Roughtail Brewing Company - Polterweisse

This hefeweizen pours a characteristically cloudy golden hue, topped with a spritely off-white head of foam. The traditional hefeweizen yeast strain with which Polterweisse was fermented drives the aroma profile, which delivers some obvious banana-like esters and bubblegum impressions, as well as a mild dash of spice which merges with the somewhat grassy Hallertau noble hops. A wheaty undercurrent pops through, as well. On the palate, look for this hefeweizen to come through quite fruity, with those banana notes taking a prominent role, backed up by secondary orchard fruit impressions, a bit of melon, and a touch of citric acidity which plays well with the tangy character of the wheaty core. We found the carbonation lively on the palate, augmenting the spicy aspects of the yeast contribution as well as the hops. For pairing options, mussels sautéed in garlic butter sound good to us, as does fried chicken, pork or veal schnitzel, Indian and Thai dishes, grilled pork chops, or, for a sweet option, Bananas Foster. Cheers!

Roughtail Brewing Company’s story begins when homebrewers Blaine Stansel and Tony Tielli met in a homebrewing club. Dissatisfied with the craft beer options in the area, which were limited and, in their words, “safe”, the duo decided to launch their own brewery. Originally they were eyeing Dallas due to the huge size of its untapped beer market, but ultimately they decided to build their brewery in their home of Oklahoma City. Founded in 2012, Roughtail officially hit the market in 2013, offering a well-hopped red ale, an 80 IBU IPA, and a boldly malty and hoppy American strong ale, all produced at their small location in downtown OKC. They named their “rough around the edges” brewery after the Roughtail Gecko, a tough little critter they felt exemplified their attitude.

Soon after launch, Roughtail moved into a larger facility in Midwest City, just a few miles east of downtown OKC. Stansel, Tielli, and their team made the most of their modest 10-barrel brewing system and 5,000 sq.ft. of space, but by 2017 they were brewing at maximum capacity and the need for a larger brewhouse was apparent. Construction of a brand new facility on the northern edge of OKC began soon after, and the brewery moved into this space in 2020. Designed to offer the company enough space for the present and the far future, the new building features a 30-barrel brewing system with over 12,000 sq.ft. of production space and 8,000 sq.ft. for their Taphouse and offices.

Roughtail currently produces five core year-round beers as well as four seasonals and an ongoing variety of limited releases, including barrel-aged ales. They’re also in the very popular hard seltzer market with their Skyline brand, currently offering four different flavor combinations. For more info on the brewery, their Taproom, and upcoming events, check them out at roughtailbeer.com.