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

beersarang

California

3.75/5  rDev +5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a cloudy straw color with a white head that is frothy and big. Doesn't hold up for too long but leaves some spotty lacing on the glass.

Smells like banana, with banana added, then later a touch of banana.

Tastes a little bit like wheat, but then the banana and the cloves come in for a nice sweet then bitter effect. Hops might be nonexistant.

Easy to drink, carbonation right, not bad for a bavarian hef. Even better for 5 bucks a 6 pack.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2005 05:10:09 | More by beersarang

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.8/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

As I pour this beer I get strong notes of banana. This beer sits a hazy orange gold color in my glass and is topped by a frothy tan head. The aroma certainly is dominated by banana, but I also get notes of subtle clove, and a spicy wheat note. The taste is quite dry up front with a tart note from the wheat that is evocative of lemons. The banana is not quite as dominant in the taste as it is in the nose, and in fact I pick up quite a bit more of the clove notes. This is actually a pretty good example of a German Hefe, a beer like this is defined by the yeast used, and they actually used the correct yeast for this beer. It is a huge step ahead of the rest of these "Trader Joe" brand beers.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2005 03:09:42 | More by Gueuzedude

rowew

Colorado

3.2/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Presentation: 12 oz long neck bottle. Description on the back with IBU's (12), ABV (5.3), and bottled date (2/1/05)

Appearance: Pours a cloudy orange color with a huge white head. Head has good retention, and leaves large amounts of lacing.

Smell: Aroma is typical hefe weizen, but a bit more subdued than others I have tried. Still able to smell the cloves and bananas though.

Taste: Sweet start giving way to spicy flavors in the finish, which is fairly dry. Mouthfeel is good, with a nice carbonation level. Fairly typical hefe tastes - nothing outstanding, but nothing that turns me off either

Overall impression: First off, I love that they list the detailed information about the brew right on the label - many other brewers could take a lesson from the lowly TJ's brews on this subject. This is a fairly typical hefe - but it is available at $4.99 a six pack, so it is a nice value.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2005 21:07:52 | More by rowew

GClarkage

California

3.1/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

02/26/05- Purchased at Trader Joe's in San Francisco, CA

Presentation- 12oz bottle with a bottled date of 02/01/05. Poured into a random glass mug (away from home).

Appearance- Fairly straw yellow colored with a quite large bubbled head that quickly eroded. Very minimal lacing.

Smell- Cloves, banana's and maybe a bit of vanilla. Nothing out of the ordinary, but could have had a more stronger scent.

Taste- Very blah and boring hefe. Some banana and some clove flavoring, quite boring actually.

Mouthfeel- Fairly carbonated and a bit overly sweet.

Drinkability- Not a hefe I would choose to go back to if in the mood for one. Just a boring beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2005 04:43:59 | More by GClarkage

bceaglejoe

Massachusetts

3.53/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Presentation: Poured a translucent, cloudy dark yellow-orange into a pint glass. A two-inch thick head quickly formed and started to dissipate, but remained pretty well. Scent is heavy with banana and a bit of bubblegum.

Tasting: This tasted slightly heavier than other Hefeweizens I've tried. Banana is the primary flavor, along with sweet malts. There was virtually no hop bitterness. A moderate level of carbonation is present in this beer. Mouthfeel score goes down a little bit because it seems somewhat macro-style harsh to me. It was kind of overwhelming in a way.

I would use this beer to introduce people to the style and get them accustomed to better beer. It's a pretty solid brew at a good price ($5.29 for a sixer). I would probably purchase this again if I were hosting a tasting party.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2005 21:06:07 | More by bceaglejoe

Zorro

California

3.3/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a cloudy burnt orange color with a puffy white head, it LOOKS like a Hefe.

Smell is phenolic with lots of clove and bubblegum scent; banana scent isn't present though.

Taste is dry and closer to an American wheat in flavor. Very subdued bubblegum and clove flavors are present. There is a bit of sourness underling this lemony in flavor.

Mouthfeel is good and about right.

Very drinkable and close to a real from Germany Hefe-Weissen. Flavor is a bit light. Pleasant and worth it’s $4.99 a six pack price for German type wheat beer when you can't get the REAL thing.

This is as close to a real Hefe-Weissen as Blue Moon is to a Hoegaarden. Not the same thing but close enough for everyday enjoyment.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2005 23:42:04 | More by Zorro

TheLongBeachBum

California

3.13/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Presentation: 355ml (12 fluid ounce) standard looking brown glass bottle. The letters ‘T’ and ‘J’ sit aside a sheaf on an appropriately color coded dark blue crown cap. Main label and neck label has the words ‘Bavarian Style Hefeweizen’. Described below as an ‘Unfiltered Wheat Beer’. The reverse label has the Batch Number as ‘14:07 12/23/04 627’, plus the following Beer Stats: 5.3% alcohol by volume. 12 Bitterness units. Fermented using a top fermenting yeast.

Appearance: Decent enough white head builds into a very nice frothy whipped cream formation above the milky golden body. Looks almost clear but it does exhibit a strained milky feel that is nevertheless weak looking for a Hefe. The head has excellent staying power and the lacing is sheet like.

Nose: Banana, cloves, sweet banana bread, yeast and a wheat-laden sweetness. ‘De Rigueur’ in many aspects. Has a sweet candy bubble gum feel to it though when it warms up.

Taste: Hmmm….Sweet bubblegum start - Sweet bubblegum finish. In between there is a clove like sticky middle which bounces around with wheat like flashes and a bready dough consistency. Sickly honey soaked sweet sugar laden mashed Banana’s too. Finishes with a little dryness though.

Mouthfeel: Decent carbonation and a nice texture to the body lends this one a strong 3.5 “above average” feel.

Drinkability: Drinks well, in the long run the candy sweet bubblegum character is just too much for me.

Overall: Yet another Hefeweizen, I have had much worse offerings from the Fatherland. A decent enough performer given the price and source though. It does everything that it has to, but not much more.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2005 04:24:25 | More by TheLongBeachBum

studentofbeer

California

3.25/5  rDev -9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

when i first opened i thought i detected a slightly skunky smell and was worried, but upon pouring it all the way into the glass and taking a big inhale, it was strongly banana. i was no longer scared that this wouldn't be a true hefeweizen. there was yeast at the bottom to dump into the brew, and it had the right aroma. the taste itself carried the banana flavor, though it was a bit raw. clove came through in the taste as well, but there was not very much spice or zing, i think due to the lack of breadiness and acidity in the malt.

mouthfeel was medium, but neither smooth and creamy nor really aggressive--and i usually prefer my hefes to fall on one side or the other (with an ayinger being on the creamy side and weheinstephaner on the bubbly). the malt flavor just wasn't quite right tho-- the beer just wasn't completely balanced, so the yeast flavor sort of took over all the way and the wheat malt didn't back it up. it just didn't gel--not enough acidity or something. anyway, this was the best of the bunch from TJs so far (still have the bock to try) but since happy monk beer (aka franziskaner) is only a buck more a sixer, i will be sticking with it. the two actually have similar flavor profiles, but i prefer the mouthfeel and the tartness of the franziskaner. it's just a better beer all the way around.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2005 17:22:15 | More by studentofbeer

BeerManDan

California

3.5/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Loads of fast disapearing foam when pour, but lots of lace with this hazy yellow hefeweizen. The smell of yeast and citrus filled the nose. The taste was really different. The taste of yeast, wheat, citrus and a touch of clove was evident. But, I got a kind of bubble gum flavor also, but, just a hint of it. A little sour touch on the finish, but just a touch. Have tasted worst!

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2005 07:19:59 | More by BeerManDan

Boilermaker88

California

3.3/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The second of a quartet of Trader Joe's brews I picked up recently. Batch # 14:20 12/23/04. Back label states it's brewed in accordance with German purity laws, using at least 50% malted wheat. 12 IBU's.
Poured from a 12oz bottle into a hefeweizen glass, TJ's hefe had a cloudy golden color, vigorous carbonation and a pillowy white head that collapsed into a modest skim but left decent lace behind.
The nose had the aromas unique to a German hefeweizen: bread-like malts, bananas, cloves and a hint of bubblegum. Unfortunately, the aromas did not hold up through the taste as the bubblegum character fell off the radar to be replaced by a faint metallic twang. The banana didn't come across as ripe but more green. The clove inspired spiciness did come through although maybe a bit more strongly than necessary. The feel was creamy and dry; pretty refreshing.
Overall, this was a pretty mediocre hefeweizen, definitely not one that would pose a challenge to any top-tier hefeweizens. Not bad, but certainly nothing great.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2005 23:03:47 | More by Boilermaker88