Santa Fe, NM (Mtn Press)-Here are a couple basic truths: Beer goes better with summer than hot dogs or lemonade. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is one of the finest U.S. ales on the market. And, most U.S. brewed hefeweizen tastes like lemon-flavored piss.

As a big fan of Austrian hefeweizen (and all things Austria, really), that last nugget of knowledge is hard to stomach – and even harder to drink. With all the amazing craft brews in the market, I’ve often wondered why someone can’t nail this.

Well, now someone has – Sierra Nevada. Sitting back to sip their latest offering of Kellerweis Hefeweizen, I was prepared for the worst. What I got was the best. Clean and even somewhat creamy where the others are tart and acidic, the Kellerweis has a nice round, mouth pleasing finish. Very tasty, with an almost ethereal lack of that sense of beer weight. I also really liked what it did to my head. Nice mellow buzz.

It reminded me of a nice Franzikaner in Soelden, Lech or some such place. That figures, Kellerweis is one of the only American hefeweizens made using the traditional Bavarian style of open fermentation.

According to the gang at Sierra Nevada, the Kellerweis is “beer in its most natural state, no filtration, pasteurization or pretension.” They say it’s “unfiltered, raw and alive.” Just like summer.

I’ll drink to that.