Beer of the Weekend #158: Kapuziner Bavarian Hefe-Weizen

The beer of the weekend is the lighter version of last week’s BotW: Kapuziner Bavarian Hefe-Weizen, brewed by the Kulmbacher Brauerei of Kulmbach, Germany.


I made my weekly visit to Dirty John’s on foot yesterday, hauling the four-pack of KBH and another special brew home in my backpack. While browsing, I talked to Bill Heinrich, one of Dirty’s beer gurus. He gave me a couple recommendations and started my mouth salivating for some locally brewed saison. I want to take advantage of Dirty’s vast selection and widen my sampling variety to include obscure specialty styles. Saison is on the list since I have never had it, so KBH may be the last beer of hefeweizen season. (Frown.)

Serving type: Four 500 ml bottles. There is a cryptic code on the back label, but nothing I can decipher as a freshness date.

Appearance: Poured into my half-liter Paulaner weizen glass. The color is a dirty lemonade yellow. Very murky. Two and a half fingers of thick, white head developed and dissipated to leave a foamy cap and eventually a ring around the edge.

Smell: The first whiff is a pleasant noseful of the classic hefeweizen esters and herbal spice. Banana, apple, clove, and a little bit of bubble gum.

Taste: Much more potent than the smell. Ripe bananas, apple cider, wheat bread, yeast. The flavor also features a bit of slightly tart bubble gum. Following the malts is a perfect hopping of clove and pepper, which linger on the back of the tongue after each sip. The mouthfeel is heavy, but also very dry.

Drinkability: This is a classic hefeweizen, though a little drier than I’m familiar with. Though not stellar, this is a top-notch brew much like its dunkelweizen counterpart, and I’m sure it makes Bavarians very happy and lubricated.

Fun facts about KBH:

-Style: Hefeweizen

-Price: $3.49/bottle at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.

-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.

-Alcohol content: 5.4 percent ABV.

-Food pairings: BA suggests German cuisine, tangy cheeses (Brick, Edam, Feta), salad, poultry, fish, and shellfish.


The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.

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