Ballast Point Brewing Company Homework Series #8
What the brewers say
“This hefeweizen is the winning homebrew recipe from our 20th Anniversary Employee Home Brew Competition. A traditional hefeweizen, with a touch of Southern California love. Dry hopped with Mandarina Bavaria hops to accentuate the fruity, citrus aroma and flavors found in a typical hefeweizen.”
What our panel thought
Aroma: “Hops aromas of flowers, herbs, light pine, and resin. It’s hard to find the wheat. Fruity esters of melon and berry. Clean fermentation character and a very faint smoke phenol, but no big off-flavors.”
Flavor: “Hops bitterness up front similar to a pale ale, with light sweetness. The hops are mostly pine with a little dankness and earth. There isn’t a lot of malt, and the wheat is more of an afterthought. A hint of smoke and astringency.”
Overall: “Very floral, with some fun hops and a bitter edge, but not what I expect in a hefeweizen. It’s very unexpected for the style, coming across as more of an American wheat with attitude or a pale ale without the carbonation. I didn’t get any wheat, spiciness, or banana.”
