Everyone loves a winner, myself included. I decided to try Plank because it was marked as a customer’s choice at a local store and it advertised itself as a World Beer Cup medal winner. I figured if the people and the judges agreed, it was worth trying. In the end, I liked it and I see why the beer is held in high esteem. When Plank entered the World Beer Cup in 2006, the brewery went back to Germany with four awards including Best Small Brewery and Brewmaster, Silver Medal for German-Style Dark Wheat Ale, Gold Medal for Southern German-Style Weizenbock, and Gold Medal for German-Style Pale Wheat Ale. My brew was labeled as Plank Bavarian Hefeweizen, which is the silver medal winner in the category German-Style Dark Wheat Ale.

As a hefeweizen fan, I knew what I was looking for in this brew. The unfiltered wheat beer needed a good balance of wheats and malts with some interesting flavors to win me over. The pour started off great with dark orange color and nice head which settled into a lasting cap. Plank’s traditional banana sweetness and clove flavors were well established upon my first drink and I also enjoyed the note of white grapes. The yeast bread flavor rounded out the taste. The mouthfeel is thin with some carbonation, which would make it a great choice on a hot day. As it happens, I tried this brew in February so I’m just dreaming that Plank would be refreshing on a hot summers day. I’ll try again in June and let you know.

ABV: 5.2%

Grade: A-