Trifecta

From scenic Vancouver, B.C. comes Trifecta, a hopfenweisse brewed by Parallel 49 Brewing Company. The beer is a 5% number that comes in 473mL cans that feature a lady wearing a hops hat. According to the copy, the beer gets its name because it’s brewed with a trio of hop varieties; however, the identity of the three in question isn’t revealed on the can (a little research on the Parallel 49 website shows that it was Huell Melon, Meridian, and Saphir). Hazy and dull orange-gold, Trifecta pours with a thick layer of lovely white head.

To my nose, the hoppy wheat beer had notes of tropical fruit, yeast, and some banana esters at the back end. The flavour has had more weissebier qualities than I was expecting, with lots of yeast and banana staking out a strong position in the front end. More to my expectations, the back end featured dank, hoppy notes, as well as some stone fruit.

In my limited experience, some hopfenweisses (hopfenweissi?) are closer to one side of the hybrid or the other; however this little ditty seems to straddle the line between a wheat beer and a pale ale with dexterity. It’s a refreshing summer beer, though a bit more booze would have been nice. 

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Whippet Wheat

A collaboration between Toronto’s Black Lab Brewing and the Society of Beer Drinking Ladies, Whippet Wheat is, appropriately, a hybrid. Specifically, it’s a hopfenweisse—a hefeweizen hopped like an IPA. In this case, the beer is a 5.5% job that has, according to the website, been double dry hopped with Azacca. Along the way, a touch of oat was also added. The result is a cloudy beer—dull yellow-gold, with a bright white head, and not a lot of sediment for a wheat beer.

Whippet Wheat has a sharp, yeasty pong, with more than a suggestion of fruity elements, particularly pineapple. While the scent suggested a hefe-dominant combo, the flavour flipped the script with a fractious hop profile leading the way, and yeasty, mellow wheat beer notes in a beta role. Again, pineapple was prominent, building to a gritty bitter finish.

On a toasty July evening, this beer left me refreshed and chilled out. The tawdry relationship between IPA and hefe was carried off admirably, resulting in a hybrid that marries significant IBUs with a smooth, wheaty mouthfeel.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

All or Nothing

All or Nothing was my first experience with Underdog's Brewhouse, an up and coming new brewery from Oshawa, Ontario. I had a 16oz goblet on tap at Downtown Toronto's Bar Hop.

All or Nothing is listed as a hopfenweisse--a hops-driven wheat beer--and it contains 5.1% alcohol. It's a pleasingly hazy golden auburn brew. It arrived with a thin covering of off-white head. There was a unique aroma that blends citrus hops with peach, banana, spice, and a heavy yeast bill. My face was greeted with a pretty mellow mouthfeel. The flavour was high in yeast and compellingly fruity. On the back end, there was a hoppy, citrus and spruce swing as well as a saucy wheat closing.

I'll be eagerly keeping my eye out for other offerings from Underdog's, 'cause this stuff was really enjoyable.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.