Beer number seven was Kellerweis! Kellerweis is Sierra Nevada's latest edition to the year round line up, known in Chico as the flagship. I don't know why the year round beers are the flagship, but I like it. Kellerweis is a hefeweizen. I love the Kellerweis but I was sad to see the Wheat go. Sierra Nevada is no longer bottling the Wheat, but you can find Chrystal Wheat on tap at the local bars and restaurants. I have always loved the Wheat, especially when I am out at the bars and don't want anything heavy or on a hot day in August.

I think the Kellerweis is a good beer, but I don't think it was a worthy substitute for the Wheat. The Wheat is a kristallweizen and has a nice clean flavor. The kristallweizen means that it has been filtered and is a clear golden color. I could drink it all day long and not feel full. Kellerweis is a hefeweizen and has strong banana and clove flavors. Hefeweizens are unfiltered and are a cloudy golden color. As you drink it you get that nice yeasty hef taste, followed closely by a strong banana and a clove finish. I hate cloves, so I always try to drink my Kellerweis before it gets warm. When it is cold all you taste is the yeast and the banana. You can smell the cloves as you drink but you can't really taste them. After the beer gets warm however the cloves take over. I love it when it's cold, but after it has gotten warm I won't even pick it back up. The sweetness of the beer is lovely but I never have more than a couple. I always feel like I need to cleanse my palate after having one, so I reach for an IPA.

I would have the Kellerweis as a nice, light dessert beer. It would be a nice end to any spring or summer evening.