Shiner Hefeweizen - Spoetzl Brewery

Cyrion

Virginia

2.78/5  rDev -15%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.75

Poured from a bottle into a hefeweizen glass.

Appearance: Very light yellow, kind of a "Mountain Dew" color, with a huge white head. Tiny bubbles, with hazy swirling yeast. Looks good.

Aroma: Appropriate tropical and citrus notes. Luscious yellow fruits- pineapple, lemon, etc, but no banana.

Taste: Some fruit, but doesn't quite follow through what was promised in the aroma. Some bitterness appears for no reason. (17 IBUs for a hefe? Even an American one?) I'm even registering something that comes across as cordite (gunpowder).

Mouthfeel: Soft and silky.

Overall: A pleasant-smelling hefeweizen that fails to achieve expectations. Random flavor elements are off-putting. Metallic and unnecessarily bitter. Perhaps I got a bad bottle.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2013 02:18:53 | More by Cyrion

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.1/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Shiner Hefeweizen

LOOK: Pretty standard looking hazy straw colored brew. White soapy froth forms and leaves behind some lace.

SMELL: Dusty malts, wheat, citrus zest, bread. Smells like a mainstream American wheat.

TASTE: Wheat, German style yeast profile. A bit of clove and orange peel, faint citrus. Tangy citrus lingers in a wet finish.

FEEL: Medium bodied, medium to high carbonation.

OVERALL.: Drinkable pale wheat ale, doesn't taste like the greatest Hefeweizen but not a bad wheat.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2013 21:11:53 | More by Stinkypuss

plaid75

New York

3.1/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured a murky copper hue with a two finger frothy white head. There was good retention and sticky lacing.

The smell featured light esters and a fuse of sourness.

The flavor was likewise sour with faint esters and a mild chew.

The mouthfeel was typical of the style.

Overall a less than impressive hefe.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2013 00:33:46 | More by plaid75

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

3.21/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

12 oz bottle into a pint glass.

A: Pours an extremely hazy straw color. Good head on this one - about two fingers high, white in shade, and quite creamy looking. It ultimately settles to about a finger high, and leaves a bit of lacing on the glass as well.

S: The orange and lemon peel are very forward in their nature. There's also a notable candied sugar character, along with some coriander, clove, and bubblegum. This one seems to feature a lot of witbier elements along side the usual (if muted) hefeweizen notes.

T: I have no idea why Shiner wants you to put a lemon wedge in this one, because the lemon and orange notes on the opening are quite strong. Honey pops up in the finish, along with some subtle spicing. If anything, this is more witbier than hefeweizen (or even APWA) to me.

M: While there's good crispness to the body, I think it's a bit too sweet on the finish (which seems to be commonplace in many Shiner brews). On the other hand, the lack of notable astringency helps give it a soft feel, and it seems to dry up slightly as it gets warm.

O: This is pretty solid as long as you don't expect a true hefeweizen. As a generic wheat, or as a warm-weather refresher, it's honestly really good; it's just not much of a 'hefewelzen'.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2013 20:42:20 | More by ThisWangsChung

Drew966

Florida

3.26/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Shiner Hefeweizen pours a golden yellow color with a big white head from a brown twelve ounce bottle. The aroma is bready. The flavor is not to style, this is not a hefeweizen in the
German tradition, this is an American wheat beer. As an American wheat beer, the flavor is nice, mostly malty, not a lot going on. I wouldn't turn one down however.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2013 01:56:28 | More by Drew966

Billolick

New York

3.48/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle from the Shiner mixed box. No freshness info.

Pours clouded apricot, off white head, that stays nicely. Leaves a band or two of stick.

Muted lemons on the nose

Servicable Hefe, more lemons, some oranges, wheaty malts, a bit of nuttyness from the yeast. Moderate complexity and depth of flavors.

Nothing special but would work fine on a warm summer day

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 00:25:50 | More by Billolick

Gmann

New York

3.13/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25

Pours a hazy golden color with an orange hue. The off white head is fairly dense and settles into a light cap

The aroma is bready and lightly fruity, perhaps lemony. No clove, bubblegum, or banana that you would find in a true bavarian hefe. No much there.

The taste is bready and fruity as well. Some apple and lemon notes provide a tartness. There is a honey like sweetness. Some grassy hop flavor in the finish. it doesn't taste like a true hefe but has a solid flavor. It is hard to rate it higher than a 3 since the beer is called a hefeweizen and not an american wheat ale.

Moderate body with fizzy carbonation. Mildly sweet on the palate with a slightly dry finish. Easy drinker.

A decent beer, just not a true hefe.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2013 00:02:01 | More by Gmann

kshizzle101

Washington

3.65/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 12 oz bottle into pint glass

A - hazy orange in color with a 2 inch white head with decent retention. little lacing

S - floral and citrus notes up front , malts in the background

T - floral, citrus, bready malts. passive flavor

M - light bodied, good, carb, smooth drinking.

Overall - A decent session beer, easy to drink, not overly heavy, and has decent flavor, although it could be more aggressive for my tastes. worth a try on a hot day, especially for the price.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2013 01:33:51 | More by kshizzle101

TastyAdventure

Kentucky

3.85/5  rDev +17.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Cloudy yellow gold. Shade of orange. 2 finger chunky head. lots of bubbles rushing upwards

S - Yeast, hint of banana, subtle spice - clove and/or coriander.

T - yeast, a little too clean for a hefeweizen. some warm spices hidden somewhere. hints of banana of course.

M - lots of carb. it's overwhelming. texture is nice though.

O - Surprising. Very surprising for the cost. but then again, Shiner's Bock is as well. I've been on a wheat/hefe tasting kick this past week and this one is better than most.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2013 01:18:48 | More by TastyAdventure

JG-90

New Jersey

3.34/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle poured into glass gives a large fluffy head that slowly recedes to a thin film on top, with medium-low lacing. Color is a densly cloudy straw/peach. Smell is not very strong and consists of yeast, citrus, and a bit of spices.

Tastes first of orange, then yeast, spices, and lemon peel. Happily surprised with the flavor, has a bit of a grainy aftertaste, though. Has medium body and very high carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 22:05:36 | More by JG-90

Immortale25

Florida

3.04/5  rDev -7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

Poured into a snifter. No freshness date.

A- Pours a hazy orangeish amber color with a 1/2 inch white head that retains a bit before diminishing to a thin ring around the edge of the glass and no surface foam. Slippery, semi-resilient lacing.

S- Stale bread aroma with a layer of soapy yeast smell. Hint of spice and orange.

T- Pretty much the same as the smell with bready malt and a small amount of yeast and spice creating a mostly neutral flavor. Alcohol is barely there and neither is any form of excitement.

M- A bit prickly from the medium carbonation and has a lightish body.

O- I used to buy six-packs of this often and put slices of orange in each glass while remarking on how great it tasted. It's moments like right now that I realize I actually have come a long way. Guess we all gotta start somewhere.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2013 01:06:18 | More by Immortale25

laramis

South Carolina

3.2/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

A: Cloudy golden body bubbles rushing to a finger sized head that sticks around for a while some lacing

S: Grains with some citrus, yeast, slightly bitter

T: Sweet yet bitte,r yeast and malts enjoyable but not remarkable

M: Light in body good carbonation easy to drink smooth unfiltered feel

O: This is a beer to drink if you have never had a hefeweizen before it is an approachable beer i enjoyed it its probably not the best in the style but its good at least i liked it

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2013 04:39:58 | More by laramis

MattSweatshirt

Texas

3.03/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours out like a hefeweizen should with a hazy golden yellow body with lots of bubbles shooting upwards. Big foamy white head.

The aroma is basically wheat and citrusy lemon character.

Tastes citrusy with some wheaty breadiness and a slight spice.

Light bodied with a high level of carbonation.

I'm assuming the yeast is fairly tame hence the fruit additions. Big ol meh but worthy of lawnmower beer status.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2013 00:29:38 | More by MattSweatshirt

Damian74Shensky

South Carolina

3.79/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

A- 1 Finger. Has a dark orange colored body with haze to it. Good lacing afterwards.

A- Sweet, lemony and grainy.

T- Very sweet with the malt and citrus flavor

M- Light Bodied, high Carbonation, and then citrus finish.

O- Very easy, refreshing, surprised me, wasn't expecting much, but this would be an awesome Summer beverage!

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2013 23:44:58 | More by Damian74Shensky

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

3.13/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Yellow to orange, cloudy, decent head and lacing.

Aroma is pepper, yeast, cloves, some banana.

Taste wise it's not spectacular but it's still a pretty drinkable beer. There's a good malt backbone, some yeast, cloves, banana, spices, wheat.

Body is medium to light and pretty easy drinking.

Overall it's not bad at all but nothing real special either.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 15:43:23 | More by AlCaponeJunior

tectactoe

Michigan

3.3/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a Duvel tulip, fairly aggressive. Pours a banana-straw color, highly opaque; hazy and cloudy in the body. Super fluffy, white head forms that lasts for a long time and is easy to bring back to life - however, little to no lacing is left behind. The initial aroma hits almost like a kolsch or witbier, rather than a true hefeweizen. Green apple skins, sweet and tart, tickling the edge of the nose. Taste leads on with grapes, pears, and more green apple; high fruitiness; very sweet and even borderline tart at certain moments. Heavy yeast tones all around the mouth; big wheat flavors are abundant as well. Very low bitterness (I'm thinking 0 IBU here) with basically no hop/floral essence to be found anywhere - all sweetness here with the bread-like yeast and malt tones. Biscuity on the ending, crisp from the heavy carbonation with a thin-medium body.

I can't decide if I like this one or not. It doesn't follow closely to the great hefes out there, but it might make for a tasty kolsch style... It's kind of weird. Not bad, but a little to sweet and tart for what it's supposed to be (I mean, it's not a lambic or anything, but there isn't much to counter the malt). Not bad, but not great, either.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2012 12:41:10 | More by tectactoe

mooseisloose

Florida

2.58/5  rDev -21.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

First of all I wanto to say that Shiner beers are all twist off. I respect that. There is no glory for having to pop the top. Bueno. Twisting the top. I get a classic wheaty malty sweet smell with distinct dryness. Pours to a cloudy bright yellow with a head that is there then gone. Taste is acidic and semi-sweet. Mouthfeel is highly carbonated. Disappointment.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2012 02:42:58 | More by mooseisloose

tjsdomer2

Illinois

2.85/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Appearance: I really like the lacing, but this looks nothing like a true hef. Looks like a pale ale or something along those lines. No yeasty/wheaty cloudiness.

Smell: Sour oranges and/or bitter lemons.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Tastes like it smells 100%. Mouthfeel is easily the best part of this beer, as it is crisp and clean, but full-bodied. There is a resiny pine flavor and feel as well.

Overall Drinkability: Might make a decent wheat ale, if only they could tame the citrus.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2012 03:37:09 | More by tjsdomer2

beertunes

Washington

3.1/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into 9oz pilsener glass. Poured a very dark and cloudy (much cloudier than typical) with only a thin cap of white head that had low retention and OK lacing. Not the big, fluffy, billowing head I like to see in a Hefe.

The aroma were fairly typical, grain, banana, and clove, but just in a very subdued manner. The flavor were the same low-key approach to the style. Nothing really wrong, but no feature stood out either.

The body was thinner than typical for the style. Drinkability was pretty good, the beer went quickly and easily. Overall, an OK take on the style, maybe worth a shot if you see it.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2012 22:25:56 | More by beertunes

PorterLambic

Florida

3.33/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured aggressively into my well used hotel tumbler. 2" of off-white fluffyness sits atop the cloudy yellow-orange liquid. Retention is pretty poor, however, as its just a film after a minute. Scattered lacing left behind.
Smell is yeast, malt, banana and clove and pepper. Good balance and accurately presented, not too strong, not too weak.
Taste is malt, banana, cloves, yeast and faint hops. Here the balance is good as well.
The body is medium, maybe a touch more. Effervescence is fine and exactly as expected though there is insufficient amounts to replace the head. Probably the best of this brewery's offerings I've had save the Bock, perhaps.
Since I only paid $7 for a mixed-from-the-factory six pack (Family Reunion), I probably wasn't expecting much. The Bock and this are worth it, the others not so much.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2012 01:22:59 | More by PorterLambic

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.28/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from bottle into pint glass

Appearance – Pours a hazy golden yellow color with a huge white head. The head fades relatively fast to give a light level of lacing.

Smell – The aroma was heaviest of wheat and a lemon citrus. Mixed with these are some aromas of yeast and a biscuit aroma.

Taste – The taste begins with a sweeter lemon and wheat bread flavor. These flavors create a base for the beer. Some light yeasty flavors come to the tongue in the middle with a biscuit taste. At the very end more lemon and some orange come to the tongue and in the end leave a sweet and sour wheaty flavor on the tongue.

Mouthfeel -The body of the beer in on the medium side with a carbonation level that is on the slightly higher side. Both are very appropriate for the style and make for a easy drinking brew.

Overall – A little lacking on complexity, but more sessionable. Overall it is fairly average (maybe a bit above).

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2012 00:58:32 | More by Darkmagus82

bambam2517

Arizona

2.25/5  rDev -31.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

I was disappointed, felt somewhat mislead. I get the citrus but i don't consider this a hefe, its not even as close to one as 'blue moon'! Flat and one note, it does have a lingering wheat and citrus aftertaste but lacks the floral complexity i look for in a hefeweisen. Its a miss for me.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2012 01:56:50 | More by bambam2517

raznug

Ohio

3.58/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: This beer pours like the typical hefe, orange in color with the typical haze and is topped with 1” of white head.
Smell: This is not quite typical as the appearance because it doesn’t have the coriander but it has the orange peel just like most hefe.
Taste: Just like the taste it is different not having the coriander in the taste but sometimes Shiner does things differently.
Mouthfeel: This beer tends to lean on the thinner side of the mouthfeel but that is the way most hefe do in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2012 13:04:50 | More by raznug

Bockrules

New Mexico

2.98/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

poured from the bottle into a Widmer Bros. Weizen glass

A - Pours a hazy gold with tons of carbonation rising to the creamy, two-finger white head. Head stays intact about 3/4 down the glass. Leaves behind a few splotches of lacing.

S - A little bit of sweet wheat malt upon opening the bottle. Not much more in the glass and not too much here overall. No banana, clove, etc, really not acceptable for a hefeweizen.

T - A bit of wheat malt upfront. The body has the right balance of wheat malt and hop notes for the style, but nothing else is going on save for a tiny bit of banana (but that may be my imagination). A little bit more hop flavor as the beer passes over the back of the tongue leads to slightly bitter wheat malt finish.

M - Light bodied and highly carbonated. Could stand to be thicker, but this really isn't too bad for a beer at this price point.

Having sampled every beer in the Shiner "Family Reunion" variety back, I now feel qualified to say that Shiner brews similar, boring brews. Like the other beers, this Hefeweizen embodies small ques from the style, but ends up coming off bland and uninspiring. None of Shiners beers are offensive, and would make for a good first step for bud drinkers or recreational drinking. Otherwise I don't see the point as Saranac and Dundee deliver far superior bang for the buck in the macro-micro market.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2012 04:12:19 | More by Bockrules

Jadjunk

Georgia

2.98/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Shiner's Hefeweizen is a traditional German Hefeweizen. According to the label, "This refreshing delight is bottle conditioned with added yeast that means our hefeweizen keeps "brewing until you open it. This unfiltered ale has a cloudy appearance and a silky smooth flavor. To properly enjoy, (1) pour half the bottle into a glass. (2) Swirl the remainder of the bottle to mix up the yeast (3) Pouir that into the glass and enjoy with a wedge of lemon. Prosit!" I won't be drinking this with a lemon.

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle to my Shiner pint glass. Served in the mid 40'sº Fahrenheit.

(Appearance) Pours a lemon cream head of a thin foamy consistency. Retention is quite nice for this beer, and the crown doesn't recede nearly as fast as I would have anticipated. Body color is a very hazy golden-yellow straw Faint carbonation trickles upwards from inside the glass. This is quite a nice looking Shiner beer. 4.5

(Smell) Sharp sweet wheat and tart yeast smell is quite striking. It is a curious scent, nothing pleasing nor repulsive. I smell hints of apples and other odd phenols not typically characteristic of a Hefeweizen. Wheat presence is moderate in the beer, could be bolder by comparison. The tart sourness of the yeasty character in this beer doesn't tune me in very well- it's mildly offensive and I don't predict good drinkability as a result. 2.5

(Taste) Far less sour than the nose gave off, but a very basic flavor ensues. Little wheat presence, more pale malt, little banana or clove and a lingering citric tartness. The fruity yeast flavors are easy to discern- apple and pear are near the top. Flavor is very basic, but not too bland like in other efforts. Beer isn't too sweet or bitter, but the overall flavor is that this is a half-hearted hefeweizen that deserved a little more authentic flavor. 3

(Mouthfeel) Carbonation is mild, slick and smooth texture but crispness is still there. Alcohol presence is low. Body is light. Criticisms regard a mild thinness and a lack of wheat body and flavor. It could manage to be less watery. Finishes dry. 3

(Overall) In terms of how the average Hefeweizen goes, the wheat body was overshadowed largely by a basic pale malt profile and a tart sour yeast profile. Ultimately, it's either bizarrely unique for the style or nowhere near spot-on. Not the worst Shiner Beer that I've had to date but I felt that the flavors were far too mild and acidic to be reminiscent of the world's finest, or even mildly drinkable Hefeweizen competition. Like the most of Shiner's beers, I'd give this a pass in light of authentic German recipes that focus on flavorful wheat bases and accurate yeast profiles. This was just too off to fill my Hefeweizen cravings. 3

Spoetzl Brewery's
Shiner Hefeweizen
2.98/5.00

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2012 21:09:20 | More by Jadjunk