One style I never tire of drinking is Hefeweizen, especially in the summer. I love its simple complexity (if you know what I mean). It is refreshing, offers a fairly straightforward palate, but has such wonderfully complex aromas and flavours from the yeast. I love how it is both relaxing and attention-getting.

But one of my ongoing frustrations is getting my hands on a well-made version. Hefeweizens are notoriously delicate and fickle beer, meaning the array of classic German versions we receive are not at their prime – especially if they have been sitting around for a couple of months since arrival. It doesn’t mean that they aren’t still wonderful (take this for example), but I often wonder just how fantastic they would be back in Germany.

I have found Canadian-made versions to be a bit hit-and-miss. There are clearly some exceptional examples, such as Denison’s out of Toronto (which I eagerly await its impending arrival in Alberta), but there are also a fair number of mediocre versions as well (I see no reason to name them here). Yet, my search continues.

Which is a long-winded way of saying that my latest column in Vue Weekly was a review of Muskoka Brewery’s Summer Weiss (read it here), which was the latest in my quest for a quality hefeweizen.

Does it pass? Well, I am never that binary. I really enjoyed the estery finish of the beer. It had a cascade of banana, clove, coriander, orange, lemon and clover honey that had me smiling. My complaint was with the start. I wanted more soft, earthy wheat character from the beer. It seemed almost watery at first.

I enjoyed it enough to consider it for a Vue review, but it is not without flaws. But, to be as fair as I can be, I take into consideration that hefeweizens are very difficult to brew. I have tried my hand at it a few times, with clearly mixed success. Hitting all the notes in just the right proportion is hard.

And the quest continues on…