Baxter: On the Count of 3

I fucking love canned beer, and one of the best selling breweries of the past few years has been Baxter Brewing. Baxter was the first brewery in New England to exclusively can their beer. They exploded onto the scene with their Stowaway IPA, a few years back and I was hooked ever since. It seems like just yesterday at Charlie's Kitchen I had my first Stowaway. Now, in celebration of their 3rd anniversary, they've released a very special beer. On the Count of 3, an Imperial Hefeweizen made with traditional German yeast but brightened with some excellent west coast hops.
I have no idea why my picture makes it look this dark, but in reality it pours a much lighter wheat color. The citrusy hops blend with a tart banana smell, a combination of the strength of the beer and the german yeast, which produces plenty of esters that give us that banana smell. It's the perfect balance though, with not too much banana, not too much booze, and an excellent level of hops. I know hefes are supposed to be lighter and drinkable, but this beer transcends it's brothers with excellent balance making it both easy to drink and complex in a finish. congratulations on 3 years Baxter, hopefully you'll have plenty more.