Cherry Street Hammered Monkey Hefeweizen

cherry-street-hefeBrewery: Cherry Street Brewing Cooperative
Location: Cumming, GA
Brew: Hammered Monkey Hefeweizen

Merchant: Ale Yeah
Service: 64 oz Growler

Style: German Hefeweizen
Color: Yellow (4 SRM)
IBU: 15
ABV: 5.5%

Temp: Cool (not cold)

Smell: A sweet aroma with banana, wheat, lemon and clove.

Taste: Visually this beer is a spot on light yellow with a thick haze. The head was not as big as is typical for the style but laced the class very well none the less; which leads me to a tangent.

Before I get into the taste profile I have to get something off of my chest. There is a reason most US brewers don’t call their wheat beers Hefeweizen. (I’m pretty sure it’s because of the water.) They usually call them a White, Wheat or throw in a Belgian yeast and call it a Witte. My soft spot for Hefeweizen may make me oversensitive to this slight of hand. Which is why I was intrigued to see this beer listed on the draft board at the bottle shop. I’m buying any local beer with the audacity to claim their wheat is a Hefe. Cash. Down.

The taste of this beer is a wonderful compliment to the aroma. A sweet yeasty wheat biscuit flavor with light but clear banana and clove notes. Carbonation is right on the high side and really helps lighten this brew to the finish with a subtle citrus. They did it. This is a Hefe—a very good Hefe.

Pair with: A big salad with a zesty dressing or a bratwurst.

3 Caps

Wayne Pelletier

September 1991. I drew from a tall, golden, hazy glass of a fresh and local hefeweizen in Bamberg Germany. Since then I've tasted more than a thousand brews. Here in the Greater Atlanta area we're pretty fortunate. Our local heavies: SweetWater, Atlanta Brewing and Terrapin all do world-class work. But the scene goes much, much deeper. That's where I like to find fresh pints. The goal is to draw attention to those finds on a 3-cap scale. Three seems simple but that isn't to say everything is great, average or terrible. Quite the contrary is the reality. I have come across very few craft/micro beers that are just no good. I assume these are all good beverages brew by good people with good intentions and you should as well. If I cross paths with a local brew that is truly terrible I won’t waste your time, or mine, writing a review. 3 CAPS: Hurry. This is a rare brew worth going out of your way to find. I swear it. 2 CAPS: A very good beer. Stands out as great in the style. 1 CAP: A decent brew that is average for the style. Prost!