Style: Hefeweizen
ABV: ~4.5%
Welcome to our first hybrid homebrew and beer review post. Remember the extract pumpkin hefeweizen brew day from our last homebrew series post? If not, now is a great time to go check out the quick video…I’ll wait. Anyway, it’s now out of the fermenter, carbed up in the keg, and poured from the kegerator into a clean weizen glass (another post you should check out). I know, I know, it’s another pumpkin beer and we just reviewed one last week. However, I made this one so it’s time to criticize and do the first homebrew beer review.
This beer was an interesting color when poured into my trusty weizen glass. In the thinner areas of the glass and when held up to light, it was a nice hazy gold. However, when not in direct light it was a color more reminiscent of a slice of pumpkin pie – a “baked” looking amber to orange color. Hefeweizens generally have a thick fluffy head, but I’m thinking I need to up the CO2 pressure on the keg as the head was present, but thin, and took some effort to generate when pouring.
On the nose there were the usual estery notes of banana and possibly a touch of bubble gum. Being a pumpkin beer, those scents were evident as well. Some nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove-like aromas made the brew remind me of pumpkin spice banana bread.
The mouthfeel was smooth and light, with only a mild carbonation bite. I would have expected this to be more prominent for the style and again think this is in part to my conservative carbonation pressure. However, the wheat malt helped contribute to the smooth mouthfeel.
The taste of this beer was not far from where I expected it to be after smelling it. There were prominent yeast characteristics of banana and a bubblegum. On top of that there were notes, not overbearingly so, of pumpkin pie spice. The malt character and sweetness could have been a bit more prominent. It almost seemed as if the beer was lacking a final layer of character to round it out. It leaned further to the fruity ester and light pumpkin spice end of the spectrum.
Even though I think there could have been a touch more malt character for a pumpkin beer, the lightness of it made it extremely drinkable. This is one of the few beers that I have drank two of while completing a tasting. I could see myself drinking several of these on a cool fall night, or when preparing to enjoy a nice Thanksgiving meal.
Overall, I think this homebrew is one of my favorites so far. Highly drinkable and not overbearingly pumpkin-y. I’m going upstairs to bump up the pressure on my keg now to see if that solves my head/carbonation issue. However, I’m glad this beer came out clean with no off flavors and something that I am proud to say I made.
Abbreviated tasting notes
Appearance: golden in the light, amber/orange in the dark. Hazy, thin tan head. (3.5/5)
Aroma: banana, bubblegum, pumpkin spice, clove, nutmeg (4/5)
Mouthfeel: smooth, light carbonation, light to medium-bodied (3/5)
Taste: pumpkin banana bread, not overly sweet, maybe lacking a bit of malt character to round out the flavors. (4/5)
Drinkability: To me, totally crushable. I could have several of these on a great fall night. (4.5/5)
Total: (19/25)
I encourage you to check out the homebrew scene! It’s a fun way to experiment with beer and there is something nice about saying “I brewed that.” Although there are ups and downs in your homebrew career, it is a great hobby that can be enjoyed by friends and family.
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