Magic Hat Elder Betty Review

Name: Magic Hat Elder Betty
Style: Hefeweizen
ABV: 5.5%

In all my years I've been drinking craft beer, I've never had anything from Magic Hat Brewing with the exception of having one of their beers (I can't remember the name, sadly) on tap at The Rail Station in South Minneapolis about 3 years ago. Regardless, that is going to change today because I'm looking at Elder Betty, their summer seasonal hefeweizen that's brewed with elderberries. It's also worth mentioning that I have no idea what elderberries taste like.

Elder Betty pours a fairly cloudy orange color and the head, while initially thin upon pouring, is pretty much nonexistent after a couple of minutes. There is a small amount of visible carbonation with a couple of bubbles here and there.

The nose has very sweet and blueberry-like fruitness, which is probably coming from the elderberries themselves. I'm also picking up on some malted wheat in there also well but for the most part it's very fruity smelling.

The flavor, much like the aroma, is very sweet & fruity tasting, thanks in part to the elderberries. There's also a solid malted wheat base and some citra/floral hoppiness, the latter of which is relatively mild compared to the rest of the flavor.

The palate is very light in terms of weight and carbonation so this is pretty easy to drink. Since this is a summer seasonal, it makes sense in the grand scheme of things.

I found Elder Betty to be a pretty good beer. It doesn't do anything too extraordinary in terms of flavor (save for the elderberries of course) but it's a nice summer seasonal beer and that's all that really matters. Definitely check this out if you get the chance.

Magic Hat Elder Betty - 8/10

Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen Review

Name: Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen
Style: Hefeweizen
ABV: 4.8%

Even though fall started a couple weeks ago, it was still a relatively warm day here in Duluth. Since I have a couple summer beers still sitting around in the fridge, I figured now would be a good time to review and besides, I need a break from Oktoberfest beers for once a little bit. This one comes courtesy of Sierra Nevada with their summer seasonal Kellerweis, which is their own Hefeweizen style ale.

Kellerweis pours a hazy yellow color with a pillowy yet soapy head. There really isn't any carbonation to speak of nor is there lacing to be seen.

The nose has a clove & bubblegum like quality to it upfront with some light caramel and banana notes in the back. Pretty vibrant nose overall.

However the same cannot be said about the flavor. Sure it has clove, bubblegum, yeasts, wheat, banana and pale malt notes and even a bit of floral hoppiness... but none of them really jump out at you. It all seems fairly mild in comparison to the nose which gives me the impression of something more......robust! As for the aftertaste...there is none, it's pretty dry.

As expected from what I saw earlier, the body is pretty lightweight and there's absolutely no carbonation to speak of here.

Even though it looked like I was ripping this beer a new one, it's by no means a terrible beer but it fails to capture the essence of what the nose had to offer. Those who read my posts regularly know that I consider Summit Brewing's Hefeweizen to be my benchmark and this beer fails match that quality. Yes I can see the appeal this could have on a scalding hot day but the flavor just lacks the passion that the aroma gave off.

Summit Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen - 6.5/10