Pyramid's Haywire Hefeweizen

Still in Elk River, a fellow rider gifted me with a bottle of the Pyramid Haywire Hefeweizen. The Pyramid brews all originate from a chain of West-Coast alehouses, each brewing delicious Pyramid Brewery beer. As a prominent macrobrew of the area, I will definitely be drinking more of their brews in the future. Still this is the present, so let us get to the drinking!

The bottle has a base grey-blue tint, and it has a orderly, precise looking title. The picture is a new-urban sort of city scene imposed within the outline of the great pyramids, and a blue guy is climbing them like mountains. I suspect this is supposed to evoke action, but as moving around and sweating is the last thing I want to do while tossing back a cold one, the picture doesn't exactly speak to me.



Once the bottle was open, I noticed a distinct, fruity-fermented smell that was quite sweet. The beer itself is not sweet at all, so anyone against sweet beers, don't let the smell of this brew turn you away from having a taste. You won't be turned off by the flavor.

Pouring the Haywire Hef out: it has that classic, murky, brownish-orange color that pleases the eye, and it lets you know you're drinking a wheat beer. As soon as I saw it, I thought "this is gonna' be a tasty brew."

Now before you drink, you need to make a decision: add a lemon, or no. The sweet-sour of the lemon will make the drink sweeter and a bit more dynamic in that respect. But I opted out and drank the beer without the fruit for the sake of exploring the pure taste of the brew.

The first contact with the beer is enjoyably tingly. After a few moments, the tingle fades into a tasty, bitter-smooth wheat body. It glides across your tastebuds. It is full, but not overpowering: a well-balanced and smartly crafted taste.

The malty-flavored finish ends the experience with a pleasant surprise. It is a refreshing, semi-sweetness that cleans the pallet a bit, and leaves you ready for the next swig. It adds some welcome taste variation in an otherwise very traditional tasting Hef.

The Pyramid Haywire Hefeweizen is a solid choice for this variety of German-style beer. Its flavor and smoothness will be appreciated by anyone who likes a good Hef, but it might be a bit challenging to any who prefer more crisp, hops-based beers. If you are looking to start trying wheats, the Pyramid Hef, though excellent, might be too Hef, and thus scare you away from the genre. But don't forget to come back if you do because this beer is not one to miss.