REVIEW: König Ludwig Royal Bavarian Hefe-Weizen

OK, so you've probably noticed in the past few weeks that I've been featuring more and more summer beers, more wheat beers. It's that time of year, it's hot, and also, I'm trying to kind of expand my horizons a bit, try new things. I can't review IPAs every day after all. That would get boring for the both of us. And that's one of my favorite things about craft beer: the variety. It's also no real secret that these summer ales and wheat beers aren't my favorite styles. But I think I may have finally found one that I really enjoy. I'll admit, I only bought this particular beer because I already had the glass and I wanted to use it for the blog. While we're on the glass though, how cool is that?? One nerdy note, the castle on there, Schloss Neuschwanstein, is the palace built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria König is German for king, King Ludwig, Royal Bavarian Hefe-Weizen, things starting to make sense? one of my high school history professors had a poster of that castle on her wall. It's always stuck with me. I think because it looks exactly how I always pictured Hogwarts in my head. (remeber, the nerd in the title of this blog pertains to way more than beer.) Anyways, enough of my rambling. To the beer!

This beer pours a slightly hazy pale yellow, actually not as cloudy as I thought it would be. That may be my fault though as a result of a less than optimal pour. Tons of effervescent bubbles stream towards the surface and feed into a dense bubbly white head.

The aromas here are very fruity, mainly banana. Backed by some spicy clove and hints at that Bavarian yeast.

The body on König Ludwig is light and the flavors are all very delicate and measured. The first thing I notice is how bright and effervescent this beer is. I've complained in the past that beers have been over carbonated, that's not a problem here. The high levels of carbonation give it a very summery, light, spritzy quality. Light, slightly toasty, malt flavor leads and is followed by a fruity, sweet, almost bubble gum like flavor. It finishes with a crisp hop bite. The bitterness and carbonation make for a very clean finish and a very refreshing beer to be sure. Each sip leaves me wanting another.

This beer is delightful. Light, flavorful, complex. All of the components are expertly measured and work beautifully in concert together. If wheat beers are your thing, and even if they aren't, you need to try this beer.

HD