Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen - Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Catherine8189

Michigan

5/5  rDev +22.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

An all encompassing beer. If you like hefeweizen type beers, you are really going to enjoy this version! The fruit undertones are very subtle and balanced just right with the spice and other flavors coming from this beer. If you could not tell all ready this is my favorite beer that I just discovered in my final year of graduate school, way too late by my standards. The mouthfeel has a light creaminess to it, without being too heavy.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 21:44:46 | More by Catherine8189

JimWFromTampa

Florida

4.75/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Appearance: cloudy pale amber with thin head that dissipates quickly

Smell: bananas, maybe banana bread (a sort of faint bready, spicy, banana smell)

Taste: banana, cloves, subtlest hint of bitterness at the end

Mouthfeel: carbonation with a smooth, neutral finish, maybe a tiny bit astringent

Overall, this is about 95 percent as good as my favorite (Weihenstephaner hefe) but significantly cheaper and far more readily available. I could drink this beer all day long without the slightest complaint. In my opinion, It's a better example of the style than a few of the german examples that I've had.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2013 20:09:25 | More by JimWFromTampa

flyingpig

United Kingdom (Scotland)

4.16/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

The Draft House, Tower Bridge, London (355ml bottle, £5.95):
Cloudy, golden amber with a thin, bubbly white lacing about a half centimetre tall. This turns slightly patchy after a while but doesn't hold too badly.

Wheat and plenty of spice with some clove and light banana notes. There is some citrus and yeast coming through too along with a hint of bubblegum.

Wheat and spice aroma along with a nice helping of clove but the main taste is a mix of banana that is stronger than in the nose and a fruity citrus flavour that is backed up with some lemongrass.

Medium bodied and very smooth to drink with nice, good strength carbonation that gives the drink a lively and refreshing mouthfeel. There is a light citrus tang and a fruity sweetness.

Great hefeweizen that went down a treat and was well worth the wait in getting to try it. There was a good balance between the sweet flavours and the spice with a good body and a nice, refreshing mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2013 11:14:41 | More by flyingpig

HerculesRM

South Carolina

4.14/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Opaque golden colour. Smells of the citrus hops you get when you taste. Hop taste is lemon and grapefruit, no pine. Balanced flavor of sugar cookie, bread, and lemon Girl Scout cookie. Mouthfeel has substance without being thick, perfect for the style. Well done, Mr. Grossman!

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2013 22:08:07 | More by HerculesRM

TeamMathis

West Virginia

4.46/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Quite cloudy. Orangish yellow. A nice foam head quickly dissipates into a paper-thin top.
Smell: Banana and bubblegum.
Taste: Banana, bugglegum, and wheat. Some tartness.
Mouthfeel: Good carbonation and smooth at the same time.

This is such an excellent Hefe. It certainly sets a great standard for this style. The banana hits you right away with the smell, and follows up with the same in the taste. The tartness and banana linger after the swallow. There's really nothing negative to be said. It has that traditional Hefe taste of banana and wheat, but pulls it off so well that it really sets itself apart from most of the rest. I would definitely get this again.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2013 01:55:19 | More by TeamMathis

mjurney

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance:
Pale color, murky. Some carbonation rising. Thin head.

Aroma:
Sweet bread, banana, tropical fruit, a little spice.

Taste:
Fruity and spice notes, ripe banana, cloves, a little coriander. Bready and sweet dough. Slight citrus and tart finish. Milkshake mouthfeel, creamy, refreshing, a little dry.

Overall:
Well made American made Hefeweizen.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 00:25:41 | More by mjurney

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

4.13/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Kinda yellow and hazy, good head, rising bubbles, ample lace.

Aroma and flavor are full of typically hefe stuff: cloves, banana, spices, bubblegum, citrus, yeast. Quite typically hef, but to be more specific, it's more likely to set the standard than simply be listed as typical of the style.

Body is quite thick, smoothly carbonated, yet easy drinking.

Definitely worth the cost of the sixer. A must try for hefe fans.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2013 18:04:22 | More by AlCaponeJunior

Bosoxfan20

Oklahoma

4.23/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A- Poured from 12oz bottle into a weizen glass. Pours a hazy, cloudy light orange. 1 finger white head. Decent retention. Slippery lacing. Doesn't really grab the glass, but not expecting it to. Beautiful carbonation bubbles.

S- Banana, banana bread, yeasty, bubble gum, lemon, sweet with a touch of peppery spice. Esters. Nice smell. I'm interested.

T- Sweet up front with bananas and yeast again. Lots of cloves and esters. Buttery. Taffy. Crisp, pepper finish that i wasn't expecting, but i really liked the surprise. Some tart notes. Love the contrasting smoothness up front with some kick in the back.

M- Mid body. Thicker than i expected, and i like it. Very smooth. Perfect carbonation. Not real dry or bitter.

O- One of my favorite from Sierra Nevada. Would be perfect on a hot summer day, but drinking it in Tulsa on a cool March evening, i understand why this is a year round offer. A great touch on a German style. I only have a moderate amount of hefeweizen experience so i can't wait to compare it to some of the German classics. A delicious beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2013 01:04:41 | More by Bosoxfan20

Goblinmunkey7

Massachusetts

3.53/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Hazed bright yellow gold. Head is bubbly, bright-white, and creamy. Decent retention keeps at a couple cm for the duration. Some minor specks of lacing, but nothing much. Nice lively carbonation.

Smell: Bready yeasty banana funk. Loaded with esters. Banana and a mild underlying spiciness. Nice twang of wheat punches up, especially as the beer warms. Grass and some green apple skin. Almost musty at times with some mild earthiness. Background of citrus. Melon. Powdery yeast. Bubblegum.

Taste: Powdery banana yeast candy. Seriously laced with bubblegum and powdered clove. Candy. Light pale malt sweetness plays over some big yeast flavors. Watermelon rind. Slight twang of wheat layered in the back. Hay and earth. Even a touch of lemon zest. Taffy and banana candy. Mildly tart.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with a moderate to high carbonation. Slightly dry finish, but clean overall.

Overall: Banana and clove bubblegum. NECCO wafer style.

Missing that spark I thought it had the first time I tried it. Still a solid take, but a bit heavy on the bubblegum and banana candy.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 19:17:09 | More by Goblinmunkey7

DZiegler

Arizona

3.85/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Serving Type: Bottle

A: Deep golden color with the typical cloudy look from hefeweizens. Decent sized head that dissipated after about 30 seconds but left a little bit of lacing.

S: Definitely smells of citrus and bananas. There is a nice hint of spices in the background as well, maybe cloves or cinnamon

T: The fruitiness stands out, first you get the bananas and the citrus creeps up towards the end

M: Very smooth and easy to drink with a decent amount of carbonation

O: Overall one of the best domestic hefeweizens I've had. It has complex flavor layering, but easy to drink at the same time. Fantastic beer would go great on a hot summer day. Definitely getting more of this soon.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 17:07:46 | More by DZiegler

PorterLambic

Florida

3.64/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Pours not unlike the color of grapefruit juice, a cloudy, tan yellow with a slightly off-white head. No lace and very little retention, dropping to a film within a minute of the pour.
Smell is full of malt, banana, citrus, wheat and spices. Well balanced and nicely complex.
Taste is the same: malt, spice, wheat and to a lesser degree citrus and banana. Smell is more balanced but they equal in complexity.
Medium full body with an effervescence that is sharp at first but mellowed quickly to a nice, drinkable level. Aftertaste encourages sessioning as does the balance. Had this both straight from the bottle and from a pint glass. Glass wins hands down, like drinking a completely different beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 22:45:58 | More by PorterLambic

IamMe90

Wisconsin

4.05/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Nice cloudy, light-honey appearance, little head retention but above average lacing compared to most of the wheat beers I've had.

The smell is pretty dang good - lemony citrus, banana, slight clove, a little breadiness.

Taste follows the aroma, with banana, citrus/lemon and clove but the citrus is pretty strong. Which is awesome! I had this rated lower earlier today, but another bottle proved to be a lot more flavorful. I'm really enjoying this beer quite a bit.

The mouthfeel is good, thicker than I was expecting and nicely carbonated.

Great session ale!

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 21:57:27 | More by IamMe90

DavidS88

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

An all around wonderful brew from Sierra Nevada, their Kellerweis Hefeweizen is a distinctively hoppy wheat beer. Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a Samuel Adams glass, Kellerweis is bright gold with a nice white foamy head. Rather than a wheat-based smell like you get with most hefeweizens or knock offs, I found this to be more hoppy than I expected. Now that's not really a bad, thing, just unexpected for this style of beer. The taste was really excellent, starting off malty from the wheat used and then finishing slightly bitter with the dash of hops at the end. It was fairly carbonated, but not too much so. Actually this kind of reminded me of their stout; obviously the color, style, taste were different, but it's clear to me now that if you get anything by Sierra Nevada, you're going to be able to taste and smell the hops they use. Again, that isn't a bad thing, just a little unexpected. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 16:46:24 | More by DavidS88

Jacurdy60

Alabama

4.03/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

A-Hazy, unfiltered look typical of hefe's. Deep yellow color with a creamy white head and decent retention.

S-Warm citrusy notes with a strong banana presence. I'm also sensing some warm cinnamon as well. Smells a lot like a saison.

T-Banana is very strong and it is layered nicely with the warm, subtle citrus fruits. The flavors do not last too long on the palate, however and it is very simple.

MF-Probably the best aspect of the beer. It is very smooth with a nice touch of carbonation.

O-A great hefeweizen. While not my favorite style, this one was well crafted. It's very simple. The tastes aren't layered complexly and the smells make their presence know. A great brew.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 00:38:05 | More by Jacurdy60

bencohen

New York

4.93/5  rDev +20.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

I LOVE this beer. I've always been a fan of Hefeweizens, and this one is now by far my favorite.

A- Poured as recommended into a hefe glass. Smooth pour with a bit of an orange tint. A small head left a nice lacing on the glass.

S- Wheat, apricot, and a general fruitiness. Subtle, but pleasant.

T- Wow! I cannot express how much I like the taste of this beer. Starts off with a banana and apricot frutiness, and continues into a slightly bitterer taste, which is well balanced. Finish is incredibly smooth and leaves a pleasant fruity taste in your mouth.

M- Light, not that carbonated. Finishes incredibly smoothly.

O- I loved it!

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2013 03:07:28 | More by bencohen

JWU

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz. bottle poured into a hefe glass.

A- poured a perfectly clear gold with orange tint. Swirled the yeast, and dumped it. Clouded up beautifully. Really impressive. Pillowy white head, but it dissipated a little quick, would have scored perfect otherwise.

S- Wheat malt, banana bread, yeasty funk. A touch of clove and bubble gum.

T- Certainly not an authentic German offering, as it just lacks that little extra wallop of funk the German ones have. A little wheat malt, some banana-ish flavors, a hint of clove and ginger. Not overly sweet which I really like. The intensity of the taste is a let down, but it picks up a bit as the beer warms. Quite pleasant.

M- A touch thin than the German offerings. (Franzy tends to be my benchmark) But good. Carbonation is pretty standard.

O- Certainly won't replace Franzy as my go-to Hefe, but as far as American interps on Hefe go, this is likely the best I've had.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2013 22:33:16 | More by JWU

Luke4

3.18/5  rDev -22.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Very good carbonation out of a bottle. The aroma was a bit weak, with basically nothing to speak of. However, the appearance was top notch. Very pale and opaque; just like a Hefe should be. Banana is very noticeable on the front and end of this beer, with small amount of bitterness in between. Overall a good all day summer beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2013 05:29:28 | More by Luke4

joecast

Australia

3.23/5  rDev -20.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3

Cloudy golden. Low carbonation with no head to speak of. A bit of a lackluster start.

Decent aroma with all the expected character. Light banana and clove with a bit of spicy phenolic yeast.

Mellow taste which lacks some pop due yo the low carbonation. Light soft mouthfeel with a nice sweetness and little hop character.

Well, it's nice, but being SN my expectations were high.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2013 08:52:22 | More by joecast

SmashPants

Australia

4.11/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle: reasonable brown bottle with an original and decent label.

Appearance: quite hazy deep straw colouring with a decent two-finger thick white head. Head leaves reasonable lacing and has great retention.

Aroma: banana and clove as expected, but also hidden spices and tart apples. Quite an interesting combination, if a little restrained.

Taste: follows from the aroma. Some banana, but definitely heavy spices and light floral / fruity character. Lovely version of the Hefe. Could use a bit more flavour / ABV.

Aftertaste: lasts quite a while, with different spices and flavours making themselves known.

Mouth feel: medium in body with a lower carbonation. Could be sessional, but luckily (considering the cost of AU$75 a case) could also be had a couple at a time.

Overall: very good Hefe, particularly for being outside Germany / Belgium. Great banana / clove mix with additional mix of spices and fruits. AU$75 a case (2012) price-tag hurts a bit though.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 11:04:49 | More by SmashPants

pmcadamis

Illinois

4.53/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A - Nice big white head, matte yellow appearance with a good deal of lace in the glass after pouring in the dregs.

S - Yeasty, doughy bread. Laffy-taffy banana candy, banana bread.

T - Liquid bread. Banana cereal (don't remember the brand name, but I've had a "healthy" type breakfast cereal with nuts and dried banana).

M - Smooth and somewhat thick from the yeasty protein. Mellow, easy, and drinkable yet very very complex. Subtle.

This one, as the label states, is very authentic in it's German yeasty hefeweizen profile. Outstandingly drinkable. This one was perfect after a snowy mountain bike ride. I'll buy this again for sure.... especially in the summer.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 16:56:29 | More by pmcadamis

LegalBrew87

California

3.98/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours hazy yellow/orange with almost some grapefruit-pink shades where the beer thins in the glass. Pretty small head, which was a little surprising. Extremely opaque...cannot see through the beer at all (there was a TON of yeast left in the bottle). I was immediately hit with a strong banana aroma, followed by some yeast, some floral honey flavors, and some wheat. The taste wasn't nearly as banana forward, but by no means absent. I mostly taste hefe-yeasty flavors, a little spice, some clove, banana, and, of course, wheat. Mouthfeel is creamy but light, a good level of carbonation. Overall a very nice hefeweizen and one of my favorite bottled SN beers (I am admittedly not a huge SN fan). This is easily one of the best/cheapest readily available options for you wheat beer lovers.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 03:07:29 | More by LegalBrew87

poop_brew

4.55/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Serving - Poured from 12oz bottle into a tulip glass.

Appearance - Hazy golden amber with a nearly two finger head which dissipated after about one minute. No lacing.

Smell - herbal scents including fig and lavender along with traditional hefeweizen scents. Likeness to a summer floral arrangement.

Taste - Quite aromatic start with smooth growing alcoholic peak resulting in a mellow citrus to follow along.

Mouthfeel - Tingling start which envelops the whole pallet resulting in a full mouth sensation slow finish and aftertaste which creeps in.

Overall - Great light beer, one of the better hefeweizens I've had, tried it in the winter and seems to be just as good now as it would be in the summer. Great all round beer especially for those looking for a light but flavorful experience. To quote Dave Matthew's Band it's, 'the best of what's around'.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2012 02:35:41 | More by poop_brew

jucifer1818

Florida

4.28/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I got this one at Publix Liquor to celebrate good final grades. I was looking for a cheaper decent brew, and I feel like I had been mean to Siera nevada (I was not a big fan of their stout, which I thought was almost too thin to be considered a brown ale, and passed over their porter for bells offering).
Anyho, the review

Appearance: Beautiful golden orange, with a billow yeasty cloudy appearance. Their is a deep carbonation that sticks to the glass, and a rich fluffy head that disapates quickly
4.5/5

Smell: Smells of sweet bread (most likely from the yeast), slight banana, and weak spice come off of this brew.
note: It gets the "satisfaction" seal of approval, as smelling it leaves me feeling deeply satisfied.
It isn't redefining the way a hefeweisen smells, but its defently one of the better heffe smells I've smelt :P
4.5/5

taste: A very mild hefe, sweet, with a very slight banana flavors in the after taste. little clovy flavors, it is however a very pleasant hefe
I would had just preferred a bit more flavor
4/5

Mouthfeel: very fluffy on the tongue, with perfect carbonation and body for the style. Is light but not watery. One of the better mouth feels I've seen
4.5/5

Final verdict: 4.5/5
or the style, this is one of the better hefewesiens I've ever tasted on this price scale. Its better than UFO from Harpoon, better than most that I've ever had. It needs to be enjoyed in a tall glass on a cold winters night
I highly recommend it for anyone wanting to try an excellent hefewesien brew.

Remember to follow the directions, their is a lot of yeast settled on the bottom and it needs to be in suspension to properly enjoy this one

chears

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2012 19:29:46 | More by jucifer1818

sevenarts

New York

4.23/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pale yellow, very cloudy, with a fluffy white head that slowly dissipates to just a small skim of bubbles with no lacing.

S: Light, crisp wheaty aroma with some banana and mild spices. Very nice, and about as strong as would be expected for a hefeweizen.

T/M: Nicely layered flavors of wheat, banana, a touch of peppery spice. A little bitterness in the aftertaste. Very crisp and clean and refreshing, with a good amount of flavor for this kind of beer.

O: A great American take on the hefeweizen style, very true to its origins. SN does it about as well as the Germans. Really tasty and drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 19:05:23 | More by sevenarts

thlayli87

New Jersey

4.05/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured a cloudy light golden color with a half inch creamy white head. Smells of lemon zest, clove, and fresh baked bread. Nicely balanced flavors. Breadiness with zesty citrus, mild spice, and yeasty sweet finish. Pleasant buttery mouthfeel with ample carbonation. Well done!

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 23:27:43 | More by thlayli87