Of late, I’ve been on a hefeweizen kick. It could be the weather, you see, as wheat beers are a satisfying style of brew, and perfect to quench your summer thirst. Not too heavy, but not too light, and with plenty of flavor, they’re just the thing to turn to when the thermometer starts to rise.

Of course, the other possibility is that my palate has hop fatigue, what with all the IPAs I’ve been drinking lately. Whatever the reason, when I saw a bottle of Victory Mad King’s Weiss, a beer I hadn’t tried before, at my local Total Wine I snapped it up.

But wait, Victory already has a Weiss beer! Victory Sunrise Weissbier, which I’ve had a number of times and can attest is a very credible example of the style. I should have suspected that there was something different about Mad King’s Weiss, and sure enough, there is. It’s called a “European-Style Wheat Ale” on the label rather than a Bavarian-Style Hefeweizen. The beer is named for Bavaria’s Mad King Ludwig, a figure who has always intrigued me.

There’s a reason for that, and I’ll let Victory elaborate. From the label:

Bavaria’s Fabled King Ludwig was said to be “mad”. The same might be said of us, having enhanced this German beer style with fistfuls of hops well beyond the standard for a traditional hefeweizen. And did we mention the Belgian yeast? You see, like Ludwig, we think a little eccentricity is a good thing, especially when you start with robust German malts to produce the spicy and refreshing golden ale this is our Mad King’s Weiss. Regal yet raw, classic while contemporary, the delicious duality and refreshing quality of this brew are fit for a king-even a mad one.

So then, Victory Mad King’s Weiss is sort of a fusion between a Belgian blonde and a German hefeweizen it would seem. It has an alcohol content of 6.2%, a bit higher than usual for a hefeweizen. It is bottle conditioned and I can’t find any freshness dating. I paid a very reasonable $4.99 for my 22-ounce bottle.

Victory Mad King’s Weiss pours to a pale yellow blonde color with a thick head of pillowy white foam and a spicy, Belgian yeasty nose. Taking a sip, I get tart crackery, bready wheat and biscuity barley malt up front that makes for a most refreshing and flavorful body. I get the very clove like notes from the Belgian yeast, and a clean, dry finish. What I don't get are all the hops they're talking about. Oh sure, there are some grassy, minty, German hops (Hallertaus or Saaz I would guess). But not boatloads of them.

To be fair, Victory Mad King’s Weiss is definitely more than in your average weissbier, and it is supposed to be. This tasty effort gets 4 stars from me, including a bonus half star for holding the line on high beer prices. Thanks Victory!

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