions of basil, mint, and soil.

T: Nails this hefe category to the wall. Dension's? You have some competition here.

M: Summer Weiss Feels really hardy. A good hefe should always give the impression that there's bales and bales of wheat in every glass and this definitely accomplishes that. A little sticky on the lips, a little dry at the finish.

Overall: I often say it is hard to make a bad a wheat beer, but honestly it's just as hard to make a really good one too, and this is really good. Good competition to Dension's and Blanche de Chambly for the King of Canadian Weiss.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2011 02:42:50 | More by uno99

eat

Quebec (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Glowing, hazy honey colour with lots of visible carbonation. Awesome Weihenstephaner-style giant, rocky off-white head. Great retention and lacing.

Tons of banana, candy malt, coriander and clove with a juicy citrus edge. A hint of herbal hops. Really nice smell.

Great balance of everything you'd want in a weisse: banana, bubblegum, clove, coriander. The candy malt pairs really well with a slightly-drying herbal finish. The only improvement could be a more intense flavour; it's not explosive in the way Weihenstephaner is.

The feel could definitely be beefed up. Decent medium-light body and light carbonation.

I'm pretty impressed, this is one of the better weisse beers I've had. Extremely drinkable; this 750ml would be no problem to finish off alone. $6 is not a terrible price for a beer of this quality in such a nice bottle. I'll be picking up more of this for sure.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2011 23:00:59 | More by eat

kwjd

Ontario (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev +1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a hazy pale orange colour that starts out with huge head. The head dissipates very quickly, no real lacing. Smells of banana, with lots of citrus and some wheat malt. Nice sweet flavour with a hint if bitterness. Aftertaste of banana and oranges. I really enjoyed the old hefe from Muskoka, but I think I prefer this one.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2011 20:17:20 | More by kwjd

allergictomacros

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

What? Summer already?

A - Lightly hazed gold with a good head of brittle white foam.

S - Lots of lemon, light cloves, and faint banana. Good dose of wheaty/yeastiness.

T - Huge banana amongst an otherwise soft wheatiness. Fairly sweet, only barely bitter and kinda fruity.

M - A bit heavy handed on the fizz. Moderate-light body.

D - I like this. Easy drinking and good flavour.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2011 23:27:12 | More by allergictomacros

heebes

Ontario (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 ml swing top bottle.
New release, now in large format bottle vs cans.

Pours into a pilsner glass a hazy light yellow with a good amount of bright white foamy head that holds well. Nose is light fruits, banana esters, floral, cloves and a yeast auroma. Taste is similiar; lots of banana and bubblegum flavour mixed with other fruits and lingering yeast. Though the initial punch remains flavourful. Light to medium bodied, smooth and creamy mouthfeel. Overall I have to say this is a decent beer and brought more than I initially thought it might. Easy drinking and nice low abv means it's perfect for the approaching weather. There's some discussion about this being the same version that was in cans and it's been changed to seasonal, put in a vintage bottle and costs more. I can't speak to much of that, and while I think the "vintage 2011" on the label is silly, I did enjoy this bottle and believe it would make a better seasonal beer than year round. Muskokas seasonal bottles have been 2/2 for me being excellent, I tried their sampler can pack last year and walked away unimpressed, so needless to say I think they are making great strides.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2011 16:50:59 | More by heebes

mrnobody

Ontario (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 ml swingtop bottle poured into a weizen glass.

A: Pours a cloudy orange with two fingers of eggshell head. Okay retention but no lacing.

S: Smells of banana, yeast, juicy fruit gum.

T: Quite a bit of banana flavour but not overly sweet. Tastes good but somehow I wish there was "more".

M: Light-medium mouthfeel with fine and lively carbonation.

D: Drinkability seems pretty good.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2011 02:09:36 | More by mrnobody

bryehn

Ontario (Canada)

4.43/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer formerly known as Hefe Weizen rebranded and packaged as a spring/summer seasonal in a 750 mL snap-top bottle.

Pours a nice and hazy amber-orange peel colour with a medium-sized, tight head that falls to a collar after a few minutes.

About a week after being delivered to stores, the beer smells extraordinarily fresh and bright. Citrus dominates the aroma and is accompanied by a fatty, buttery banana-like smell, coriander spiciness and honey sweetness.

The taste is just as fresh as the smell. Sweet, toasty and bready malts and citrus followed by a good dry bite. Outstanding.

The beer is very crisp, with a prickly carbonation on the tongue and a smooth, creamy and slightly syrupy aftertaste.

This is an excellent beer that I'll buy until it disappears until next year. It's far better and less sweet/syrupy than the canned variety we used to get from Muskoka.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2011 17:25:50 | More by bryehn

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Unfiltered dirty yellow haze,and that is appealing. four inches of head. This is wheat, this is the style. Orange citrus, much bannana, some cloves, much funky yeast in the finish. Carbonation is right there and builds up, becoming harsh, slightly taking away from enjoyment and the mouthfeel is lighter that I would expect. Much spider lacing down the glass. Good until August 2011, this is a couple days into the LCBO and taste very fresh. Very drinkable, I surprisingly finished most of the bomber. Overall, a good one not to be missed.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2011 02:56:41 | More by northyorksammy

Mit

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a cloudy orangey gold colour with quickly dissipating head.

Fairly typical wheat odours, coriander, citrus smells. Very pronounced. Really like it.

Getting some bready notes, vanilla, spicey note...very mild hop presence. Fantastic beer.

lighter but not too light for a 5% beer.

This beer is outstanding, I really like these Muskoka special edition beers. They are doing some dynamite stuff.

I will buy this again without question, very nice wheat.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2011 22:40:32 | More by Mit

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Hazy golden orange colour, minimal white soapy head, no lacing on the glass. Smell is of banana, yeast, slight citrus, candy like notes and fresh bread. Taste is clean and yeasty, banana, citrus, orange, light candy sweetness and a semi dry finish. Light mouthfeel and slightly watery, good carbonation though, could use a little weight overall though. Very solid brew, refreshing and pleasant, I will be picking up a few more of these when it gets warmer.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2011 18:32:54 | More by peensteen

JohnnyBarman

Ontario (Canada)

4.3/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Looks like Muskoka heard Ontarians cry out in frustration with the recent snow storm and decided to offer them a taste of summer a little early this year. 750mL swingtop bottle from the LCBO, sealed with an "Enjoy before August 1st, 2011" label.

Poured into a weizen glass. Dark tawny golden in colour, slightly opaque. Leaves a thick head which recedes quicky after a carbonation burnoff.

Nose is lovely - pale malts, light hoppage, banana, orange peel, bubblegum - the latter being especially noticeable. Smells like summer to me.

This is a sweet, slightly malty hefe (or pale wheat, it's hard to tell) that is incredibly tasty. I can see myself drinking this all summer. The usual hefe notes are subtle, but certainly pleasant.

Thicker for a hefe, carbonation is initially aggressive but settles down after a few moments, providing a late kick to the tongue with each sip.

I'll have to stand this one up to their regualar hefe to really figure out the differences between them. I think the malt character is more pronounced, and theres a bit of floral hops as well. Regardless, this is a very flavorful and enjoyable wheat beer, something I will certainly get more of when patio-drinking season begins. At just a hair over 5 bucks a bottle, this is quite reasonable. I really like what Muskoka has been doing with its seasonals, and this is certainly no exception. Pick a few up for the warm weather!

Pics and review here: http://mattsbeerden.blogspot.com/2011/03/muskoka-summer-weiss-early-f-you-to-old.html

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2011 18:07:05 | More by JohnnyBarman

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

4.13/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle from the LCBO, 750ml swingtop. My understanding is that this is a reworking of the Hefe they had going in cans for a while, but they've made this a seasonal release instead with a few recipe tweaks. Best before August 1, 2011.

Pours a pale orange, with a finger of bubbly white head that leaves minimal retention and lace. Lots of carbonation evident in the body; unfiltered. Nose holds banana, alot of bubblegum, wheat and maybe a touch of spice. Taste is quite nice, full bodied banana, wheat and bubblegum are clear again, and contrary to what I had anticipated based on the appearance, the carbonation is only evident near the end of the mouthfeel. This was a great drinker, and this could become a staple this summer. One of the best hefeweizens I've had from this province. Great work Muskoka!

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2011 16:24:39 | More by liamt07