Few things in life are as enjoyable as a perfectly chilled, expertly poured hefeweizen served to you outside on a hot summer day. It’s as enjoyable a drinking experience as a dedicated fan of the brewing arts could ever ask for.
Although the glorious golden hefeweizen has its own taste and sweetness, I place it in my favorite beverage category: “Beer Flavored Beer”.
The other category of beer that we will explore in future adventures is “Weird Beer”.
City toast.
David ClarkFor me fellow explorers, “beer flavored beer” consists of lagers, lagers, porters, IPAs, wheat beers and the like. It’s beer presented in a way that most of us recognize and accept as…beer.
It’s not fancy. It’s dependable, pleasantly familiar and rarely disappoints.
Fellow explorer, Detroit Free Press writer Brian Manzullo, put it this way in a recent chat: If you want to see what your favorite brewery is really made of, order a lager. See the taste of their “beer flavored beer” and you will get an idea of their sense of craftsmanship, rather than their ability to “brew stunts”.”
“Weird Beer” includes sours, cascades (anything flavored with candy or cereal), and just about anything aged in some sort of barrel. These are great beers – some are even exceptional – but they stretch the gullibility of what beer is and sometimes the patience of the average beer drinker.
Great Weird Beers transcends the simple goodness of a traditional pint of beer and becomes something beyond beer. Others are interesting ideas that often find a sad ending and a slow sinking down the drain. (Pause for a moment of silence for those we have lost.)
These are of course my own categories, and “Beer flavored beer” is my preference. The “hefeweizen” style is a traditional German beer that dates back to the 1500s. It is a heritage wheat beer that immigrated to America with our German friends who brought their dairy, butchery and brewing prowess to the Midwest so that we were never short of an excellent range of cheeses, sausages and beers.
This skillfully crafted, unfiltered masterpiece, Three Mile Marker hefeweizen, is available on tap at the brewery year-round and in cans from spring through fall.
David ClarkHistory and heritage are fundamentally the foundation upon which the Midland Brewing Company was built. Photos and memorabilia from the area’s logging town past are prominently displayed in the brewery and restaurant at 5011 N. Saginaw Road. So let’s stop and enjoy the skillfully crafted, unfiltered masterpiece that is Three Mile Marker hefeweizen, available on tap at the brewery year-round and in cans from spring through fall.
What are we looking for in a hefeweizen? It is a weissbier – “white beer” or wheat beer. Sweet and refreshing notes of banana, clove, coriander. Some breweries really double that and their beers almost take on a candy flavor – hints of vanilla or even bubblegum. I described the taste to a friend as “Banana Laffy Taffy” in character. Imagine a pint of crisp, fresh fruit that gets a bit more complex at the end, ending in banana bread. If you pour at home, make sure you have a nice head on this one.
I measured this offering against another favorite, award-winning weissbier in the state – the “Original Weissbier” made by the beautiful Cedar Springs Brewing, 95 N. Main St NE, Cedar Springs, near Rockford.
Brewer: Midland Brewing Company
Style: Hefeweizen (German weissbier – wheat beer)
ABV: 5.6 ABV
Appearance: A dreamy, cloudy yellow that leaves a slight lace in your glass. Just pour it and you’ll get a nice fluffy head on top of your glass – kinda looks like marshmallow fluff.
Aroma: Just a little floral, with generous banana notes. I didn’t find this one as flavorful as other similar beers poured from a can, but I had a better nose when I recently ordered a draft from MBC.
Mouthfeel: Sweet, with a little wheat bite on the back.
Price: Worth it at $10 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans. It’s about $2.50 a pint.
Summary: An excellent offer from a great brewery. It’s traditional. I don’t know if it’s my favorite MBC beer, but it’s a must if you’re craving beer flavored beer.
Pairs with: With the sun shining and the grill warming up, I’d be inclined to throw brats. Make sure you have a good spicy mustard to go with it. In a completely different direction, try lighter seafood dishes – perch dinner, grilled prawns with a punch of lemon juice at the end. A nice coleslaw or a simple garden salad to end dinner. Peach Pie, Banana Coconut Cream Pie, or Key Lime Pie would end the proceedings. And since this is a heritage beer, pick up a fun playlist of German drinking songs on Spotify or Apple Music. If you want to get weird, Kraftwerk’s “The Man Machine” will get you there.
Midland Brewing Company has won its fair share of awards for Three Mile Marker, including a gold medal 2018 at the world beer exhibition in Frankenmuth. Midland’s offering can certainly stand up to the competition.
MBC cited its own banana and clove notes in the aroma and taste, as well as a hint of pineapple in the finish. I didn’t have the pineapple, but I’d be happy to walk three miles to get another pint of this refreshing weissbier and try it again.
A pint of this in the pub or a can served for a night at home will do more than just keep you entertained until we can explore more next week… Sköll!
