BarberSurgeon
Well-Known Member
Found one of these at my friend's house. I guess his father bought a variety pack of the Michelob faux-beer styles. Being a big fan of Bavarian wheats, I had to try it.
The smell is almost there. I get the right notes in there except it is shrouded in some kind of misery. This does not seem promising.
To their credit, the bottle says unfiltered and it is indeed so. There is a decent amount of sediment in the bottle, the beer stays cloudy, and there even seems to be a few visible chunks in suspension.
The first taste is a little better than expected. They've obviously identified the banana aspect of the style. I won't outright accuse them of using flavoring or an extract, but it wouldn't surprise me. It's pretty strong. Once this flavor subsides, however, a cider flavor takes over and won't go away until the next sip (is this the genius of their design?). My friend quickly described it as "Slim Jim". Sadly, this is the lasting impression of the beer.
I'll give them a share of props for attempting to reach out to the craft beer market, but it's clearly an attempt to meet us half-way. My biggest concern is that people in their target demographic will try this and be turned off from trying better examples of the style. I certainly don't think they are so insidious as to brew crappy beer in various styles for the sole purpose of discouraging their drinkers from branching out, but it certainly might be a sad coincidence.
On a related note, I'm very curious how much my expectations are affecting the experience. I'd love to try this in a blind taste test.
The smell is almost there. I get the right notes in there except it is shrouded in some kind of misery. This does not seem promising.
To their credit, the bottle says unfiltered and it is indeed so. There is a decent amount of sediment in the bottle, the beer stays cloudy, and there even seems to be a few visible chunks in suspension.
The first taste is a little better than expected. They've obviously identified the banana aspect of the style. I won't outright accuse them of using flavoring or an extract, but it wouldn't surprise me. It's pretty strong. Once this flavor subsides, however, a cider flavor takes over and won't go away until the next sip (is this the genius of their design?). My friend quickly described it as "Slim Jim". Sadly, this is the lasting impression of the beer.
I'll give them a share of props for attempting to reach out to the craft beer market, but it's clearly an attempt to meet us half-way. My biggest concern is that people in their target demographic will try this and be turned off from trying better examples of the style. I certainly don't think they are so insidious as to brew crappy beer in various styles for the sole purpose of discouraging their drinkers from branching out, but it certainly might be a sad coincidence.
On a related note, I'm very curious how much my expectations are affecting the experience. I'd love to try this in a blind taste test.
