Wells Banana Bread Beer
April 19, 2010
Wells Banana Bread Beer was something I purchased on a whim. Sure, The Brew Club is focusing on English Ales (as we do each April) but bananas and beer isn’t a combination I often think of. Do you? So, I bought it for the novelty, but Wells & Young also make some pretty good beers. If anybody can pull it off, they can!
Quoting from the label here, I’ve learned that this is “An inspired brew made with our own natural mineral water and fairtrade bananas. Tempting banoffee aromas & flavours are balanced by the silky richness of a masterful malt blend & the peppery spice of the freshest, ripest hops.”
Who writes this stuff? What the hell is banoffee? Banoffee?
Well, as you can see, banoffee or not, this sounds like a beer worth investigating – and so that’s what I’m going to do!
The 5.2% ABV Wells Banana Bread Beer pours a very nice and clear amber color which creates an almost pure-white foamy head. There’s some lacing left by the head and there’s some residual froth on the surface of the beer for the duration. Its a good looking beer.
The aroma is different. As soon as I pried off the cap, I got a whiff of ripe bananas which I’ve never experienced from a beer bottle before! Upon closer inspection, sure enough banana was the major player, but it was not over the top. Maybe that what the banoffee does! In addition to the banana thing, the beer smelled bready. (I guess you can’t be surprised, right?)
The taste is pretty much the same. Bready malt backed up by a nice banana flavor. It really does taste like banana bread. Have you tried banana bread? If you have, you know what this beer tastes like! I’d agree with the quoted text from the neck of the bottle that the banana and bready malt flavors are nicely complimented by a touch of peppery hops in the finish.
Overall, Wells Banana Bread Beer is very drinkable. Its not overly carbonated and it’s got a very creamy feel to it, and at 5.2% ABV if you’re into a sweet, fruity kind of mood you could probably have a few of these. It does what it says and does it well.
But…
In spite of the banoffee goodness, the novelty wears off quickly with this beer. “Yea bananas!” grows a little old before I finish the glass . Its a cool idea, and Wells pulls it off quite well (ha!), but I just don’t think I’ll be getting another one of these. (I’m going to hang on to the bottle though!)
Rating: 
Ever try the Wells Banana Bread Beer? What did you think of it? More importantly, do you know what banoffee is?
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Posted in 2 Star Reviews, Ales, English Beers
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April 19th, 2010 at 10:36 am
I think I have a bottle of this on my beer shelf Scott, so will make a point of trying it soon. I’ll report back.
As for banoffee, I thought it was something we acquired from you Americans… a popular restaurant dessert, along with the ‘New York Cheesecake’ and ‘Key Lime Pie’ you’ll find ‘Banoffee Pie’.
Imagine a crisp base of crushed biscuits (cookies) and then a layer about an inch thick of a banana and toffee paste, a bit like cheesecake mix, but darker and, well, tasing of bananas and toffee. Then top the lot with a thin layer of whipped cream and you’re getting close to a Banoffee Pie.
I’m noit sure how well it’ll work in a beer, but it’s a dessert that I find hard to resist!
.-= BobtheBrit´s last blog ..Waltz Darling =-.
April 19th, 2010 at 11:17 am
Yesterday I ate Haggis and enjoyed it. See, I’m not a picky guy. But of the few edibles that conger up the gag reflex at their mere mention, banana bread is one of them. I just can’t eat it. I’ve seen this in the store and wondered if it actually tastes like banana bread. Now that you’ve confirmed, I doubt I ever purchase this strange beer…but I will try it if I can ever score a free sample.
.-= nate´s last blog ..Kentucky Breakfast Stout and Old Rasputin XII =-.
April 19th, 2010 at 11:23 am
@Bob – sounds like a nice dessert, but I’ve never seen, or even heard of Banoffee Pie! I’ll have to look into that some more.
@nate – I kind of like banana bread, and this beer is spot on in that regard. I thought it was a neat flavor for a beer, but as I mentioned the novelty of it wore off rather quickly!
.-= Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout =-.
April 19th, 2010 at 4:32 pm
I almost picked this one up a few weeks back. I think it was just a little too weird for me. Just couldn’t get my head around it. Pretty sure I won’t now that I know it wears down quickly.
.-= Don´s last blog ..Neglecting the Baby: Aaaaand We’re Back! =-.
April 21st, 2010 at 10:49 am
Hi, Scott. I actually tried this one a few weeks ago. I agree with you — it’s good in a limited dose. A while back, I made bread with pumpkin beer. I was tempted to pick up another one of these and give the bread recipe another try.
.-= Rachel´s last blog ..Matt’s Italian Pulled Pork =-.
April 21st, 2010 at 12:09 pm
Rachel, I think this beer would make a nice ingredient for bread. Especially banana bread! Let us know how it turns out f you try it!
.-= Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Brewdog’s Tactical Nuclear Penguin and Paradox Stout =-.
April 28th, 2010 at 3:42 pm
I love that you placed a banana in the picture!
April 29th, 2010 at 9:03 am
Thanks Stephanie for stopping in! Yeah, sometimes my inner artistic monster can not be restrained!
.-= Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Samuel Smith’s Famous Taddy Porter =-.
May 11th, 2010 at 8:32 am
Actually, banofee is an English dessert; why people keep thinking it’s American is beyond me…wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banoffee_pie
Plus, this beer is quite alright. Thought I was going to get a gimmicky taste but its quite nice.
May 11th, 2010 at 9:27 am
Thanks Aaron – I had never heard of Banoffee, and I’m usually pretty current with the dessert scene! (Sounds like a British thing anyway) I thought the beer was good too, I just found that by the end of the glass I was a bit tired of it all.
.-= Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Dundee Honey Brown Lager =-.
September 19th, 2010 at 9:53 pm
I loved it it went from beer to really good banna bread! I want to get a case of it for thanksgiving!
September 19th, 2010 at 10:05 pm
@Katie – Wow! A case for Thanksgiving?
Your place will be very popular this year!
.-= Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Sierra Nevada Tumbler 2010 =-.
November 7th, 2010 at 1:48 am
I love this beer!! Tried it a few years ago at a local oktoberfest and cannot find it anywhere!! I have been on a mission to find this beer and have had no luck… where can I find this??
November 7th, 2010 at 1:25 pm
@Kelli – keep looking for it! I see it quite a bit in local stores.
December 27th, 2010 at 12:48 am
@ Kelli – They have it at BEVMO.
December 27th, 2010 at 4:48 pm
@GREG, thanks for the save!
January 3rd, 2011 at 10:42 pm
I tried a couple of bottles of this recently. it’s fantastic. To me it’s not much like banana “bread” so much…I’ve also had some nice German Wheat beer which had a mild fruity banana after taste which I believe is a characteristic of wheat beer generally. This Wells beer just has that similar flavour but it’s more prominent.
I’d drink this banana beer everyday if it wasn’t $8 per bottle as an import, it’s brilliant.
January 3rd, 2011 at 11:41 pm
@Stephen York – Thanks for the comment! I thought it was good too, I just got tired of the taste after awhile. I think I could do a bottle now and then, but not much more than that. I think you’re referring to the Hefeweizen which can have nice banana flavors – bubblegum too – although neither are actually used in the beer’s making.
.-= Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Poll – New Year Beer Resolution =-.
January 4th, 2011 at 2:54 pm
kelli
they av banana bread beer in asda
March 4th, 2011 at 7:34 am
I dont like any wells products. NOTE I am Not a CRISP guy. This taste like watery crap with a taste of banna skin in your mouth. No it not a nice banna at at all. I have just dried there HONEY version and It is ULTRA CRISP and some type of barrelness rough edge to it.
March 4th, 2011 at 8:52 am
So are you saying you like the ‘honey version’ even though its from Wells, even though you don’t like any Wells products? Color me confused.
August 8th, 2011 at 3:18 pm
Not a beer snob but I thought this was very good. Wouldn’t make a habit of it because it’s pricey and I would enjoy it on occasion not a routine basis. Different, refreshing and fun!
August 8th, 2011 at 3:59 pm
@Barry – good points! Its been awhile since I’ve had this one, maybe I’ll revisit it in the Fall.
August 9th, 2011 at 4:56 pm
I loved this beer! It’s a dessert and a drink all in one!
August 9th, 2011 at 4:58 pm
@JoBob – that’s a perfect description!