Mana Wheat Beer

Mana Wheat Beer

     This beer is another brew I attained from a tasting at the restaurant I work at.  This is a wheat ale brewed with Pineapple--just in case you didn't read the can.  This is a mixed review beer, that meaning, some like it, some hate it.  A lot of reviews I read on Beer Advocate are good reviews, but I disagree, but I'll share that with you later.  It's a nice can.  It has a nice color, nice graphics, and this is the first beer I've reviewed that was in a can.  The back of the can states that it is better to can beer instead of bottle them to prevent oxidation and light damage.  It is also more environmentally friendly.   Umm, okay, anyway...

Appearance

     The color was a dark brownish amber color.  It was very cloudy and had a lot of carbonation bubbles streaming from the bottom.  The head was white with a slight hue of orange (although that could've been the lighting) and was about 1 1/3 of an inch thick.  It retained well and hung around until close to the end of the beer.  Again, one day I'll buy new beer glasses.

Smell

     The smell of pineapple is immediate and strong.  You know there's pineapple in there, all other smells are subtle (or imaginary).  The smell of yeast comes in second place but focus is necessary to pick it up.  There's a little bit of grain present, which I assume is the wheat, but very subtle.  

Taste

     YUCK!  I earlier said I disagreed with the reviews, or average thereof, on Beer Advocate, which was a B+.  Yes, YUCK.  I just do not like this beer.  I suppose it's because I like beer and I like beer alone--not some mutant fruit/beer science experiment.  I've drank this three times from three different packages and they all tasted the same, so it's not skunked; also, remember, the can keeps it fresher for longer.  The taste was bitter, and not bitter like beer, but bitter like canned pineapple juice that kept some aluminum to share with your tongue.  Also, they took that pineapple/aluminum and threw beer in it.  Maybe this was actually beer that spilled in pineapple juice and someone thought it was good.  Or maybe Hawaiians love pineapple THAT MUCH.  Either way it was not good to me.  The tang of pineapple ruined it and you can taste the beer and pineapple fighting each other. 

Mouthfeel

     Going down it was slimy--slimy like the feeling of pineapple juice.   It dried out during the after taste but still left a bitter taste in your mouth.  There was little to no bite from the carbonation.  Overall, the feel of it was like drinking a rotten can of pineapple juice.

Overall

     This brew won a couple awards (see: Maui Brewing Co. ) and I honestly think that  it was only because it was either the only beer in its class or there was a real lack of competitors.  I've tried a raspberry brew in Berlin by a company called Berliner Kindle which was not bad, or not as bad (which I have to say went absolutely wonderful when mixed with Absinthe), but the Mana Wheat was terrible.  A lot of people have told me they really like it, and only two others say they didn't, not including me.  Look, I like pineapples.  I like pineapple juice.  But when you decide you want to put it in your beer, shoot yourself in the mouth.   So I guess this is proof that I have a tongue and an opinion and that this blog isn't a farce where I'm trying to get cozy with beer makers for a handout (but they are accepted and encouraged).  Anyway, it's up to you to taste and make your own decision, I just give you a heads up.  Anyway, what am I, the Pied Piper?

Pyramid Haywire Hefeweizen

Pyramid Haywire Hefeweizen

     You like that label?  Apparently,  this beer makes you feel like you're climbing the side of a building.  I must be frank, this label is ugly.  That's probably my biggest gripe with a lot of American breweries--the labels are a little annoying to the eye.  But I can overlook if you make good beer.  So this is Pyramid Haywire Hefeweizen, a new name for the brewery according to their site.  Their original name was plainly Pyramid Hefeweizen.  Apparently, this beer was named to remind you it'll make you haywire.  So I bought this as a six pack from Bevmo! because, well, I don't really know why I picked this particular brand up.  I guess the label did me in.  What I thought you ask?  I got you friend.

Appearance

     As you can see (I think I always lead in with that now), it's a cloudy golden/orange color which references the wheat that it's made of.  A lot of carbonation streams rising to the top, which I thought looked cool (I  interject that because I don't see people talk about it too much in other reviews and sometimes I enjoy watching the bubbles rise, especially in lighter beers).   The brew looked like it had the texture of thick and creamy.  The head was slightly larger than what you see on the right, but it broke away quickly and left the beer looking less appealing.
  

Smell

     The smell was slightly sweet and a little bit smokey.  The sweet smell was not sweet like candy but of something like honeysuckle pig sweet, thus the smokey barbecue smell.  Yeah, I said barbecue, is that weird?  It probably is, but that's what I smelled.  Again, it wasn't strong.  It was actually quite light in smell.  The smell waved in and out but wasn't present the entire session.

Taste

     I was pretty disappointed with this beer as far as taste goes.  There was a complexity in smell, although light, that made me expect more from the taste.  Yes, it was a little bit sweet, the basic taste of a Hefeweizen.  There weren't any strong tastes that set it apart from anything else.  Actually, it tasted like the breweries skipped out on putting any other taste in the brew.  There was a little bit of a bitter aftertaste that may have been due to aging (a good amount of dust on the bottle when I bought it), but I don't think that's the reason for the bitter.  Overall taste was disappointing.  Especially if you've had a lot of Hefeweizens prior to drinking this.  One taste that came out was a slight twinge of an unripe orange.  The orange taste being a flavor I taste in many Hefeweizens.  I should probably say 'citrus' rather than orange because that's what the flavor is closer to.  Also, there was a sweet taste but, again, nothing that wows the palate.  Otherwise, the entire flavor canvas of this beer was light like the smell and didn't impress me much. 

Mouthfeel
     
     The feel was pretty aerated and frothy.  The end of a drink would have a slight dry sensation on the tongue.  No refreshing taste and it was pretty bland to drink.  I was pretty distracted with the frothy feel that I didn't get much out of taste.  Overall, the mouthfeel was plain.

Overall

     Eh...that's all I can really say.  I'd drink it again only if someone bought it for me.  It wasn't bad, but the taste is like my opinion of the beer--plain.  At 5.40% ABV this could be a session beer.  I didn't feel much and, yeah, I can drink this all day.  There was nothing robust about this beer so I can't give you something to hold on to about this beer.  I automatically give Bud Light a shit rating.  You need letters? A damn 'F' for Bud Light.  This beer would be a C.  I don't like giving letter grades because of the subjectivity of taste, but there are beers that I can definitely grade; and, this beer is a definite C.  It's just there.  Don't be afraid of it, but don't go out of your way for it.  Then again, the great thing about opinion is that it's not truth and you, you, or you, can just tell me to go fuck myself.

     If you were keen enough to check the label I put on these things--a label I make by type of beer--then you'll notice that this beer is labeled American Pale Wheat Ale.  But the label on the bottle says Hefeweizen.  Well, American Pale Wheat Ale is another way of saying "American Hefeweizen."  If you want a definition of  a Hefeweizen, then go here.  If you weren't lazy and clicked on the links, you'll notice that at the end of each definition states that adding a lemon wedge is an American popularization and can be a nice complement or a slap in the face of beer makers.  My opinion of the lemon wedge is forget about it--in most cases.  I would actually put a lemon wedge on a Pyramid Haywire.  It would probably add a nice flavor, but I didn't try it.  For me, most Hefeweizens have enough flavor, especially German Hefeweizens, that the lemon just cancels all the strong flavors out.  Here's a little rule you can follow that I just made up right now:  if it is an American Pale Wheat Ale, or Hefeweizen made in America, then sure, you can put a lemon if you really need to, but try it without one first.  If is is a Hefeweizen from Germany: DON'T PUT A LEMON.  That's just my opinion.    I don't know what I"m drinking next but let's hope it's a good one.  Deuces!