12oz can. Well I wasn't expecting much, and expectations were mostly met. Decent looking pour with a high, white head. The head is one of those very wispy ones that is relatively soon gone, but does leave some decent, sticky lace even if it is somewhat thin. Smell is a honey-lemon, a bit like a cough syrup that you might have. Not all that unpleasant. Tastes are obviously artificial lemon, but sharper and cleaner than the nose. There's basically nothing else there other than a mid-sharp lemon,...
Notes on beers in the style
Hefeweizen
Great Lakes
Labrassbanda
Love Beer
500 mL bottle. Incredibly attractive color on the pour, a real, deep golden. Not necessarily all that typical of many a Hefewieizen, which often come with a somewhat lighter, yellow hue rather than the deep golden color we get here. Head is solid with some lace and retention, and perhaps more in line with something that is typical for the style. Light banana in the nose and tastes. A little hop bite in the back end to complement the usual banana, clove, bubblegum and light phenols. This is...
Hofbräu
Hefe Weizen
11.2 oz (330 mL) single. Straw colored pour with a head that fades quickly. A little chill-haze, a few floaties. Limited lace, not a great deal of retention. Grainy nose, a little bubblegum -not much. Medium body with a light yeasty, bubblegum and banana tastes. It's quite sweet and soft. The sweetness builds a little, and becomes a feature of the beer. Although a classic (I suppose), the sweetness is surprising to me. Light banana in the finish, and the sweetness finishes the beer too. I have...
Isabella
Hefeweizen
All prerequisites fulfilled in the style, so perfect in that regard. Light, butterscotch, orangey gold colored body with a big pillow-like head. Looks resplendent in the Tücher half-liter glass. Nose offers everything that you'd want and expect. Light floral banana mostly. Tastes give high levels of bubblegum and mixed phenols, BUT it's not as sweet as some Hefeweizen's. A little less sugary, and more clove spice than might be found in some. That's to my liking, and (slightly) sets it apart...
Weissbier Hell
Orange, honey-colored, hazed body and a wispy head. The head is gone quickly, little to no lace. Nose offers little, likely too cold. Sweetish taste profile that at the beginning and lacks the classic banana and bubble gum notes out of the blocks. Likely to do with temperature once more. However, even with warming, this doesn't change a great deal, and we don't really get much past the (controlled) sweetness. Smooth, easy drinking with no edges, and that includes sweetness, bitterness, any hop...
Mission St. Hefeweizen
22 oz bottle from the Trader Joe's cheap and cheerful line. I have had some really good success with some of these budget brews, but there have also been one or two stinkers so it's always an adventure - let's see what we have here. The beer goes into the 500 mL Tucher Weizen glass. It's color is definitely out of the ordinary for the style. It's deep, orangey copper which is a long way away from a typical, lemony yellow body. The head is good initially, and to be fair doesn't fade as badly as...
Crack’d Wheat
12 oz single, courtesy of Kevin - many thanks. Absolutely delighted to get a chance to try this beer. It promises much. The pour is a lovely, butterscotch hazed affair with a nice, rocky head. Good looking beer without doubt. The nose and tastes have plenty of clove and banana notes, but the emphasis seems to be on the clove and spice elements. Some alcohol, but also a few medicinal phenols. The phenols are where this beer starts to deviate a little from authenticity. They don't grate, but the...
Hefe Weiss
16 oz, usual Sprecher, "stubbie" presentation. Thanks to Kevin for the chance to try this one. The beer pours a hazed orange with a tea-like appearance. No head, retention or lace to peak of. Looks a little "dead". A lot of tropical fruit in the nose with an especially large emphasis on the pineapple for me. The beer drinks and tastes a little drier than the nose would suggest, but it still has a strong fruit note as opposed to any kind of wheat. The pineapple keeps coming and there is a touch...
Wild Frog Wheat Ale
22 oz bottle from Hop City, Atlanta, GA, USA. A surprisingly dark pour that takes on a honey-orange color. Head is really disappointing considering the style, in fact one of the worst I ever recall seeing for a Hefe. Virtually zero head or retention. The darker than usual color I can cope with, the lack of head is a no-no for the style. Pretty good pineapple, banana and clove in the nose and tastes with for me, the emphasis on a candied pineapple sweetness. It tends to build and get a bit...
Stoudt’s Heifer-in-Wheat
12 oz single from Hop City, Atlanta, GA, USA a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately this had best before 11/27/09 dot-matrixed on the neck, this is one that slipped through the cracks. Murky yellow pour with not much head, lace or retention. Nose has a really fruity, very lemony clove and banana note. Tastes very bright despite being a little past the Best By date and the fruit does not manifest itself quite as strongly as it did in the aroma. We get some more light acidity and some more banana...
Hacker-Pschorr Hefe Weisse Natürtrub
500 mL bottle, $1.99 from Tower on Piedmont, Atlanta,, GA, USA. hard to believe that I have never reviewed this. Poured into the Tucher Weizen glass the beer gives the requisite cloudiness but a darker-than-usual deep golden/orange butterscotch color. Head is OK, but lacks real density, retention and much lace. Disappointing would be harsh, but not the best looking Hefe by some distance. Light banana greets the nose. Carbonation seems about right, but the beer itself lacks a bit of depth. Not...
Hefeweizen
In a nutshell this is a lackluster Hefe, which, much like the GB Pils at the same establishment is somewhat true to style but seems to have all of the important attributes and elements toned down. Sure there is a cloudy yellow body, and sure there are a few clove like notes as well, but the mouthfeel is weak and the beer feels overall quite watery - in my book the cardinal sin for a Hefe. It's as if the beer has been deliberately taken down a notch or two, perhaps because the majority of the...
Heinnieweisse Weissebier
Having really enjoyed Snapperhead and Porkslap, I was keen to try this. 12 oz single from Mac's, Atlanta, GA, USA. Pour is a fairly authentic looking body with a cloudy, hazed orange appearance. Head is large to start with but both the retention and lace are rather poor. Carbonation seems way too low, and this seriously detracts from the beer. The beer has some decent banana notes with a touch of pineapple. The finish is a bit bitter and the beer ends with life or much interest. The wheat is...
Fordham New World Wheat
12 oz bottle as a single form Hop City, Atlanta, GA, USA. Added as a new entry to the BA db but surprised that it is not in already. I know there can be confusion with locations, brewpubs etc., but this is labeled as being brewed by Fordham in Dover, DE so I have added it there. Pour is a cloudy yellow as one would expect, but the necessary, high, rocky, well retained head that should produce great lace is missing - a shame. Nose revelas the standard clove, spice and a touch of artificial,...
Farmhouse Hefe
Interesting beer and Mike the Brewmaster was VERY enthusiastic about it. It has its roots in a Colombian recipe that turn turn has its roots in a genuine German one. A complicated story how it came to be in this part of the world, but nevertheless an interesting one. Standard look, with good lace and retention. The strongest part of the beer was the nose which was POTENT! One of the stronest clove notes I have witnessed in some time. Rounded out with a touch more spice and some light banana....
Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen
12 oz stubbie (usual SN presentation) poured aggressively into the Tucher, 0.5 L Weizen glass - nice pairing. Looks good and as it should. High, rocky, white head and a light, lemon colored body with the appropriate clouded appearance. Unusually though, very little yeasty sediment came out in the last 20% swirl. Nose lays on the banana side of things rather than the clove. Spices are low-key for the style. Light banana is replicated in the tastes with a touch more spice being evident compared...
Helltown Organic Hefeweizen
22oz bottle from Hop City, Atlanta, GA, USA. Pour gives a lemon/butterscotch color with a disappointing head, disappointing lace and pretty much no retention. Just not good enough for the style. The pour also lacks any body or depth of color mainly because the requisite swirling to collect the yeasties at the bottom of the bottle yields nothing! A light acid in the aroma but the failure of this beer is in the taste. It is AMAZINGLY watery and lacks any organic, hay/grass note as well. Impact =...
Grieskirchner Jörger Weisse
$2.39 from Rollers in Coligny Plaza, Hilton Head Island, SC, USA. Quite dark, honey orange pour with a pretty small head and to be honest, not much lace or retention. Small amount of dark orange yeast residue. Nose is simple, standard and reserved. Not a huge amount of clove, banana or much else. Some yeasty notes. Body and tastes are slightly above average but nothing to write home about either. In addition to the standard Hefe notes I get some mild white pepper and a little dry bitterness....
Haystack Wheat
$1.50 as a 12oz from Green's on Ponce, Atlanta, GA, USA. Obviously a clouded orange appearance but to be honest ait looks a little weak and watery. Head is non-existant and does not provide any lace or retention. Nose is probably the best attribute with plenty of mild acidity along with apples and some grassy hay notes. After that, frankly this is not good. It's VERY weak and watery and lacks any depth. Some green apples but the whole thing suffers badly because of the lack of presence. It's...
Schneider Weisse Original
Extraordinary that I have not reviewed this before now. $4.29 for the 500 mL bottle from the new Total Wine store in the Perimeter area of Atlanta/Dunwoody, GA, USA. The appearance of this beer always confuses me a little - much darker than I always expect. Almost has a Dunkel hue. Cloudy, and the head is not as impressive as some in the style. In the Tucher Weizen glass it looks orange more than yellow. Standard yeast, clove and banana/bubble gum nose with the emphasis on the yeast as far as...
Schneider Wiesen Edel-Weisse Mein Grunes
Very difficult to believe that I have never reviewed this one but here it is! Bottle is a bit of a gusher. Poured into the Tucher 500 mL Weizen glass the beer forms a thin, slightly light looking head a top of the dark orange, clouded body. Lace is not really in the equation. Nose and tastes are quite fruity with some acidic apple notes. The fruit notes are of the sweetened variety rather than the purer, unadulterated sharpness. Body is a little light for me. This is just a disappointing brew...
Live Oak HefeWeizen
Many thanks go out to BA stopbarking for a chance to try this one. Half-gallon, well sealed, screw-top growler with the "Draught House Pub and Brewery" advertised on the clear glass in white lettering. From what I have read from the other reviews, this is because the brewery does not do growler fills so this beer has to be sourced at bars that do fill a growler. (As an aside, I WISH we had growler fills in GA). The appearance of the beer within the growler is frankly a little uninspiring. A...
Terrapin SunRay Wheat Beer
Very pleased to pick this one up as a 12 oz single from Mac's Midtown, Atlanta, GA, USA. I did not want to buy the Terrapin mixed 12 pack just to try this (this is the only way this has been released so far) since the other beers in the pack are only OK and available all the time anyway. Mac's obviously split of few packs and put them on the singles shelf. Hazy, orange/golden pour as expected and a disappointing head and lack of lace. Rather weak looking. Nose and tastes have mild bananas but...
Julius Echter Hefe-Weissbier Hell
Purchased the 500 mL bottle from Sherlocks on Barrett Parkway, West Cobb, Atlatna, GA, USA. Best Before END: Sept 05 2008 - better drink it by midnight on that day then! We're a little behind, but it's not the end of the world. Very lively opening and pour into the Tucher Weizen glass. HIGH head that slips back nicely to give a super laced appearance. BIG ice-cream like head. Pale lemon colored wheat and hazed body that hits some serious orange notes with the Autumnal, watered down GA...
Ayinger Bräu Weisse (Bräuweisse)
Additional notes 09/16/2022 (bottle pictured) Amazingly (maybe), 14 years later, this bottle goes into exactly the same glass! Head, lace and retention are better than previously noted. Prickly carbonation, simple, classic taste profile. Original notes 10/18/2008 Fairly astonished that I have not reviewed this until now! $2.99 Green's on Ponce, Atlanta, GA, USA. 500 mL bottle, standard Ayinger presentation. Fine bubbled head that lacks density on the pour. Into the Tucher Weizen glass. Dark...
Hocking Hills Hefeweizen
22oz bottle from Cheers, Carrollton, GA, USA. I think this is an aged bottle, but with no dates on the bottle I feel FULLY justified in reviewing this. Lemon/Butterscotch body with a small head a little lace. Looks OK and reminds me a little of the Widmer Bros. version. Looks OK, but that's where the good stuff ends. Acidity is high, and the watery nature of the brew and lack of depth, body and character says it all. Very poor example of the style IMO, that lacks any kind of clove or banana...
König Ludwig Weiss (Royal Bavarian Hefe-Weizen)
Grabbed this one as part of a bunch of singles from Total Wine in Kennesaw, GA, USA. 11.2oz (330 mL) bottle. Strange look - complete clarity and a macro lager appearance until the yeast comes up from the bottom of the bottle. Small head, little retention and little lace. Lacks typical cloudy body. Very mild banana in the nose, some bubblegum in the taste. Weak mouthfeel, disappointingly watery. In short, a horribly lightweight Hefe.
Flensburger Weizen
Flip top, stubbie 12oz bottle, Camp Creek World of Beverage, College Park, Atlanta, GA, USA. $2.45 for the bottle. Poured into the Tucher Weizen glass this shows a slightly darker, golden colored pour with a smaller than average head and some floaties of some description. Not the best looking Hefe I have seen. Nose and tastes still have the banana, clove and bubble-gum combo, with the emphasis on the banana here. Not huge. OK, decent, but I won't buy this again. Plenty of other better options...
Sunrise Weiss
12 oz bottle as part of a sixer, Hilton Head, SC, USA. At the time this had not made it to GA. Pour is OK, but lacks the wheat haze appearance that I would normally expect. Some carbonation, but a disappointing lack of head, lace and retention. Decent sweet, bubble-gum, banana aroma but lacks a bit in the taste. A bit lightweight all around. A little acidic in the finish. Not the best Hefe, nor is it Victory's best beer. A little disappointed.
Brooklyner Weisse
Had this a few times from the bottle, but this is my first review from a draft offering. On-tap, Taco Mac, East West Connector, Austall, Atlanta, GA, USA. 16 oz pour. Frankly, very disappointed. This beer looked and drank like an American macro lager! Apart from a little banana in the aroma and taste I could have been drinking a BMC swill product. Perhaps served too cold, it looked way too clear, had way too much carbonation and felt very thin. No hint of clove and depth, nor was there any...
Moosbacher Weissbier
500 mL flip top, best before 10/06. Single bottle from Tower, Piedmont, Atlanta, GA, USA. Probably past its best. Honey, butterscotch pour but it has a weak, watery appearance and a very light mouthfeel. Sweet wheat in the nose and replicated in the taste. Mildly acidic (perhaps because of the beers' age) and slightly musty. The head is way too airy and light. A poor example of the style in my opinion. I wouldn't bother.
Organic Hefe-Weizen
$2.99 Hiram Bottle Shop, Hiram, GA, USA. 500 mL bottle. I was in the mood for a Hefe - not a very common occurence - but I was. January in Atlanta and the sun is out and the temperature is in the mid-60's so I thought it was a good time to crack one. Unfortunately this came up short in almost every department. Pour came with a decent head, but lacked the huge pillowing effect that I was looking for. Color was a little too butterscotch influenced (lacked the yellow color, had more orange). Nose...
Butte Creek Creekside Wheat
Another very ordinary offering from the folks at Butte Creek - I'm on the brink of giving up on this brewery after several below par beers. 12 oz bottle poured with absolutely NO life. Chill hazed mid-orange pour with no head or lacing. I get blue cheese and other cheese notes in the arom and taste. What that is all about I don't know - perhaps it's part of the "West Coast" angle on a Hefe that is mentioned on the label. Frankly a piss poor Hefe and pretty weak beer all around. I wouldn't...
Hitachino Nest Weizen
Small, stubbie 12 oz bottle. $4.99 (poor value) Beverage Resort, Kennesaw, GA, USA. Pour is good looking with a small but dense head on top of a dark orange cloudy body. Aromas all all scrumpy cider and that's the taste too. My guess is that this is infected, but there is no date on the bottle so it's difficult to tell how long this has been hanging around. I am assuming that this Hefe is not supposed to taste like that but I'm not sure.
Kapuziner Weissbier
$2.29 Smyrna Beverage, Smyrna, GA, USA. Poured into the Southampton Weizen glass, this is picture-book perfect. The head is that oft searched for but seldom found, deep, dense three inches of smoothed out ice-cream dolloped, thick clotted cream foam - perfect. This sits on top of the butterscotch body. Aroma is typical Hefe, but somewhat muted - not strong. The tastes kind of reflect that too. Banana and clove in there as expected, but we do not get the strong presence of either that the...
In-Heat Wheat
Above average drinkabilty in this "Hefe" (self proclaimed). Head was disappointing but good color with what appears to be a butterscotch chill haze. Good banana/clove sweetness and a very refreshing taste. Kind of beer that hits the spot in the right circumstances, that is when a thirst quencher is required.
Halfmoon Hefe Weizen
Standard clouded lemon colored body with a small head and a little lacing. Muted banana and clove aroma that is rather unusually NOT translated to the taste. Light lemon taste with an absence of clove and banana on the tongue. Really quite acidic but at the same time it maintains its drinkability. The lemon makes it refreshing, and I was rather surprised at how much I enjoyed the citrus feel. The aroma is typically Hefe, but the tastes are not. An interesting departure.
Ironman Wheat
Very thick and cloudy appearnce with the look of unfiltered apple juice with orange juice added. Looked significantly less appetizing than a regular Hefe, with a real orange color and served with the lemon wedge - no options given! Very strong lemon aroma is all that hits me. The strength of the smell puts me off. Tastes are better, with the fruit flavor coming through strong, but there is a distinct lack of clove overtone. Mouthfeel is a little too viscous for the stlyle, and overall I...
Red Brick Summer Unfiltered Wheat
2006 version of the Summer Hefe from Atlanta Brewing, this time in the bottle. Classic lemon, butterscotch colored pour into the Tücher Weizen 500 mL glass. These hefes look great in that glass, a real classic look. Looks like a banana! Great rocky head, but it does lose its appearance at little too quickly. Nice lacing though kinda makes up for that. All the standard characteristics with cloves and bananas as large as life. Very slight extra bitterness in the finish which makes it a little...
Baltika #8 Wheat
Good color and cloudiness in the pour, but way too much coagulation and large protein/yeasty floaties for my liking. I like my Hefe's without MASSIVE clumps! Decent head with some retention, not much lacing. Lack of cloves in the nose and taste, but lots and lots of bananas. Bananas and alcohol in the nose, slightly watery mouthfeel. Bananas continue to dominate. Aftertaste is slightly acidic, a little tartness in the beer all the way through, but it carries it well. Not bad at all.
Saranac Hefeweizen
Slightly odd looking, in as much as it appears to be semi-filtered. Not as cloudy as we might otherwise anticipate for the style, but also not showing much clarity. Not much head and not much lacing, certainly no evidence of a big pillowy head that one might hope for. Banana and clove aroma is strong, and the inital tastes reflect that. Unfortunately it's all a little weak and watery, and somewhat artificial. A little sharp citric acidity in the finish which finally terminates with a little...
Tucher Helles Hefe Weizen
A light butterscotch, cloudy pour with a classic large head and some lovely lacing. True to the style this shows some great appearance attributes. Bananas and cloves are present in the nose, but these are somewhat muted. Good and typical for the style, but not large. Creamy smooth mouthfeel and taste, with a little more promise that the nose suggests but not a lot more. Clean and easy to drink, but not really big in taste or presence. I quantify this as a high quality Hefe, with some classic...
Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse
Distinctly better than average offering, true to the style and delightfully refreshing. Pour is classically cloudy gold, with the distinctive, large rocky foamed head. Very little lacing though that somewhat surprised me. Fruit aromas start this and overshadow the expected clove and herbal notes. I don't a large amount of the classic banana, but more general fruitiness which is a nice change from the norm. This is a much smoother and sweeter experience than I was expecting. In fact, as the...
Maisel’s Weisse Original
500 mL bottle. Very, very nice. A deep, orange colored, cloudy pour (much darker than is usual for the style) with a huge head with fantastic retention, and excellent lacing. This looks like a beautiful beer in the glass and continues to impress on the way down. Very distinct aroma of apples or cider greets the nose. There is a very grassy, noticeably organic smell that is consistent with an excellent example of the style. Delicious mouthfeel, full, perfect carbonation and a lovely, unexpected...
Red Brick Summer Unfiltered Wheat
I enjoyed this beer very much. Drank it at the brewery on one of their Friday night tastings. There is no doubt that the flavors and aromas in this beer are more subtle than many others of a similar style, and that it was thinner than many Hefe's, but those characteristics added to its drinkability on a hot day. A golden yellow, hazy pour with a substantial head that didn't hang around too long. The fruit and spice notes are difficult to pick up in the aroma, but I am notoriusly bad at...
Mandarin Hefeweizen
I love a good Hefe in the summer, and I've grown to really enjoy some fruit beers too, but this beer falls between the two in a slightly unsatisfactory way. I was a little concerned when I read it had been infused with orange flavor, rather than the orange flavor being an integral part of the beer. Poured a dirty orange color - quite attractive - with a nice head and pleasant orange aroma. Not too overpowering. A very refreshing beer with the orange flavor coming through but not off-putting,...
In-Heat Wheat
A rather light, watery Hefe this one, with very pronounced lemon and citrus flavors. This has the effect of making it rather more refreshing than some beers of a similar style, but tends to remove some of the real flavor that I was expecting. Very mild banana and cloves. Like some other BAs I felt there was a hoppy undertone that I was simply not expecting. Once again, if wheat beers are your thing, I'm sure you will enjoy, if not you'll still probably find this OK if not stunning.
Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier
Again, I think this is a question of what sytle of beer you enjoy most. Certainly if you are a big fan of Hefe's in general you are probably going to love this stuff. For me, it's undoubtably a fine example, but not necessarily one I am going to be raving on about as a personal favorite. Great looking orange colored pour with a smashing head that retained more than I expected. The usual standard clove undertones and it goes down well. I enjoyed this one, but not being an enormous fan of the...
Market Street Hefe Weizen
Slighly acidic taste to this Hefe. The brewery was in the process of some sort of move from the premises when I visited and the normal large selection was down to two or three. I suspect that this may have been a batch they were just getting rid of. Classic looking with distinct wheat, yeast, spice and fruit undertones. The finish was somewhat acidic to me and a little burning sensation. Much fuller mouthfeel that I general go for. Not a great beer, but would have to give it another chance for...
Shiner Hefeweizen
Pours a pale orange color with cloudiness as expected. Very little head (at least without an aggressive pour). Lemon grass overtones in the aroma, a little too watery and ill-defined for my taste. Less satisfying and more acidic that many in the same style, this is not in the same class. A poorer example of the style, even from an American perspective. A weak brew that could be so much better. Having said all of that, it would do a job in blistering Atlanta summer heat.
Paulaner Hefe-Weissbier Naturtrüb
Additional notes 08/03/23 (pictured) Still that fruit, and still the richness in a classic package. Banana rules, but the beer has a clarity about it than many unfiltered versions do not. Original notes 01/24/04 Poured a very attractive "toffee" color with a sweet aroma. I'm not a huge fan of the Hefe-Weizen's in general, but this is clearly a quality beer. Very smooth in the mouth and highly drinkable. There was a distinct fruitiness in the aroma that was not evident in the taste. Like almost...