Harry Belafonte was loading the banana boat but daylight was coming (Day-O, Day-O) and he wanted to go home.* Sounds to me like Harry was pulling an all-nighter. But this banana boat is of the Hefeweizen variety. Sounds like a job for….. you guessed it, the COMDB translation department. They have been wearing lederhosen for weeks in anticipation of Oktoberfest so they were pumped and primed, or is it primed and pumped. Whatever they were, they were ready. Hefeweizen is a type of weiss beer, which they tell us is German for “white beer”, but a more literal translation of Hefeweizen itself is “yeast wheat” in German. Hefeweizen is a Bavarian Wheat beer.** Oh no, not the dreaded wheat beer. Wheat beers have been the least yeast favourite of the COMDB.
So what is all this crazy banana talk? Well, Hefeweizens often have fruity spicy notes which may include clove or banana. Spoiler alert, guess which one this Houseboat has? So let’s pour this banana boat and see if we find it a-peeling.
A bright golden pour, slightly hazy but aren’t we all these days. Thin garnish of foam. Wow, real banana aroma, as in bananas, as in more than one and crazy. I am bracing myself for a Bobcaygeon Bavarian banana boat ride. First swig is a middling malt body, a nice change from other wheats, and definitely a banana finish. The light malt body has some carbonation and the banana finish has an aftertaste, funky banana, sounds like a 60s band. The aftertaste started to fade but the bananas were there start to finish. Nice body, better than your average wheat beer.
Here is the score. If you love bananas you will love this beer, if you like bananas you may like this beer, and if you detest bananas with your heart and soul and spit on the ground every time someone says banana, you will have spit on the ground 18 times so far and be pretty dry and will need a drink but probably will pass on this hefeweizen. I like bananas every now and then, but not a whole bunch. This brew is OK by me, nice body for a wheat beer, unique finish. True to its genre.
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