Hacker-Pschorr – Hefe Weisse Natürtrub
Style: Hefeweizen
ABV: 5.50%
Serving type: Bottle into weizen glass
Hi, my name is Mike and I’m addicted to hefeweizens.
I don’t know if it’s the easy drinkability or the nice wheat flavors that make me a sucker for anything hefe related. It just goes down so damn easy! Luckily ABV isn’t higher or I’d be the one going down easy!
This classic German offering starts off a classic murky orange complimented by a tremendously large, fluffy white head that slowly faded away to about one finger. Lookin’ good Hacker. Lookin reeeaaal good.
This was followed by a big wheat and yeast nose with a faint spice to it. Not as exciting as hefes of previous posts, but still a solid aroma that makes your mouth water in anticipation of the first sip. And when that first sip comes, you get some delicious bready and light malts as a reward. A very light citrus finishes up your taste buds on the end. The body is light and carbonated well. Very easy to put a few back, as most great hefes are known for.
I got to say that this is another good example of a solid German hefe. I still prefer mine with some more corriander and banana kick, but I really enjoy the style regardless.
Overall: 4.0/5 – I’d like Hacker-More! lolololololol
Hacker-Pschorr Bräu GmbH (It’s all in German btw)
Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan – Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier
Style: Hefeweizen
ABV: 5.40%
Serving type: Bottle into weizen glass
I’ve noticed a disturbing trend through my brief journey into the deep depths of the craft beer underworld. Many fellow beer enthusiasts scoff when they ask me what my favorite beer style is and I reply with “soft” styles such as APAs, oatmeal stouts, and hefeweizens. To some, if it’s not a Double IPA that’s bitter enough to make your head explode or an imperial stout with an ABV that gets you drunk after a few sips, then you don’t know what you’re talking about and your street cred is all but lost. While I agree there is a time and place for these extreme brews, I tend to fall in love with sessionable drinks that I can spend all day sipping on while enjoying them with friends.
My main point of that rant…. this beer is one of the best sessionable beers I’ve come across. Will I argue with people that this beer is over 5.0% ABV so technically it won’t qualify as “sessionable”? No, I refuse to be dragged into internet trolling. It’s close enough for my standards and I doubt the extra .40% will get me ripping my shirt off and dancing on tables that much quicker. So don’t bother pointing that out. My blog; my incorrect interpretations.
So onto the actual beer tasting!
This lovely beer pours a cloudy golden-yellow color with one of the biggest and fluffiest white heads I’ve ever seen. Some may say this should be the standard of all hefes, though sadly not many look this yummy. Much like the Kardashians, the head on this just wouldn’t go away no matter how hard I tried to ignore it. The lacing on the beer was great and only reinforced my perfect score on the appearance.
The scent was easy to pick up and fit perfectly with what I was expecting from this beer. Huge nose filled with bananas, light cloves, and some lemons. It’s screaming summer and I am hearing it loud and clear. My first sip was just as fabulous. I’m hit with yeast-y goodness up front with lots of wheat and bready notes. Banana and clove tag along but they’re not as pronounced as many of the American hefes I’ve sampled. But then again as the “oldest brewery in the world” which has been around since 1040 I think this would probably be what the style was originally meant to be and others have deviated from it.
As for the mouthfeel, the brew had a light body and was filled with nice bubbly carbonation. A smooth and creamy offering that has some of the easiest drinkability I’ve come across in a long time. Sipping this during a barbecue or while tailgating at a Sox game is how I picture myself enjoying this over the warmer months. Although I do prefer Sierra Nevada Kellerweis over this, it’s pretty damn close. The determining factor is price and availability. Kellerweis comes in six packs and can be found on most store shelves, where this one takes a little searching for and only comes in single bottles from what I’ve seen.
Can I pronounce the name of this beer? Hell no I can’t!
Can I enjoy every sip of it? Hell yes I can… and I did!
Overall: 4.25/5 – Almost 1000 years of perfecting the style!
Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan
Sierra Nevada – Kellerweis Hefeweizen
Style: Hefeweizen
ABV: 4.80%
Serving type: Bottle into pint glass
I honestly wish I could bake a cake out of this and eat it on my birthday.
It’s not fair this early in the blog to proclaim any beer as my favorite just yet. But if you held a gun or bazooka to my head, I would say this is damn near close! I obviously love Hefe style beers and I don’t think I’ve come across one that represents the style better than Sierra Nevada’s Kellerweis.
The pour is a really great hazy golden color with a little over one finger of creamy white head that stayed for quite a while. Hefes are unfiltered so you get all the nice yeasty particles and their subsequent flavors in full force. This beer couldn’t look more fitting of a beer commercial if you put a bunch of hot coeds and a funny dog next to it.
The smell is so delicious that I want an air freshener in this scent for my car. It’s got some ripe bananas and great lemons and clove to it. It instantly makes me happy and daydream about frolicking in warm weather. I’m not sure I can adequately describe the taste of this beer. “Wow!” would be my closest descriptor. But my second attempt would be ripe bananas with some lemon and clove. It’s perfectly balanced and it doesn’t have one thing wrong with it that I can say. This review is pretty short and sweet.
Overall I’d say this beer drinks clean, crisp, smooth, and refreshing. Sort of like a beer version of 7UP. It’s got the perfect amount of carbonation to it. Sort of like 7UP. At under 5% alcohol, it makes the perfect beer for drinking all day long. Not unlike… well know where this joke is going.
Overall: 4.75/5 – Es ist so gut Sie nachschlagen möchten die deutsche Übersetzung für genial auf Google.
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Flying Dog Brewery – In-Heat Wheat
Style: Hefeweizen
ABV: 4.70%
Serving type: Bottle into pint glass
I have to give credit to Flying Dog for having some amazing artwork on their labels that intrigued me enough to want to sample their offerings. The cool designs and funny names are usually the deciding factor for me if I’m choosing between two beers for my final Mix-Six pack. I chose this Hefe without any real expectations which is why I think I was so pleasantly surprised.
The look of the beer was pretty standard in the pint glass. It was a hazy gold color with a half finger of head which dissipated rather quickly. It left almost no lacing behind which disappointed me a little bit. The biggest shock to me was how carbonated this beer was! It literally fizzed like a soda when I finished pouring it. I wasn’t so sure about this…
The smell had a nice blend of banana and either coriander or something very similar to it. The smell was definitely a better precursor to the beer than the pour was. The taste was pretty similar to the smell, but with some clove, lemon, and wheat to it. I’m terrible at describing how flavors combine, but just trust me that this one was a nice blend. Each sip went down very smooth and the body was a nice medium feel.
Overall I really liked this beer a lot. I think if you’re looking for a great American take on a famously German style of beer, you should definitely give this one a try.
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