A little over three years ago, I was in Hawaii, and of course you know I was checking out the local beer scene. I hit the Maui Brewing Company location, the original one, near Ka’anapali and I have to say it was love at first sip. I had already been enjoying their beers here and there in cans and on draft on my trip. At the brewpub, however, the selection was a bit more eclectic, so I had a few beers and a sampler. One of the beers I had there was Shave Weisse, a Berliner Weisse style brew.

I will confess that this was not my favorite beer at Maui. It was refreshing in the hot weather, but in the final analysis, I rated it as a beer I would likely not buy again. I was wrong. Seeing it in cans on craftshack.com, I changed my mind and bought one, because, well, I love Maui beers, and we do not get them here in Georgia. My box of beer came, I examined my can of Shave Weisse and, well, this did not seem to be the beer I tried on Maui. It says Shave Weisse on the front, but on the side it’s called Fruit Punch Shave Weisse.

For one thing, there was no mention of that beer being a fruit punch infused brew, and I don’t recall tasting fruit in it. Then too, the beer I drank on premise had an alcohol content of 3.5% by volume; Fruit Punch Shave Weisse has an alcohol content of 3.8% by volume according to my can.

Things got stranger still. When I went to check in my can of Fruit Punch Shave Weisse, my original check in had been migrated under this listing. There are, however, other variants on Shave Weisse there. Quite confusing my friends, but I assure you, the beer I drink here at home is not the beer I drank in Hawaii.

Ah, the problems of a beer enthusiast.

From the can label:

Perfect for tropical days, Fruit Punch Shave Weisse will quench your thirst and, like the classic island ice treat, will have you wanting more. Packed with a blend of island favorites including mango, strawberry, lilikoi, guava, orange, and lime.

Lilikoi is passion fruit in case you don’t know. Maui Fruit Punch Shave Weisse has 20 IBUs and I paid $3.99 for my can from Craftshack. Total Wine sells it for $9.99 a six-pack, but not in Georgia. My sample is stamped as CANNED ON 03/23/20.

Maui Fruit Punch Shave Weisse pours to a hazy yellow color with a tart lime and passion fruit nose and a short-lived fizzy head. Taking a sip, the beer is tart crisp wheat immediately then tarter still with citric lime, subtle strawberry, passionfruit, mango, and the orange. The fruit is quite subtle here, except for the lime, but it all pops through and melds into fruit punchy goodness with a tart tangy finish. Tastes like Hawaii!

I like this better than the Shave Weisse I had in Hawaii, because it is more tart than that beer was, which was the major fault I found in it. I would certainly buy this one again. And probably the original, too. Even though I said I wouldn’t.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled, canned

(D)=Draft

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