Weizenbock - Olde Hickory Brewery

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

After the disaster of Sex Viking, I turned to a stronger weizenbock to console me. A bomber from Appalachian. Not barrel-aged or vintaged but it is curiously wax-capped. A lighter remedied the wax enough to open.

A: A golden brown color, barely translucent, has an off-white head that leaves plenty of lace - good legs.

S: Clove, caramel, light wheat and bubblegum - a delicious full boozy nose that betrays the strength of the beer.

T: Boozy and strong - fortified for a winter night I suppose. That booziness overruns most of the weizenbock's flavor - the clove and bubblegum lack the oomph that they should have. The wheat's tartness is light, barely noticeable. The ale isn't all booze, the combination of yeast and darker malts provides plenty of flavor but it can't stand up to the booze. Paradoxically getting stronger, the ale garners a wheatwine booziness (heat and wheat) in the finish.

M: Very unusual with the alcohol dominating all aspects. The wheatwine finish is a nice touch - a flourish of sweet wheat and alcohol. I still don't think that the wax is needed.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2012 18:04:46 | More by akorsak

Jason

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz brown bomber with no freshness date.

LOOK: Clear brassy hue, slow bubbles, decent head

SMELL: Malt sweetness, peach, peppery alcohol, bready

TASTE: Creamy full-ish body, sweet, toasted bread, spicy alcohol, grainy, bread crust, husky, modest hopping, drying finish

First sip was a bit of a shock, the alcohol does come across a bit more in my face than expected ... almost hot. Ends up being a pretty well balance brew after a few sips. A good stab at the style just to come running at this beer, ease in with a few sips.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2012 02:17:44 | More by Jason

tdm168

North Carolina

3.15/5  rDev -13%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A - dark copper with an orangish hue. There's a thin layer of loose, bubbly head that has little retention.

S - banana, very faint spices

T - bitter, cereal grains, bran flakes, banana, sweet fruit, alcohol, very faint spiciness

M - warm, smooth, crisp, well carbonated

This is an almost good beer. It's intensely grainy and taste much like Wheaties. The yeast does a good job imparting some fruity esters but they don't overcome the grainy and alcoholic components that overpower here. It's also much more bitter than I had expected. It's ultimately drinkable and not an overall bad beer but for this style I would look elsewhere.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2012 23:36:48 | More by tdm168

corby112

Pennsylvania

2.58/5  rDev -28.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours a cloudy golden orange color with a half finger white head that quickly settles into a lasting ring. Spotty lacing left behind.

Earthy hop aroma with hints of grassy soil and zesty spice.  Peppery with some light citrus. Not much malt or yeast character.

Medium bodied with crisp carbonation and zesty spice. Much hoppier than expected with some earthy, grassy flavor along with some pepper, coriander and citrus.  Some bready yeast but faint. Not much else going on.  Bland and too bitter for the style.  

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2012 02:10:48 | More by corby112

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.55/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Funky aroma on this thick weizenbock. Hits the style, a decent drinker and refreshing.Some bannana, and not significant clove. Some orange flavour but overall not exceptional for the style, a worthwhile offering. Above average cabonation.Cloudy appearance.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2012 22:57:49 | More by northyorksammy

Cyberkedi

Georgia

4.08/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Strong aroma is wheaty and fruity with a yeasty undertone and a hint of butterscotch. It pours a pretty dark golden amber that is slightly hazy and has a fairly thick, if not persistent, pale golden-tan head that leaves some good lacing. Crisp flavor has woody, wheaty, earthy and fruity tones with hints of butterscotch and hops. Smooth, firm-bodied texture has plenty of tingle and sass, and leaves a fizzy, woody finish.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2012 05:26:13 | More by Cyberkedi

Agold

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

The beer is a hazy dark orange color. Pours with almost no head, any evidence of which recedes to a very thin film and a slight ring around the edge of the glass. No lacing at all. Aroma has a big banana component with some bubblegummy notes. Not a lot of the spice that I like a lot from this type of yeast strain. Taste is a bit of a banana bomb. Lots of bananna which overtakes anything else happening in this beer. Mouthfeel is nice. Smooth and creamy with medium body and good carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2012 02:00:56 | More by Agold

thagr81us

South Carolina

2.95/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Served from tap into a shaker pint. Poured a cloudy golden orange with a half finger white head that subsided to a minimal amount quickly. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, banana, cloves, spices, and subtle bready notes. The flavor was of sweet malt, banana, bread, spices, alcohol, and subtle sugar. It had a medium feel on the palate with medium-high carbonation. Overall this was an average brew. I really wasn't blown away by this one. While all of the traditional flavors of a Weizenbock were there, they were just way to blunt and invasive on the palate. The alcohol bite didn't help that much at all on this one either. Worth trying if you get the chance, as when I tried it was retired, but I guess it is back...

Serving type: on-tap

01-20-2012 21:56:51 | More by thagr81us

DIM

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

a: This was a cloudy, orange tinted golden color. It poured with a quick fading medium sized head.

s: Sweet, estery caramelized bananas, toffee, some cloves, and a little gentle heat.

t: Starts off with sweet banana esters cooked in brown sugar. There is a drier finish of toffee and cloves.

m: Big and chewy, a bit more carbonation would have been welcome.

o: I enjoyed this more and more as I drank it. It came across more as a big hefe than a weizenbock, but I don't care, I still liked it.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2012 00:07:42 | More by DIM

Spider889

Ohio

3.65/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The green waxed bottle does not pose too much difficulty in relinquishing the prize sealed within. While some wax is so brittle it will chip infinitely all over your rug, or so pliable that it creases rather than peels, the wax used here is easy to remove with the blade on a wine corkscrew.

I appropriately poured the majority of the bottle into a large stein. The ensuing cap of foam never gains much height, but it is thick and sticks around long enough to appreciate the view. The beer itself is an unfiltered ripened peach color. Lacing is inconsistent but is also something worth appreciating at times.

The aroma is possibly the best part of Olde Hickory Weizen-Bock. Immediately one is reminded of all the best hefeweizens out there. While this aspect might be somewhat beyond the scope of the weizenbock style, I really enjoyed it nonetheless. Clove spiciness is really big in the aroma, as is an orgy of super-ripe banana. I didn’t order any hefeweizen, but hey, somebody’s gotta drink it! There are also nice floral notes of honey and sweet, chewy biscuit malt.

Once you really dig into the beer, each sip rewards the palate with waves of clove and bright orange blossom sweetness. The yeast and wheat combine to create a very traditional olde world Bavarian style beer. The aftertaste is sticky and coats the mouth with notions of boiled corn and noble hops. The alcohol starts off rather muted, but towards the end of the glass some warmth builds steadily in the back of the throat.

Overall this is a pleasantly drinkable beer despite the 8% abv. Quite sweet at times, but this plays well off of the estery yeast used. It may be difficult to track down unless you live in North Carolina, but definitely worth a try when you’re looking for a more simple offering next to all of those more hyped up Double IPA’s and Imperial Stouts out there.

Some pictures of the beer can be seen on my blog:
http://blindpiratebrewing.wordpress.com/2011/12/08/olde-hickory-brewery-weizen-bock/

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2011 06:37:11 | More by Spider889

kingcrowing

Vermont

3.33/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz bomber poured into a tulip. 2011green waxed bottle.

Pours a hazy amber orange color with a small white head.nose is all bannana and clove.very hefe like.

Taste is mellow and fruity, it has a Cheddar flavor which is nice and a nice sweet finish. The flavor is really quite good, I like it a lot.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2011 01:06:40 | More by kingcrowing

oberon

North Carolina

3.45/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured nto an Aventinus glass a slightly hazed orange infused tea color with a thinner white head atop.A mix of tart green apple and spiced phenols,the alcohol comes thru slightly,light feel for the style,it lacks richness and fullness.Quite tart on the palate with that green apple elelment again,clove-like spiced phenols as well,a shot of sweet alcohol in the finish.Really a lighter bodied weizenbock here,its not bad but it lacks fullness of body and flavor in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2011 22:24:38 | More by oberon

Bung

North Carolina

3.98/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 oz. Semi-cloudy orange pour. Just a thin layer of white head.

Aroma, a good blend of caramel, some red and pineapple type fruit and fruitcake.

Taste, more malty than fruity. Caramel, toffee. Some rye bread and a light spicy wheat and hopping. A nice toasted malt aspect and some banana and clove in the finish.

Coating medium body, but the carbonation level keeps it a little lighter feeling. Not much alcohol presence and pretty easy drinking for the size.

Overall one of the better Weizenbock's I've tried. Not sure if it's up there with the ones at right, but it's close.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2011 03:50:18 | More by Bung

mtstatebeer

West Virginia

3.43/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

22 oz. wax covered bottle. Pours a clear yellow-orange color with a quickly diminishing fizzy white head. Aroma is honey, wheat, fruits, and a touch of alcohol. Flavor is sweet malts, apples, spicy and earthy hops. Mouthfeel is medium, a touch dry, fairly carbonated, spicy, and a touch of bitterness at the finish. Pretty good beer, pretty drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2009 03:22:39 | More by mtstatebeer

CWiggins

North Carolina

2.95/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Acquired at Bruisin' Ales in Asheville on 12/27/08 for $6.

This was a surprise to me; up to this point I had only seen (and tried) Olde Hickory's barleywine in the bottle. Stopping at the Olde Hickory Taproom in downtown Hickory has become a ritual for me when traveling from Durham to Knoxville, and it's nice to have something of theirs I can take home.

This Weizen Bock comes in a 22oz bottle with green wax encasing the cap. An upside-down goat (?) on a background of green meadows, mountains, and clouds appears on the label. The brew pours a dark gold, with a fizzy top that disappears as soon as it arrives. It is practically transparent, with no yeast or haze obstructing the view. Isn't this odd for a wheat beer? I think so. The smell is spot on, with banana, clove, freshly cut hay, and crisp, clean hops rounding things out. In regards to the flavor, the dark fruit esters that normally arise with this style aren't present. However, there are some redeeming characteristics: the sweet front, banana/clove center, and the dry, hoppy finish with a lingering weizenbock aftertaste. Okay, it does lose points for not being truly to style, but it's a pleasure to drink.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2008 01:52:13 | More by CWiggins

wcudwight

North Carolina

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

OHB's second bottled offering.
Bright golden in color with just a bit of haziness. 1/4" white head that retains well. Little lacing.
Bannana, cloves and other spices in the aroma. Also has a nice hoppy smell akin to fresh cut grass that I find interesting for the style.
Flavor profile follows that of the aroma. Bannana, cloves, and other spices. Nice hoppy finish with some alcohol warming.
Mouthfeel is crisp and smooth. A bit of warmth is felt too.
This is a sipper given the flavor intensity and warmth.
Good beer from OHB.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2008 03:35:20 | More by wcudwight

Enola

North Carolina

2.65/5  rDev -26.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This beer was a light yellow with a fair head. The smell was of fresh cut hay. The flavor was watery wheat and a little bit of cream ale or something akin to Boddington's. Drinkability would be better in warmer weather. The abv was not evident but I could still only manage a lackluster reveiw.

Serving type: on-tap

03-02-2007 03:19:01 | More by Enola