Hocking Hills Hefeweizen

Barrelhouse Brewing Company
Cincinnati, Ohio
4.6 percent alcohol by volume
22 fl. oz. bottle
Sampled: July 30, 2006

From the first taste, this marvelous beer could pass for the product of the best breweries in Belgium and Germany. Maybe Barrelhouse Brewery owes a debt to Cincinnati's German heritage here, but they produce a beer that widely defied my expectations.
After a summer of drinking virtually any hefeweizen/Belgian wit I never before tasted, too many overhopped hippie-made microbrews started to leave a bad impression. Cruising the single-bottle cooler at Palmer's Beverage, I spotted this and grabbed one, waiting for the disappointment to begin.

But Hocking Hills Hefeweizen offered a different tale.

Barrelhouse crafted a beer that resides among the heights of Celis White and other masterful wheat beers. The citrus and spiciness strike up from the initial whiff and hold a tight grip on everything that follows. Banana, clove, orange and vanilla mingle nicely, though the citrus is firmly in charge.

I couldn't ask for a better summer session beer, though in this case, the session lasted a single bottle.

Barrelhouse, stay small, and don't let mass-production fiddle with that beer. Since it's made with organic ingredients, I expect that will be the case.
Rating: 8.5/10