One note on style since both of our beers this review are wheat beers. Wheat beers are brewed with at least a 50/50 ratio of wheat to malt. As a general rule they have lower alcohol levels and less bitterness than other beers, with more spicier flavours. They are also generally unfiltered and have a cloudy appearance.
Mad and Noisy Brewing Hoppy Hefeweizen
Before we talk about the beer we really need to talk about the brewery. Mad and Noisy is owned by Creemore Springs, which isn’t obvious when you look at the can. Mad and Noisy is named for two rivers that run through Creemore and this is the Creemore Springs label used to experiment with new styles. I think it’s also important to note that Molson bought Creemore Springs in 2005.
This beer really reminded me of a grapefruit radler. It had a pale yellow colour and a lot of grapefruit flavours on the nose. There was lots of citrus taste and not a lot of bitterness. The fact this is so close to a radler makes it an ideal summer beer, and because it’s 4.7% it’s quite easy drinking.
All or Nothing Brewhouse Hopfenweisse
All or Nothing is from the Durham Region of Ontario, just outside Toronto. It was founded by a pair of brothers and really plays into the whole craft beer versus mass-produced lager, even having a boxing match promotion poster alluding to it. This brewery used to do contract brewing to brew it’s hopfenweisse but purchased Trafalgar Ales and Meads, as well as Black Creek Historic Brewing and Trafalgar Artisanal Brewing, so they will be able to begin production out of their own facilities soon.
This beer is 5.1% ABV and it pours a nice caramel colour, which was darker than the other hefeweizen I tried. There’s a thick head to it that stayed for a while. On the nose there’s a lot of malt scents, with only a hint of the citrus from the hops. There’s also some very interesting spice notes in the beer that I initially chalked up to yeast or hop mixing but that are probably from the use of wheat.
Drinks with David 