750 mL capped bottle from Arbor Place Beverage, Douglasville, GA, USA. $11.99. “BOTTLED IN 2009” dot-matrixed on the side of the bottle in yellow ink.
Based upon reviews, I went for the Tucher Weizen glass – it seems appropriate, and that particular glass shows off virtually any beer very nicely. The body is a slighly hazed, rich golden one with a white head that fades quickly. I guess the lack of head can be at least partly attributed to the ABV. Nice stream of carbonation comes from the bottom of the glass in a persistent fashion.
Nose gives alcohol, cloves, lemongrass. Strong on the lemon notes.
Tastes are initialy reminiscent of a lager shandy from England. This means a cheap macro lager with English lemonade (7-UP/Sprite like carbonated lemony beverage) added. It quickly moves away from this to give a more sophisticated note. There is a slightly viscous mouthfeel and the alcohol begins to become a little more apparent. More herbal qualities start to come through which must be a combo of the juniper and the chai tea. The finish adds a welcome and tasty (but minimal) bitterness.
In summary, very tasty, very drinkable and a nice combo of alcohol and tastes. As usual, a nice re-working of a well established style with a typical DFH twist.