Review: Kilter Vintage Hefeweizen Bavarian Wheat Ale

I absolutely love German and Belgian style wheat ales but you never see me review them, and that’s for one good reason - they’re hard to find. As part of their popular Vintage series of beers, Kilter has a Bavarian Wheat Ale Hefeweizen.. something I didn’t really expect to see from them - Sure, they’ve done a funky Saison or three in the past, but never just a classic old school wheat ale that the masses will love on a hot prairie summer afternoon. 

From their insta: A soft, cloudy, and easy-drinking Bavarian Wheat Ale with signature Hefeweizen notes of wheat, banana, and subtle clove naturally produced by the yeast strain during fermentation. 5.2% ABV

Appearance: Mildly cloudy with a bright lemony kind of hue to it. The head is very thick initially, bright white in colour, frothy and actually goes down pretty quickly, leaving behind a mild amount of lacing on the glass.

Aroma: I’m getting over a pretty bad cold/sinus infection so my nostrils aren’t doing great lately but I get a heavy amount of clove absolutely immediately. There’s a creamy banana presence to it, a lot of a sugary sweetness, a bit of a toasted sesame bagel kind of breadiness to it. Pretty solid, so far.

Taste: The clove is the dominating flavour again, followed by a moderate amount of coriander, a lot of a sugary sweetness to it, banana, and a bit of toasted bread at the end - a slight bit nutty. Fairly smooth on the palate, and it leaves behind a slight nutty/clove aftertaste for a good moment or so.

Overall Thoughts: Summer is already starting to wind down (NO, IT'S LONG GONE) in Manitoba so I feel like this one should’ve been released a month or so earlier - but this is a decent Hefeweizen, not overly aggressive - just a great alternative to the Blue Moon everyone seems to be drinking at chain pub patios.