Octoberfest is upon us, and that means Bavarian-inspired beers will be dominating the shelves for the foreseeable future. First out of the gate is Trail Angel Weiss from Devils Backbone, a hefeweizen with heart. How so?

Located right off Appalachian Trail mile marker 842 in Virginia, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. is (literally) in the heart of the A.T. community — the trail, thru-hikers, and mountains are central to the brewery’s identity which is why creating a beer that benefits the Appalachian Trail Conservancy made so much sense to DB. For every case sold of Devils Backbone Trail Angel Weiss, DB donates $1 to the ATC and its efforts to protect and preserve the Appalachian Trail. This year, the Bavarian-style Weissbier features new packaging and is available in cans and bottles for the first time as well as a new 15-pack case.

It definitely comes across like something you’d want after hiking for 842 miles. The heavy lemon notes give it a shandy character, almost sour at times with a bold citrus profile. The rest of the experience is not quite as enthralling, its wheat profile coming off as a bit weedy at times, without the mouth-filling breadiness that a good weiss beer can have. The finish is quite sharp and metallic, with a healthy shaving of lemon peel and a dusting of coriander to take things out.

4.9% abv.

B- / $11 per six-pack / dbbrewingcompany.com

Devils Backbone Trail Angel Weiss

$11

7

Rating

7.0/10

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