Another Delight from Sierra Nevada: Kellerweiss

So yesterday I went to a ginormous liquor store and finally got a bottle of Theobroma, which I've been very interested to try since seeing it featured on a Discovery channel special. I also got a bottle of Sam Adam's Chocolate Bock (for $10 instead of $16-18!) - okay this is because the "best by" date is a few months past, but I'm not worried about it. And I was proud of myself - the cashier talked to me about Dogfish Head Brewery and some of their latest releases, and instead of being intimidated, I was excited to talk to him! I've learned about beer, hoorah! Although the conversation was kept pretty short, due to the long line of people behind me but still...

Anyways, I've had a couple of bottles of Sierra Nevada Kellerweiss for a while now. It's a new release this year, and it's gotten good reviews. Some are saying it's one of the best American Hefeweizens. You may recall from my Big Hefeweizen Taste-Off, that it certainly was the German Hefe that held up. The Kellerweiss is brewed in the "Bavarian tradition" - not sure what it means, but SN says it's complex. If anyone would like to summarize what this means in layman's terms, that would be appreciated.

It was a hot and muggy day, I went for a long walk, and was happy to have a couple of these in the fridge upon my return.

A) Completely hazy straw-colored with sudsy white head that stuck around forever, leaving small traces of lacing
S)The smell was nice - Wheat and lemon up front, but then the banana and cloves came through
T) Extremely well-balanced. Ends on a sweet banana-y note, but definitely not too sweet. Lots of wheat, yeast, and a little bit of spice.
MF) The label describes it as "velvet-y" - not a term I would have thought of but pretty accurate! Soft, fresh, crisp...Um, velvety!
D) Extremely good. Easy and pleasant to drink. And just 4.8%ABV makes having a couple no problem. Great on this hot day.

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