Golden Child was one of the opening-day beers when Bitter Brothers launched its Bay Ho brewhouse in 2016, and it remains one of the best arguments for the small brewery. It is a true-to-style German hefeweizen, brewed for refreshment rather than spectacle, and it nails the classic wheat beer profile.

The basics

• Brewery: Bitter Brothers Brewing Company (Bay Ho, San Diego, CA)
• Style: Hefeweizen
• ABV: 5.2%
• IBU: Not published (low bitterness, true to style)

What to expect

Golden Child pours pale straw and cloudy, with a thick, mousse-like white head. The yeast does the talking here: banana esters lead, clove phenols follow, and a soft bready wheat character rounds it out. Carbonation runs high, the finish is dry, and the mouthfeel is fluffy rather than heavy. Hop flavor and bitterness stay very low, exactly as the style demands. It is a beer built for warm afternoons and a second round.

Our rating

6.7/10
Rated by Alex (6.7). Alex scored this one right in the solidly-good range, and we are with him. Golden Child is a clean, refreshing, textbook hefeweizen, and its only real drawback is that it does not try to do anything more. If you like German wheat beers, this is an easy recommendation.