Weltenburger Hefe-Weissbier Hell - Klosterbrauerei Weltenburg

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.88/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Fuzzy, orange-banana with very little visible yeast (yet). The bone white head is large, soft, fine-bubbled and perseveres acceptably well. Unfortunately, there's very little lace, as could have been predicted by the featureless surface and the unsticky nature of the foam.

Although the nose is weak, what's there is pretty nice. The principal elements of the aroma are light clove, watery banana and minerals. As I continue to dip my nose into the glass, the minerals seem to be fading and the fruitiness is taking its place. Not a 'best in class', or even close to it, but enjoyable nonetheless.

HWH is better on the palate, thanks in large part to the now prominent sweet and sour banana flavor. I like a lot of banana in my hefes and this one delivers the monkey fruit. Clove plays second fiddle, contributing just enough spiciness to add character and to keep things balanced. I like the fact that the wheaty base isn't overshadowed by the more flashy flavors.

The flavor is a wonderful combination of sweet, sour and bitter. Each is present in roughly equal measure, allowing one to appreciate them on an individual basis with a little 'taste bud focus'. The mouthfeel is lightly smooth with a perfect degree of carbonation, making the beer a cinch to drink.

Weltenburger Kloster Hefe-Weizen Hell is a solid German hefe weizen. It won't replace some of my favorites, but I was surprised by how good this beer was once I got a chance to wrap my palate around it. I'm beginning to realize that this style is all about the yeast. To that end, the lightly sweet bananarific flavor present in this bottle is right up my hefe alley. Good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2005 14:57:04 | More by BuckeyeNation

womencantsail

California

3.9/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at Beachwood Brewing

Pours a cloudy golden orange with a fluffy white head. Nice banana on the nose, plenty of wheat, and a great biscuit malt sweetness. Moderate clove aroma throughout and just a hint of bubblegum. Sweet bread and biscuit mealtimes on the nose. A hint of bubblegum, light citrus, an plenty of banana. Nice clove spiciness, soft wheat flavor, and a touch of straw. Really nice.

Serving type: on-tap

10-24-2012 19:47:03 | More by womencantsail

oberon

North Carolina

4.43/5  rDev +20.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I am drinking alot of German wheats right now and this was another great one to drink in the summer heat.Nice lemony,and spritzty refresher,light in color.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2002 12:16:09 | More by oberon

drabmuh

Maryland

4.13/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Beer poured from a bottle into a 0.5 L wheat beer glass. Beer is yellow and really hazy. Big thick white head with a lot of lacing and agressive carbonation. Bubbles are small are stream up the sides of the glass.

Smell is good, lots of fruity esters and some nice sweetness.

Drinkability high, this is an amazing session beer. I wish I had this on draft in my home. Mouthfeel, beer is heavily carbonated in the mouth and low in body. The carbonation carries the flavors of the beer, sweet fruit and wheaty, throughout the palate. The dominate flavors are the wheat at the back and the sweet in the front. Overall a great beer. There is a mild aftertaste that grows as you drink. Its not unpleasant just distracting.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2009 23:50:11 | More by drabmuh

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.95/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a hazed honey color with 3 fingers of pearl white head. Good head retention & lacing

S:Some banana, a bit of honey, pears & grainyness up front

T: Grainyness, juicy fruit gum & cloves up front. Pears, cloves & green bananas as this warms. Finishes with cloves, a touch of lemon & grainyness

MF: Medium bodied, low carbonation

Drinks pretty easy, good hefe, not a great one

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2009 04:05:02 | More by russpowell

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

50cl bottle, with those weird label residue rings, usually indicative of a recycled container. Good for them.

This beer pours a densely cloudy dark golden colour, with a ton of foamy, creamy white head, which leaves some very nice webbed lace around the glass as it settles. It smells of sweet bready grain, banana esters, under ripened peach, spicy clove, and some mild yeast. The taste is sweet, sugary wheat malt, pithy, fleshy orchard fruit, some mild coriander and yeast spiciness, and a bit of soft black pepper. The carbonation is fairly soft, the body medium weight, puffy, and smooth. It finishes on a more even note, the sweet malt offset by a musty, earthy drying edge.

A pretty good hefe, thoroughly balanced, enough so that, uncharacteristically, I almost ran out of beer before be able to finish this assessment...

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2010 23:24:23 | More by biboergosum

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked up a bottle from Abe's for about $3. Poured into a tall glass, it's a hazy murky amber with tall white head. The aroma is a standard mix of banana and mellow clove, but there's also an odd plastic note. The flavor has a dry earthy undertone below the juicy spice and mild citrus.

Overall, this is a classic hefe, though not quite as robust as the hallmark examples of the style.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2010 22:25:29 | More by tempest

Billolick

New York

3.95/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Typical mid sized German bottle, no freshness info(more typical German stuff) Rolled on its side to release the yeast, this one pours cloudy, dull medium apricot. The head is near white, puffy and long lasting. Then a thicker film and plenty of stickage on the glass. Fruity on the nose, with notes of bananas and oranges. Flavorful Hefe, typical notes of bananas, some light coriander, orange, yeast. Perhaps a tad thin on the tongue, and lacks the complexity and intrigue of the heavy hitters of the style. Still worth a try. I believe I found this one at Trader Joe's on Atlantic Ave in Bklyn, NY or it could have been @ American Bev. just a few blocks away. It was the night of a cask fest and things got a bit blurry..

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2009 00:10:28 | More by Billolick

corby112

Pennsylvania

2.88/5  rDev -21.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Picked this jawn up on a recent beer run in New Jerusalem.

Pours a very hazy, dark golden yellow color with banana yellow hues when held to a light and a frothy, pillowy three finger head that slowly fades into a lasting cap. Sporadic chunks of soapy lacing left behind.

Slightly spicy, zesty aroma with hints of bready yeast and citrus fruit. Lots of clove, pepper and coriander in the nose but it could use a bit more citrus character. Faint orange peel and tart grapefruit but dominated by clove.

Medium bodied and kind of bland with the most interesting flavor being the prominent bread/yeast notes. I prefer this flavor as a compliment to a spicy, citrusy beer but here it kind of overpowers everything. Spicy with hints of zesty pepper and clove along with subtle sweet orange peel. Kind of tart with a bone dry finish. Just an average example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2011 04:06:32 | More by corby112

beerthulhu

New Jersey

3.58/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a murky orange with a light to medium haze. On top lies a monstrous firm and rigid foam head that was ivory in color. Carbonation was medium, spacious, and quickly paced. Smidges of lace speckle the glass in random and moderate coverage.

S: Scents of slightly tart oranges and wet bread are to be had on the nose. There is a bit of spicy citrus as well, light lemon and yeasty presence lurking about.

T: Sparkling flavor of bananas, lightly tart oranges, and perhaps a bit of apple juice. Light lemon citrus and cloves come about on the close. Yeasty, with a sharp and clean flavor off the tongue and a good presence of wheat with an ending wet quenching nature.

M: bright and lively brought about by the sparkling sharp carbonation that made things dance on the tongue. Decent amount of fullness, probably due to unfiltered nature and conditioning.

O: Overall makes for a good summer time quencher. Good flavor, and sharp carbonation makes this pop and a good way to beat the heat without being weighed down.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2011 22:48:05 | More by beerthulhu

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a glowing Kool-Aid orange in colour. Great froathy 2 finger head. Slightly hazy complexion. Aroma packs a strong wheat punch. A lot of crisp wheat comes through on the flavour as well, relies on little else. Texture is slightly flat, a little under carbonated maybe. Good fruity notes but could use more. Overall, not outstanding but defintely little to complain about. A good beer, among top hefe percentile in my books.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2006 16:17:46 | More by biegaman

Derek

British Columbia (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Hazy straw with a white head, thin ring of retention leaves a little lace.

S: Definitely clove-forward, but not overpowering, white pepper, vanilla and subtle hints of tropical fruit.

T: Clove, wheaty biscuits, a little more bitterness than most (I like that), hints of banana bread and candied pineapple.

M: Moderate body is well-attenuated, not overly carbonated, crisp finish.

D: A good drinker.

This one has bottled & traveled well, but it is lacking a bit of a fresh flavour.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2011 22:21:45 | More by Derek

JohnGalt1

Idaho

3.88/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500 ml picked up today at Tres Bonne Cuisine for about $4... poured into my smaller weizen glass.

3 finger rocky head.. brew is expected hazy gold/lite orange.

Aroma is soft bready grains and some clove and banana... not much else...

Flavor is much better than the aroma.. nice punch of banana with lesser cloves... a little sour note mid-late palate all tied together by smooth slightly sweet bready malts.

Creamy medium lite body with prickly carbonation.

3.5/3.5/4/4/4

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2008 08:07:53 | More by JohnGalt1

RoyalT

Ohio

2.98/5  rDev -19%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Appearance – This one poured a light yellowish-orange with a quick weizen head.

Smell – The citrusy yeast was very pleasing and accompanied a sharp, salty coriander aroma.

Taste – The yeast lightened up at the taste and was mixed with a heavy citrusy tangerine flavor. I also picked up an off tart-like bitterness to the ale.

Mouthfeel – This light-bodied Hefe was undercarbonated and had an unpleasant tart finish.

Drinkability – This wasn’t a bad beer but missed the mark of a good Hefe Weizen.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2004 00:57:09 | More by RoyalT

stcules

Italy

3.13/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Hazy orange, beautiful white, creamy head. Good weizen appearance.
Fresh smell, with a good yeast, light banana, and a hint of green apple.
Very fresh in the taste, too, with the same flavour of yeast, banana and green apple. A hint of tartness in the end.
Light body.
Then again yeast and green apple in the aftertaste, some banana.
Very few cloves here.
Fresh and drinkable, clean.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2008 10:29:43 | More by stcules

TheLongBeachBum

California

3.53/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Presentation: A 1 Pint 9 fl.oz brown glass bottle with a very colourful, Germanic looking label depicting a picture of old buildings set in a green valley that adorns all of their beers. The main front & neck label has orange & blue lines around the edge, titled as “Weltenburger Hefe-Weizen Hell”. Advertised as the oldest Monastery Brewery in the world (Since 1050).

Appearance: The absolutely massive head is the primary focus of attention. Crusty lace clings to the glass sides as the head fades to a more tolerable 2” in depth. Body is a very clear light straw color. Streamers are active throughout.

Smell: Slight hints of cloves & light banana aspects mixed with lemons and light biscuit grain. I strained a bit at times to get this though.

Taste: Carbonation gives a refreshing introduction to the yeasty beginnings. A rather cloying clove and banana middle with a Citric finish. Has a dry tartness at the end.

Mouthfeel: The Carbonation is evident in the mouthfeel, but it is rather faded at times.

Overall: Clean beer with just enough tastes to intrigue, rather light though, which lends Drinkability but lowers the Taste mark. Just a bit too bland to be anything than above average.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2003 21:27:14 | More by TheLongBeachBum

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

3.43/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

500ml bottle into Weisse glass 27/10/11 sent out by EskimoDave

A murky dirty orange with the stranded shitload of bubbles that feed a large well retained three finger head that leaves spotted lace well down the glass

S not very strong but there's some wheat and banana and clove perhaps a little lemon and bubblegum

T tastes a little stronger then the smell with lots of dry cereal on top of what I smell, still a pretty basic Hefe

M not as light as expected and plenty of bubbles help its cause

O an OK beer but I stop before saying it's "good" I have pretty high standards whit this style and this ones just not exciting me

I think this may be my 300th brewery sampled, mind you if I lived in Germany this landmark wouldn't be all that impressive. When you live in a province that has maybe half a dozen breweries and 3.5million people you envy the Germans

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2011 17:42:16 | More by wordemupg

GClarkage

California

3.7/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

10/03/08- Purchased at Whole Foods in San Mateo, CA.

Presentation- 16.9oz bottle with some kind of freshness code on the back label by the upc. Poured into my Weihenstephaner weizen glass.

Appearance- Clouded golden colored pour, Incredibly huge foamy head...took about 10 minutes to pour the entire beer in the glass. Leaves slight pacthes and a bit of spotting.

Smell- Has the basic pricliples of a hefe. Some clove, some bubble gum and some banana, full the nose is not strong. Pretty weak in fact.

Taste- At first taste, flavor is spot on. A hit of banana and bubble gum, followed by a quick burst of clove, then...poof! Gone, just like a piece of fruit stripe gum. Flavor lasts for about 2 seconds after the swallow.

Mouthfeel- I like low carbonation, but not in this case. For all the foam I expected some bubbles. Very light and slightly crisp carbonation and no aftertatse.

Drinkability- If the flavor lasted a bit longer I would be much happier. Even as is, it's a decent hefe, but no more than that.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2008 14:28:58 | More by GClarkage

flagmantho

Washington

3.78/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 500mL bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: hazy, light golden body with a massive three-finger white head. A solid hefeweizen.

Smell: nice, murky clove flavor with a little bit of banana. Sweet, refreshing hefeweizen aroma, although none of the citrus aromas that some hefes have.

Taste: quite malty with a little bit of the clove flavor. Not quite as rich as the aroma; tasty, mind you, but not quite as tasty as I like a good German hefeweizen to be.

Mouthfeel: smooth, medium body with plenty of carbonation. Creaminess is right on the money.

Drinkability: tasty and refreshing, like a hefeweizen should be.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2010 03:44:05 | More by flagmantho

Vancer

Illinois

3.18/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A surprising brew, not much going on here, a plain jane in most aspects. The pour and aroma were first clues; hazy amber yellow, just a minumul white head. Very subtle hints of malty banana.

Very basic hefe, you have to concentrate to taste the banana and clove. Average city, I’d stick with the much better, and cheaper American versions.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2007 13:07:18 | More by Vancer

Deuane

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A-Hazy yellow-orange with a thick, fluffy white head that reduced and left some lacing. A very lovely beer to look at...the color and head offset each other nicely.

S-Bready malt with light banana and a little sweetness. Nothing overwhelming like some hefe's.

T-A bit subduded. Rather light on the clove/banana taste. Mostly dominated by the biscuity malt. A small amount of hop bitterness and a citrus twang in the end.

M-Light body, very refreshing on the palate...nothing crazy. Would be great on a hot summer's day.

D-Tasty and refreshing, I would love this in the summer. Remember this is a Hefe-Weizen Hell, the word hell in German means light/clear....so this is a "light" hefe version....so one cannot expect a traditional "full" hefe taste profile. Taken for what it is this is a very nice and refreshing brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2008 21:16:14 | More by Deuane

Gmann

New York

3.43/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a nice cloudy golden color with a thick dense pure white head that left chunky lacing as it dissipated. The aroma is of banana, some clove and pepper, a bit of a lemon twang. The taste is a tad tart with lemon and green followed by some banana; not strong banana flavor but enough to smooth out the flavor. Not much spice or clove in this hefe. A little too much like an American wheat to me. A moderate feel, with tingly carbonation, finishes sweet and tart. A very nice looking hefe which fails to deliver on the taste. Again, reminds me more of an American wheat.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2009 02:49:51 | More by Gmann

canucklehead

British Columbia (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Confusing label as the one I have has Kloster on the front and is different from the picture above but reading the back it looks like it still brewed at Regensburg.

Pretty decent Hefe at a good price. Lots of complexity in the midbody with the obvious banana clove nose and taste. The aftertaste is smooth and full. Would buy this again for sure as it compares with Paulaner, Konig and Erdinger.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2010 02:36:15 | More by canucklehead

beerguy101

California

3/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Light gold color, medium white foamy head. Aroma is malty and slightly sweet. A mild tasting wheat beer. Some banana and clove taste. Mild malts and some hoppyness. Smooth taste. Mouthfeel is a little thin. Finish is clean. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2003 04:05:39 | More by beerguy101

argock

Virginia

3.08/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 17oz brown bottle into a clear weizen glass. No decipherable bottling date. Single purchased at Wine Ware house (Charlottesville, VA) for $3.39.

A: Mildly hazy bright golden with 2-3 fingers of nearly white foamy head that wears quickly and leaves a minmal lace.

S: Aroma is very soft on this beer and does not fit the style very well. THere are very subtle banana and pear flavors with a fair amount of lemon-tinged graininess.

T: The flavor is very grainy and citrusy with little of the usual banana and clove flavors. This is not an estery beer at all and seems more like a pale wheat ale unfortunately. Mineral and dry hoppy flavors dominate when wheaty tang and furity esters should win out.

M: Light-to-medium in body with low carbonation and grainy, mineral aftertaste not typical for the style.

D: An average to below-average brew with none of the estery goodness one expects with a hefe. Very disappointing.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2009 03:58:30 | More by argock