Nose shows some clove and banana bread, with a soft wheat-husk background, nutty yeast, hints of citrus and a brush of floral. In the mouth, the beer is smooth on the palate, light and uplifting. The palate is piqued by crisp carbonation and a watery, lemony edge that segues into a slightly grassy wheat twang, with very soft phenolic image clover-like and thin banana flavors. Pithy floral, nutty yeast, gummy notes. Hops are non-existent, but somewhat expected for the style. Malt characters are weak, lending just a hint of residual sweetness. The finish on this brew is bone dry, with a mouthful of rough and husky tannins and yeast flavors that, unfortunately, linger long past their welcome.

Pours smooth and creamy into the glass. The beer is an opaque and murky straw-amber color, topped with a thick and creamy foam head. Lacing is nice, with some glass-clinging action going on, and more than ample head retention. What's odd about the appearance is the amount of yeast in suspension. Even when chilled for days, the yeast is still hanging in there, when typically it would settle. Something is keeping it floating around, and it aint Mother Nature.

The aroma is soft, with hints of pepper, cracked wheat and malt powder, as well as notes of fruit juice and caramel. It grows both yeastier and more metallic as the beer warms. As its carbonation comes into contact with the palate, the beer exhibits a medium body and smooth, creamy mouthfeel. A well-placed candy sweetness dominates, as smooth caramel plays off bold fruitiness, with suggestions of fresh orange and peach. Complex spices - pepper, anise - highlight the alcohol and cause a prickliness on the palate. Eventually, an interesting smokiness emerges to balance the rest. Near the finish, there's a light, wheaty tang and an increasing dryness, which meshes with hints of peach skin. It ends dry, with a coarser, faintly nutty yeastiness. Bitterness and hop flavors are minimal, marked only by a thin citric edge and a soft leafy feel.

Simply broken down, Hefe (yeast) Weizen (wheat) is of German origin and traditionally means an unfiltered wheat beer with yeast in it. It is often referred to as 'weissbier mit hefe' (with yeast). It is an ale and usually a bottle-conditioned one at that filtered, then infused with a secondary yeast strain for natural conditioning. Crafted with up to 65 percent malted wheat, the remainder of the grist is malted barley. The addition of wheat is what gives this beverage a very crisp and refreshing profile. Hefeweizens are generally highly carbonated brews, and when poured, these magnificent beers should be cloudy (from the higher proteins contained in wheat malt), pale gold to a spectrum of amber shades and with an almost on the verge of overflowing, meringue-like crown (thick, stiff, foamy and creamy). You can stave off an overflowing head by rinsing your glass in cold water first.

The first sip introduces something smooth and creamy to the palate, but beneath lies something very powerful. Mouthfeel is dense, chewy, syrupy and slick with candied fruits and a massive malty backbone with caramel, toffee and toasted bread. The heat (perceived alcohol) on this one is quite high, with a big 10 percent alcohol spice that melds well with rye bread crust flavors, rounded with berry-like fruit esters that make your heart skip a beat. The palate is then subjected to a salty, sticky hop resin with a sharp citric edge that smacks of half a pink grapefruit with 10 sugar packets on it (just the way Grandma likes it). Hops character is actually quite complex, continuing with some dry aspirin. Rye and bready flavors become more pronounced in the linger, as the beer dries and sheds a near-carob character across the palate. Alcohol gets a bit fumy and warming. Finish is oily, resinous, herbal and raw.

Brought to us in 16-ounce pints on tap, the condensation-covered glass and dim lighting yielded a shimmering copper-colored brew with a tawny center and a slight touch of haze. Atop the brew, a wonderful tight lacing with more than ample head retention and stick. Aroma is big, with notes of resinous pine, grapefruit, distinct fruit cocktail characters and caramelized sugars spread on toasted bread.

The short, stubby, 11.2-ounce Duvel-style bottle releases a dark, leathery-brown brew, with a tan-colored, super-tight, creamy, fluffy lacing. Amazing head retention. Malted milk balls, spicy yeast and a soft herbal Saaz aroma. As soon as the beer hits the palate, it creams up with a light and fluffy feel and lively carbonation. Slight up-front sharpness, a meld of light hop bitterness and slight medicinal phenols, with a warming alcohol bite riding its wake. Notes of pith and leaf. Herbal tea and a tease of pepper tucked beneath a moderate residual sweetness, with flavors of toffee, brown bread, dried fruits and fermented honey. Some spice emerges from the alcohol as it warms. Finish goes dry, with some residual malt sweetness and bready yeast in the back.

The beer pours dark brown, near black, with ruby hues. Tan foamy head with a decent amount of clingy lace. Loads of complex roasted and smoked aromas, pear, grain and husk beneath. Smooth and creamy on the palate. Medium body, with a nice malty base. Light fruity grape flavors add some nice balance to accented smokiness. Pear-like flavors and feel. Bitterness is balanced and allows the Weyermann rauch and chocolate wheat malts to flex. Nice hints of chocolate smooth things together quite nicely. A raw leafy character leaves a tannin feel on the palate, along with some smoky husks. Slightly dry finish with smoky lingers.

Smooth, thick and viscous on the palate, with a full and robust body. For a moment, its sweet and tropical, then hops rush in and tear it all to shreds! The lip-smacking hop profile roams all over the place, as a sticky pine and a slightly burnt resinous coating forms on the palate. Intensely spicy, with a big grapefruity zest and a sugary, warming alcohol that smacks you upside the head for noticing it. Malt-wise, caramel and bread flavors clamor to be heard, but the hops entangle them and draw them back into the depths of the brew, where they die. Malt flavors are there, but they add sweetness and body versus anything distinct enough to challenge the hops.

As expected, the 12-ounce bottle releases a cloudy, pale, straw-colored beer with plenty of yeast in suspension. Head is pure white, with a tight, creamy lace and plenty of healthy-looking stick and stay on the glass. A soft clove spiciness in the nose goes deep with sweet grain suggestions, followed by unripe banana, a hint of fruitiness and notes of lemon oil.

This quad is insanely fluffy-smooth on the palate, with an even, full-body and semi-sharp carbonation edge that knocks the silky bliss down for a moment. The softness returns as a mildly sweet malt profile, with dried raisins, powdery dark chocolate, sweet cherries soaked in alcohol and a slight tartness of strawberries. Hop character coats with a leafy feel on the palate, yielding a delicate noble hop bitterness, as well as a touch of cheesiness and pithiness. This melds with spicy phenols, which lends a slight medicinal flavor that wanders within the spicy alcohol and heat. Finish is very dry, with residual yeast and crackery lingers.