Evil Genius Hunchback

I stopped by one of the better six-pack shops in town earlier in the week and picked up a Supervillains 6er from Evil Genius.  I'd heard good things about this brewery before, so I've been looking forward to trying their product.  Plus, they're a PA brewery, so I get the feel-goods for supporting a quasi-local small-scale brewery.  And it's hard to beat a good hefe on a hot and humid summer day, so I went for the Hunchback first:

Vittles:

Hefeweizen

5.4% abv

13 IBUs

Score:

Appearance: 9/10

Aroma: 22/25

Taste: 36/40

Mouthfeel: 8/10

Style: 4/5

Drinkability: 8/10

Overall: 87/100

Impression:

I was a little disappointed when, after I swirled quite vigorously and poured the beer, there was still a fair amount of yeast sediment that hadn't roused when agitated, and I'm sure the yeast left in the bottle took a little away from the aroma and flavor of the poured beer.  I did smell and taste a little of the banana and clove I was looking forward to, as well as a very well-presented wheat background, but the primary characteristic was lemony-citrus until the beer warmed.  Again, I'm sure the true hefe flavors would've been more prominent if the yeast cake hadn't been so stubborn.  And recalcitrant.  But as the beer warmed, more of the esters and phenols came to the front, leaving only a slight sharp sting on the back end.  Overall, this was a very satisfying hefe -- not a Franziskaner, not by a long shot, but a solid example of the style nonetheless.  Next time I'll make sure to swirl more vigorously and for longer, just to make sure I get all that yeasty goodness in my glass.

Cheers!