Why We Picked It: A good reliable Maryland brewery, and it was nice to add a hefeweizen into the mix.
What RAR Says About It: Golden-yellow and hazy in appearance, this brew is a soulful combination of American and German ingredients. Complex yet incredibly subtle, a faint sweetness immediately greets your palate followed by a distinctive wheat note. Notes of banana and clove are ever so subtly detected on the finish.
ABV: 5.2%
IBU: No
Website: https://rarbrewing.com/
What RAR Says About RAR: Based in Cambridge, MD on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, local boys brewing local beers.
We built our brewery in an 80-year-old former pool hall and bowling alley with the goal of maintaining the building’s history while producing well-balanced American brews 10 barrels at a time. Proudly brewing since the summer of 2013 with no intention of slowing down, striving to continuously produce products that our community can take pride in.
We built our brewery in an 80-year-old former pool hall and bowling alley with the goal of maintaining the building’s history while producing well-balanced American brews 10 barrels at a time. Proudly brewing since the summer of 2013 with no intention of slowing down, striving to continuously produce products that our community can take pride in.
I’ve just never been a Hefeweizen fan. Too wheaty. And bananay. Although I do love Allagash White but that’s Belgian wit so clearly different. But I do seem to find this on miserably hot days like today and it sure tastes good. Much better than I remember.
ReplyDeleteI love RAR. Ro and I took a weekend trip to the brewery. The last time we will ever stay in a bed and breakfast. I was actually disappointed by the brewery since they had very few beers. I have never understood how I go to a bar and find a phenomenal RAR and then never find it again. And the beers they have chosen to can are but the ones I would choose. Nanticoke Nectar is a staple and definitely should be canned by why did they choose this one? So glad they are finally canning their Country Ride Pale Ale but really feel like they have more potential to get better beer into my fridge. But great brewery, solid beer for the style and I give it 3.5 out of 5 awkward hungover breakfasts with two 80 year old bed and breakfast owners, a couple that got offended that you didn’t know where Crownsville was, and another couple who came in at 2 am from some country music festival in Easton.
Oh man, that’s a shame. My wife and I in BC times (Before Children) really liked staying at B&Bs. We have stayed at probably 10 or so up the east coast. That said all b&b owners are a little out there. Some are nice but some do make you fell like an uninvited guest. It’s odd.
DeleteWe did learn the hard way that you are supposed to dress before coming down for breakfast and got a “taking to” about wearing my shorts and a t shirt I slept in down it breakfast.
Also with the rise of air b&b and being able to easily order food from my phone. Not sure if I will ever stay at one again.
My wife just pointed out that I seem to “strive” and “enjoy” uncomfortable situations, which is why I enjoy a B&B so much.
DeleteAt least you have goals.
DeleteThis is finally a beer that matches its style listed on the label 🙏. Like Bill not a huge fan of banana-y beers. I like bananas, banana bread sign me up. The flavor in beer, not so much. I did really like the balance of (I think) clove. I would say this is a better banana flavored beer 3.6 out of 5 banana hammocks.
ReplyDeleteI taste the clove but not banana. I prefer a lighter/ lemony hefe but this one was a nice refreshment on a hot day. 3/4
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about ideas for band names today, and after this review I leave a short listing. If any of you plan to start a band, you may take one of these suggested names. It is the least that I could do.
ReplyDeleteOf all of the Hefeweizens I have had this afternoon, this one was my favorite. I like RAR a lot; first had one when I was eating at Hudson Coastal in the before times, and I think it may have been this one.
Observations and queries: Smooth. Maybe a citrus-y thing going on here in addition to the banana. What is a clove and what does it taste like? "Groove City"? Hmm, ok and if you say so. Refreshing - enjoyed this after being more active on a bike ride, and it was spot on.
So, I liked it! 3.10/4.00.
Travel note: Cambridge is actually a pretty cool town, and glad to hear RAR brewery is worth the trip. I remember eating in a Pizza Wine Beer place called Ava's that was pretty terrific.
***Suggested Band Names***
Scotty Shep and the Beer Angels [or Scotty Shep and the Angels of Beer]
PN90 Soundsystem
thEO
"Bill Stabelin" (It sounds sort of sounds country to me.)
Strive and Enjoy
Leeuwdicrous
Stryker and the Duckpins
Pigeon Whole
Poison from Yesterday
Stryker and the Duckpins for sure!
DeleteIs possible to post via a smart phone?
ReplyDeleteYes!
DeleteWow! What a nice beer. I am not a Hefeweizen guy, but I like a good one every now and then. I am very particular about them, and this one hit the spot. It tasted quite authentic and fresh, and it was very enjoyable. Well done!
ReplyDeleteLike a lot of people, I’m not a Hefeweizen fan, but at least this a good one. I hate the ones that aim for “banana” and land on “circus peanut.” This one isn’t too light or sweet or anything.
ReplyDeleteI'm slipping. I didn't drink this until 9:30 pm. Not a huge hefe Dan, but this one did it for me. Refreshing.and clean but more subtle than most I have. Sorry Jailbreak, but I don't need to be punched in the face. with banana and this was a touch of wheat and mostly a.slight banana odor. It went down fast. 3.6 out of 4.
ReplyDeletePS I do find it odd that I want my IPAs so flavor forward, but want subtlety in the rest of my beer. Hard to understand sometimes.
I agree with your PS.
DeleteGot distracted and forgot to post yesterday. Better late than sorry.
ReplyDeleteI too am not a Hefe fan, but RAR nailed the "Hefe for beginners" brew. I really enjoy this beer and forget I do. I need to grab a sixer more often.
This one has just the right amount of wheat flavor swirled in with "other stuff" to make a pleasant gulper on a hot day. I did not detect any of the mentioned flavors but it all worked.
I give this 3.5 of 5 Cfa climate classifications.
After sitting out in the oppressive heat all day watching baseball until 6pm, then driving to PA, I could have drank almost anything. So this had that going for it. I'm with most of you, not a hefeweizen fan at all. And I'd read some of these comments so my expectations were low, banana + beer did not give me high hopes. Was glad that the banana-ness was not too noticeable to me, but I wouldn't choose this one again.
ReplyDeleteAh, Hefeweizen! Wonderful memories flooding back from a fabulous 1990s 2 week vacation in Munich and Bavaria with some german friends who hosted and showed me around The Oktoberfest. Followed by some hiking in beautiful Austrian alps and a great amount of Autobahn driving :) that totally made up for the slightly less than positive roadside debate with a dreary radar gun toting Austrian Polizist. He did not approve of my autobahn-esque driving in Austria :( . But I sip on this RAR smiling, recalling that I still to this day owe that policeman lots of Schilling [Euro € wasnt born yet]. Then came the most enjoyable sedate drive along the beautiful Romantische Strasse, stopping on the way late afternoon in the sblime town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where it is customary to buy cuckoo clock and sample a Weiss Bier. [Checked both boxes.] Am I biased? Hell yeah. If you'd done this trip and sat in the sun in a beautiful medieval town having an echter Weiss Bier You'd love German Hefeweizen like I do. Actually I love all things German. Cars, beer, Blondes... Even the german police officers are 1000x more fun than Austrian police. Oh, sorry chaps: back to RAR. [Sorry for detour, just trying to get my wordcount up to beat Adams score.] Yes I like this. Not the best, but then I am biased and I cant not like it because even before opening I so wanted to enjoy this local beer. I've driven through Cambridge so many times but only on one occasion actually spent time in the town. I have had another RAR somewhere and I liked it too. So I'm a fixin to stay a night at a rustic b&b in Cambridge. I heard somewhere this can be an adventure. 3.75/5 brats
ReplyDeleteOK, on the police humor comparison: its all relative [lmfao]
ReplyDelete