Today was brew day, with five groups of people brewing six batches of beer under the shelter of a (closed for the season) Haunted House! I brewed a Cascadian Dark Ale and a Hefeweizen with a tiny bit of orange rind thrown in for good measure. Both were fermenting fantastically a few hours after they were put into primary, fingers crossed.
One of the best things about collaborative brew days is getting to drink all the different home (and commercial) brews folks bring. It’s hard to pick one to highlight as the taste of the day, but I am going to default to Rogue Brewery and their Rogue Mom Hefeweizen, a hefeweizen brewed with ginger and coriander.
Rogue Mom Hefeweizen poured an almost transparent yellow-amber into the glass, its sticky white head fed by a fair amount of carbonation streaming from the bottom of the glass. The nose was bright and citrusy, with some ginger possibly making it through, and was surprisingly light on wheat presence.
Rogue Mom Hefeweizen opened really light, carbonated with lemon and honey notes. The body of the ale settled into a slightly more earthy tone, both the ginger and coriander beings surprisingly understated for a Rogue beer, and none of the cloying, yeast-wheat combo many hefeweizens bring to the table. The ale ended on a slightly spicy note; smooth and dry.
Rogue Mom Hefeweizen is an interesting divergence from the traditional hefeweizen; it is chewier and heavier than many of the traditional American-style hefeweizens and drier and less fruity than a traditional Euro-style hefeweizen. Rogue Mom is more likely to please causal fans of hefeweizen (such as myself) than a hefeweizen purist, but at the end of the day it is an enjoyable, lighter option for a warm day (or some spicy food).
And for those that know the brew crew-
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