High Five Hefe

I have waited a while for this one. As far as hefeweizen beers go I have received nothing but praise, and raves about this particular version. I love this one as well! It is a another great ale that has pumping out quality ales since it's inception in the tiny little college town of Ellensburg, WA. For those of you who do not know of the brewerey with which I speak it is Ironhorse Brewery in Ellensburg, and they make one of the best sweet stouts I have ever had the pleasure of attaching to the taste glands of my tongue. This review however is of the their hefeweizen, which is one of the most flavorful entries I've encountered in quite some time. For starters I consider Pyramid Hefeweizen the benchmark by which all other Hefeweizens should be measured. In it's pure for it is the perfect mark of what a German style Wheat beer should be. This one gooses that genre, then sends it streaking into the atmosphere. I have yet to meet a person who does not agree that this is a great beer. It is a perfect summer beer, eary to drink, full of flavor, and not to heavy. Everything most people (including myself look for in a beer come summertime). Just like their Irish Death, Ironhorse combines the perfect amount of ginger and honey to create an incredibly flavorful beer. The odor spells out exactly what the beer is, in a snifter the sweet smell, combine with ginger and wheat base beer is extremely pungent. The flavor, well the wheat taste of a good hefeweizen is immediately apparent. Instead of adding a lemon during the inviving process, this one has added flavor during the brewing process. It comes out great the ginger and the honey combine to add a sweetness to the wheat beer that is almost seemless. The impressive part of this beer is that no flavor really overpowers the other, creating a complex beer with a highly desirable flavor, and smell. For lighter wheat beers the bar has been set, as this ale fit to finish creates a new standard of flavor and drinkability. This beer is easy to get in trouble with, I bought a case at the brewery, and a bottle is so easy that you forget that it is near 7% alchol what you are drinking! This beer is easily accesible from the brewery which is just off of I90 for those of you traveling, and has started to pop up at the specialty beer stores (99 bottles, Beer Junction, etc.). If you happen to catch it at your local grocery store, I highly recommend, neh demand you pick it up. Despite differing tastes in beers, every friend I have talked to, or given a bottle to, has come back blown away by just how smooth, balanced, and flavorful this light ale is! Ironhorse is central WA's great white hope, and they are starting to pummel the competition. I highly endorse getting to know one of our state's best kept secrets, and probably the best damn wheat beer on the mirco market. High Five is a leap forward that I didn't even say coming, bravo Ironhorse, bravo!