We were wrapping up our meal at Piece Pizzeria and Brewery in Chicago, and needed to head out to go to my sister’s football game (she plays professional women’s tackle football for the St. Louis Slam, and we were up in Chicago to watch her team take on the Chicago team). I’d already had their Worryin’ Ale and Wingnut, and helped my wife with her Golden Arm. She didn’t seem to enjoy the first few sips of this beer, so I helped her finish this one as well.

Location: On tap, and served in a large rounded glass at Piece Pizzeria and Brewery in Chicago, Illinois.

Numbers: 5.5% ABV, ~ 170 Calories

Appearance & Aroma: It was a light brown/dark amber color and was fairly cloudy. There was a thin white head on it, which fell after a few minutes. The aroma was light, with some yeast and roasted wheat and very light clove smells detectable.

Taste & Feel: The body was medium-to-full and the mouthfeel was pretty smooth. The flavors up front were light and yeasty with a little bit of breadiness. In the middle, a bit of the roasted wheat accompanied the very light bready flavors. In the finish, there was no bitterness, and a little bit of clove flavor come in. There was a bit of yeasty/bready aftertasted, but it didn’t stick around long.

Food Pairing: As with all of the other Piece beers, this too went good with the pizza. The light yeasty/bready/wheat flavors went well with the crust, and helped to cut and wash down the spiciness from the pepperoni and sausage. I’m not sure there would be a better pairing for this beer than the pizza here at Piece.

Overall Impression: I ordered this beer for my wife because she’s a fan of hefeweizens, and I thought this might expand her preferences a bit. Unfortunately, she wasn’t much of a fan. The beer was fairly light in flavor, with light bready, yeasty, and wheat flavors, but it was a bit of a mix of bland flavors. Perhaps it was the murky brown color of the beer, but it the flavors muddied together a bit, finishing only with a little bit of clove flavor. Even though this beer won a bronze at the 2011 Great American Beer Festival, it was my least favorite of the 4 beers I tried today at Piece.

My Rating:

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