Trader Joe's Bavarian Style Hefeweizen - Trader Joe's Brewing Company

eberkman

Massachusetts

4.2/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

I picked up a six-pack at Trader Joe's -- looking for something inexpensive and I generally really like Hefes. I hadn't been that impressed with other TJ's house brands, but this was an amazing surprise.


I tried it in a chilled pilsner glass and it poured a golden hue, slightly on the orange side -- cloudy, but not so much as others in this style. Nice off white head with some lacing on the glass.


The aroma hit me right away -- the banana scents above all, with a touch of cloves. Very pleasant.


The taste matched the smell -- the bananas seemed to dominate, but it was nicely spiced as well. Very smooth with a pleasant finish.


If felt a little thin in my mouth, but not unpleasantly so.


In terms of drinkability, it's an A+. Pretty low ABV, smooth and light, perfect for a warm evening or a hot day, but it went great with grilled salmon on a brisk evening too. I could have put away several of these, and I still might before the night is thru.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2006 01:42:09 | More by eberkman

ibeplato

Virginia

4.22/5  rDev +17.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I bought a six-pack of this on a whim after seeing it and longing for a Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier.

I had one with dinner tonight, it poured very nicely, with a firm head that lasted a while. Taste was a huge surprise, I've had a lot of bad weissbier and I wasn't expecting much, but this was very good. Not quite as complex as the Weihenstephaner or some of the other highly-touted Bavarian brews, but very good with a good mix of flavors. I could easily drink several of these, in fact, I'm going to go have another.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2007 23:40:22 | More by ibeplato

MattyG85

Minnesota

4.22/5  rDev +17.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 12 oz. bottle into Duvel tulip glass.

Appearance: Murky yellow orange with a lot of bubbles. Small white head fades into a white layer. Good lacing.

Smell: Strong scent of bananas, yeast, and clove with a touch of citrus. Some spice as well.

Taste: Sweet combination of banana, bubble gum, and cloves with lots of wheat. Slightly tart and spicy.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with carbonation on the higher side. Crisp and smooth.

Overall: A pretty good American version of a Hefeweizen.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2011 01:36:27 | More by MattyG85

TheQuietMan22

Iowa

4.28/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Poured a cloudy harvest orange. A light eggshell colored head developed, which was not as thick as most of the hefes I'm used to. It dissipated to a thin lacing with a ring around the outside.

Smell: Very potent. I sniffed the bottle after opening and said, "Wow." It was more than I was expecting. Spicy cloves up front are followed by banana and fruity, almost strawberry, bubblegum.

Taste: Again, I'm very impressed. It's much like the smell. Prominent clove spice and bananas followed by fruity bubblegum.

Drinkability: It's smooth drinking hefe goodness; well balanced and deliciously flavorful. I think that makes it toothsome. Just the thing I need on a warm, brownout plagued SoCal night. I'm definitely trying TJ's Dunkelweizen.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2009 07:15:08 | More by TheQuietMan22

BayBrewer

New Jersey

4.33/5  rDev +20.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

One of the better domestic hefe's I have tried.
Color is a bit darker than average but thats not a bad thing.
Cloudy orange with a firm white head.
Aroma is a nice balance of clove and bannana.
Taste like a good hefe should with just a touch of citrus.
I could easily finish a sixer of this.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2007 23:31:19 | More by BayBrewer

jmatt72

Oregon

4.33/5  rDev +20.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 5

Very simply---if this weren't a Trader Joe's beer, it would have higher marks--I'd bet anything.

At least here on the West Coast, there are no examples of this style, at any price point, that compare to this beer. Heater-Allen, the only contender in Oregon, way more expensive and neither as good, nor as consistent as this beer. While not in class with the best German hefeweizens, it's damn close and an absolute steal for the price.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2010 04:17:06 | More by jmatt72

zeio

California

4.35/5  rDev +21.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Easy, tasty. Almost seems too sour but rounds it off. Smooth. Looks like it was OEM brewed by Gordon Biersch but who knows, whatever it is it is VERY cheap and very tasty. A 6-pack or a latte and crumpet at Pete's? I'll take the 6-pack.

Everyday drinking beer. Tasty. Good.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2006 04:54:16 | More by zeio

RBorsato

Virginia

4.38/5  rDev +22.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Cloudy peach color with a nice full pillowy off-white head and decent carbonation. Big bubblegum and banana aroma and flavor with a touch of clove on the finish. A good example of a Hefe with nice bubblegum flavors which don't get pronounced too often. LIght bodied and refreshing; not as creamy as some but nice enough.

As far as I know this is contract brewed by Gordon Biersch - a great bargain !

Per Label: "Unfiltered Wheat Beer" & "Minimum of 50% Malted Wheat" & "12 IBU"

Bottled: 06/29/06
Tasted: 09/04/06

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2006 16:37:28 | More by RBorsato

chaduvel

Massachusetts

4.55/5  rDev +27.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

I wasn't expecting much from this beer. $4 a six pack and likely to be another American Wheat beer posing as a Hefeweizen.

Pours a cloudy light brown/golden color with a nice creamy head and there's plenty of yeast in the bottom of the bottle to pour in after swirling the bottle. So far so good. Aroma is yeast, clove, banana, vanilla. Wow, great hefeweizen aromas. Taste again consists of clove and banana with a crisp, dry finish, all the traditional yeast flavors are here and there's no over-hopping or watering down of the yeast flavors. Somewhat thin mouthfeel. This is on par with Brooklyner Weisse and quite possibly the second best American brewed Hefeweizen that I've tried. I am very impressed and can't wait to pick up another six-pack, and at $4 a pop, I'll probably pick up two!

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2006 15:08:36 | More by chaduvel