After tucking into the three hop-forward beers in the first not-quite-half of 2 Halfs' midwinter 2024 mega-drop, it's time for a trip to Germany! Entering the glass the colour of honey and butterscotch, Heff bestows the drinker with sweet wheat and banana aromas. If you’ve had a hefewiezen before you might notice sharper banana, mango and tropical vibes than in some; ultimately, Heff is a sharp, tangy and flowery-sweet tribute to the German originals.
Predictably darker is schwester-bier D-Heff, a dunkelweizen with the appearance of caramel and manuka honey and an aromatic profile similar to Heff but with subtle notes of blackberry and brown sugar. After a quick "Prost!", D-Heff lands with a sweetness and tang then hangs around delivering malt complexity and an almost raspberry lolly balance of sour-meets-sweetness, punching well above its approachable 4.8 percent ABV.
Leaving Germany behind, we cross the border for a tastebud trip to Belgium! Head into the abyss/night/unknown with De Noir Belgian Porter, which arrives with a luscious latte head atop an almost impenetrable dark red-black liquid. Pleasant toasted malts, chocolate and weekends in Dublin arise from said head, while there's a light breeziness that make this beer surprisingly sessionable.
The session finishes with De Quad, which the detectives among you will have ascertained is a Belgian quad. Cascading into the glass a saliva-inducing amber colour, it gets your nostrils tipsy with aromas of caramel, pecan and whisky. A sip of De Quad is like the last hug your mate gives you before he leaves to become a monk: warm, comforting and impactful. The generous sweetness is matched by the hefty ABV, balancing each other out while tingling notes of Maltesers, mixed spice and red and black licorice run over, around and through your smiling teeth.
Benedict Kennedy-Cox
Published July 17, 2024 2024-07-17 00:00:00
