Shiner Hefeweizen - Spoetzl Brewery

EagleTalon

Arkansas

3.6/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours to a cloudy yellow with yeast chunks and a smallish but permanent white head. Aroma is sweet and smells sort of macro-ish. Flavor is sweetish malt balanced by the tartness of the wheat with a refreshing tart finish. It seems to be made to be more "mainstream American" and unoffensive rather than totally authentic. Other than the appearance, it is as uninteresting as other Spoetzl Products. A decent beer in general but not a true hefe.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2004 14:32:29 | More by EagleTalon

Tballz420

Minnesota

3.55/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The body of this beer is a cloudy orange color, your typical hefe. Nice foamy white head on top. The smell diverts from the expected, not quite as big of a fruity/bananay scent that you would expect from this style. While the taste does cover these aspects, they are more subtle than expected, and add to the overall feel that something just isnt quite right with this beer. I think its a good drink, its just not all it could be in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2004 08:42:53 | More by Tballz420

daledeee

Iowa

3.45/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I can't pass up trying another Hefeweisen. Texas brand hefeweisen. Here goes.

Pours pretty good head and a very cloudy yellow-orange. Head goes away but leaves a skim on the top. Smells too much like grain for a hefe. Not enough bread, yeast, cloves or spice. Something is not right with the smell. The taste isn't so bad. Some fruit, malt and a little sweet. Has a good carbonated bite. Definitely drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2004 00:39:18 | More by daledeee

merlin48

Kentucky

3.15/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle, cute label. Pours a hazy straw yellow with a moderate white head. Plenty of small bubbles and a few yeast particles can be seen in the glass. Patchy lacing. Not much of an aroma, but I detect some lemony citrus and hay. Fizzy in the mouth, with medium carbonation. Light bodied. Taste is unremarkable, with wheat malt and a decent hop bitterness. Nothing overwhelming, but would be very drinkable on a hot, summer, day. Not a bad American wheat beer, but there are many better ones.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2004 22:38:20 | More by merlin48

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.73/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Love on the label on this one! He's a gloomy, unshaven moper, until you empty out your bottle, then he's a smiling dapper chap! Clever!
Okay...appearance: deep, murky orange hue, bright lemony yellow at bottom, with a fine fluffy white head resting atop.
Aroma: spicy and citric, sharp, lively, very promising.
Taste: beautiful play on the tongue on first meeting the lips, tasty, tingly, but light and mellow thereafter. Citric flavor remains throughout, and wheaten texture is appreciated, though the body feels light, and the finish is swift.
Starts out rather nicely, with good flavor, well-held citric taste and a spicy kick, reminding me of some fine Bavarians, but all in all, rounds out to be a nice, average, very drinkable and refreshing American weizen. I'll look for it again next summer, now that it's entered our market.
Thanks to morris 729 for my first taste.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2003 21:20:02 | More by feloniousmonk

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +18.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Nice label! This is an interesting beer that I enjoyed, although it apparently utilizes a standard Spoetzl yeast with orange and lemon peel added to give it some character. It's not a Bavarian hefe, nor is it a witbier or American wheat; but it is tasty and refreshing! Its body is a cloudy yellow-gold, and once it's massive, bright-white rocky head drops it holds a thin cap quite well. It's lacing eventually erodes, but it leaves some nice, wide splotches and spots with each sip. The nose catches your attention with some light spice and soft citrus over a mild, wheat-based malt. It's medium body is accentuated by a very fine, natural carbonation that gives just a slight tingle on the tongue and it's exceptionally smooth across the palate. The flavor delivers everything that might be expected, with a lightly sweet and just slightly bready wheat malt that's peppered with lightly floral and citrus flavors over a subtle bitterness. It finishes short and dry with just some very mild, residual wafer-like malt. Worth trying!

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2003 15:22:32 | More by NeroFiddled

OldFrothingSlosh

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz. amber bottle with instructions on how to pour. Label states this beer is made with wheat, honey, orange and lemon peel.

Poured a cloudy (It's cloudy? That's good.) golden orange in color. Monstrous bright white head billows beautifully following an aggressive pour. The head is very, very thick at first, but quickly dies away to nothing but a slight film. Aromas are yeasty/bready mixed with citrus. Flavor is not as..."wheaty" as expected. Flavor has some sharp sweetness to it. Well-balanced by the hops. Finished with a creamy aftertaste, with the citrus notes really shining. A great summer "mass quantity" beer.

Props to AKSmokedPorter for this one.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2003 00:08:17 | More by OldFrothingSlosh

ADR

Pennsylvania

3.13/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Uniformly lightly hazy and palish yellow/orange in color. Nice and high puffy head of good duration and leaving thisk ropes for laces. Smell is vaguely citric, could be yeastier. Mouthfeel is somewhat sub par and the flavor is in a mellon category with some notes of lemon and hardly an estery cotton. Finishes just north of watery and with low carbonation. Not a bad beer, but like many American Wheats, not a lot happening -- though I could see this as a session brew for a blazing summer afternoon in College Station...

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2003 17:32:35 | More by ADR

Bighuge

Minnesota

3.65/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Hazy golden orange. Decent sized white fluffy head that has excellent retention. The lace forms rings down the glass. This beer has a lot of Wheat Malt on the nose. Very nice. Also a tangy lemon characteristic. And a little vanilla. Decent tasting hefe. A lot of wheat malt and graininess. A little pepper, but not much. It's lacking in the clove, pepper area in my opinion. But otherwise, this is pretty thirst quenching. Mouthfeel is spritzy and lively. Body a little better than medium. Good enough hefe. Too bad it just showed up in our market as I would have probably drank a bit of this over the summer.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2003 02:27:42 | More by Bighuge

PhantomVodoo

Ohio

3.53/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Hazed to cloudy golden color with a head that is just barely off-white. Amount of yeast present seemed a bit on the low side.
Nice aroma of citrus (orange and lemon), wheat, and a touch of yeast.

Taste shows a good wheat tartness with a nice citrus twang. Hops are there to balance only and do a decent job. My big complaint with the taste was the presence of a chemical type off-flavor (phenol maybe?) that gained in strength middle to finish. Remove this and I'd score the taste higher.

Mouthfeel was quite fizzy and a bit thin.
Drinkability was good with the exception of the off-flavor.

Overall, this would be a good hefeweizen without the slight chemical taste that knocks it down to just decent in my book.

Big thanks to AKSmokedPorter for hauling this one up to Ohio for me!

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2003 22:11:02 | More by PhantomVodoo

WVbeergeek

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

Appears a hazy golden orange color with a mountainous rocky white head, and the massive layer of foam leaves thick patches of ringed lacing throughout my session with the brew. Aromatics going on include a citrusy lemonpeel tone with some spices, and banana hints are also there. By the bottle I would have guessed this to be a horrible hefe, but after smelling and tasting I realize wow this is pretty good. Definitely doesn't sit up there with Ayinger, Weheinstephaner, or anyother German counterpart however this serves up one great refresing summer beer. Spiced up with some soft banana edge to it the wheat malt is doing it's magic with that sharp sweetness and there are no cloying or off flavors to be found like some American made hefeweizens. Mouthfeel is light bodied and the texture is a little thin with no fluffy mouthfeel or high carbonation causing a bubbly feel on the palate. Drinkability what can I say definitely a beer you should pick up a sixer of for after work, and mowing the lawn summer session brew all the way.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2003 17:33:01 | More by WVbeergeek

WMBierguy

Maryland

2.53/5  rDev -22.9%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

I wasn't very impressed by this beer. I wasn't expecting much, as I have never had a decent American Hefe-Weizen, and this did nothing to break that streak. This poured out a wierd off-yellow color, and smelled fairly bitter. It tasted like a weak cross between Budweiser and a real Hefe. The best thing about this beer is that it is cheap ($5.99 a six pack). Drink it if you must, but don't go out of your way to find it.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2003 22:22:46 | More by WMBierguy

yosh

North Carolina

3.88/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This was a great beer in a 12 oz. bottle. When poured it became a cloudy, golden color and created a thin head. the head slowly disappears throughout the drink. It has a sweet, smooth taste to it which makes it easy to drink. Definately something to get again!

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2003 20:17:21 | More by yosh

bditty187

Nebraska

3.63/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Large fluffy white head, loads of lace, cloudy tawny-orange hue. Sweet, honey-banana nose. A pleasant quaff, just enough spiciness to balance the sweet banana. Citrus is underdone. No clove. Ideal carbonation, it is plenty smooth, easy to consume. For a beer that is not quite a Hefeweizen or an American Wheat, it is worth a try. Recommend for the next hot summery day.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2002 21:14:03 | More by bditty187

Gusler

Arizona

3/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A “Chill Hazed” golden yellow color on the pour, the head is modest, brilliant white with decent lace to cover the glass. Nose is dominated by the malt, light yeast or bread dough tones also present and the start is slightly sweet, skimpy at the top. Finish is middling on the carbonation, nicely hopped, but I’m afraid it is a little on the weak or waterish side.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2002 08:03:31 | More by Gusler

Morris729

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +37.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I picked this particular beer as my first to review here at BeerAdvocate. Pours a nice cloudy golden-orange color with a creamy white head that fades into a thick and sticky lace. Nose is fresh wheat blended with some floral aromas. Taste is sweet malt, fruity banana, and a bit of a nutty yeast flavor. Mild hops are present in the background and provide a nice amount of balance. Medium-bodied, smooth, creamy, and very refreshing. A great summertime brew. All in all, one of the best American wheat beers I’ve tried, and in my opinion, this is the best bottled beer brewed in Texas.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2002 22:37:32 | More by Morris729

BeerBob

Nebraska

4.38/5  rDev +33.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Nose of citrus and a fair amount of citrus on the palate from the orange and lemon peel. Not much clove or banana, but more like an allspice, with an unidentifiable sundry of fruit. Pours an hazy orangeish amber, with a light coloured dense foam head. Taste of honey is light and feathery, not like a mead.

Shiner, with it’s own version of a "Hefeweizen", has done well. Not too unlike it’s German brethren, if your not a purest, you will like this Shiner rendition.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2002 14:27:18 | More by BeerBob

Murph

Arizona

3.05/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a nice hazy yellow with a thick billowy white head. The smell is very thin with a faint wheat characteristic. Some light wheat in the taste and that is about it. Very thin, not bad tasting just not much of a taste. Very thin, slightly creamy and somewhat drinkable. If someone offered this I would drink it but that is about the only scenario for me.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2002 15:43:36 | More by Murph

marc77

California

2.93/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Huge, thick and billowy white head leaves an impressive trail down the glass. Tartness and graininess are most discernible in aroma, but slight bubblegum esters are present as well. There's also just a hint of citrus from the orange peel (or orange oil extract) The smooth mouthfeel and moderate body is not unlike that of a German hefeweizen. Sugary sweetness dominates while honey flavors are mild but perceptible. Finishes w/ a residual sweetness that borderlines on being cloying. This beer has both good attributes and bad ones. If it were more dry and there were hops to balance the sweetness this would be a very good American wheat.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2002 18:09:28 | More by marc77

aracauna

Georgia

3.4/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I have to agree with the guy right below me. I was not expecting much from this beer after having Shiner Bock. I was pleasantly surprised. The appearance is pretty much right on the money for a good Hefe. Nice cloudy dark yellow color, with a big foamy head that shrank a little bit but kept a good 1/2-1/4 inch head until the last sip. The flavor wasn't quite as on-spot at the appearance since it lacked the estery fruitiness (banana/bubble gum) the style usually comes with, but it did have a nice mild citrusy note that added nicely to the very wheaty flavor. After it warmed up it started finishing with a flavor that reminded me vaguely of biscuits. Not the best hefe ever, but definitely not a bad beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2002 06:58:27 | More by aracauna

mickeymac

California

3.9/5  rDev +18.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

After being disappointed by the much-heralded (by Texans) Shiner Bock on a recent trip to San Antonio, my expectations were pretty low for their Hefeweizen. Shiner has actually put together a pretty good weissebier. It is a bit light, but that wheat flavor comes shining through and it's thoroughly drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2002 21:44:17 | More by mickeymac

ebraun

Texas

4.1/5  rDev +25%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The appearance of the suspended yeast in the glass was very appealling and the head hung around for a good long time for a lighter style. In the aroma I found the lemon peel, yeast and could almost sense the sweetness of wheat. The taste of the beer was similar to that of a Paulaner but a little lighter and not quite as complex but it did give a sweetness and velvety coating to the palate. All the strong qualities of this beer packed into a lighter style made for a very drinkable beer. I avoided adding a lemon as is suggested on the bottle. I've done so in the past and I think the lemon in the brew is quite enough. It comes just shy of the level of Paulaner, but stands very strong on its own merits.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2002 07:46:47 | More by ebraun

BeerAngel

Texas

4.47/5  rDev +36.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Good beer! Mild wheat and fruit tastes are light and refreshing. It is a taste that allows you to have another and another ;-). Very, very smooth! The only thing I didn't rate high was appearance as it has a slightly "over-filtered" look for this type of beer, but again I still like it alot! Prosit!

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2001 00:31:05 | More by BeerAngel

Jason

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Presentation: 12 oz brown longneck twist-off bottle, no freshness date. Directions on the back label on how to pour the beer, on the front it states “ale brewed with wheat, honey, orange and lemon peel”.

Appearance: Completely hazed and clouded over from the yeast as a hefe-weizen should be, big bubbled rocky white head foams up quickly then dissipates to a cake off lace on top.

Smell: Semi clean aroma with vague spice and a floral / nutty yeast smell. Bit of earth and a bready fermented wheat nose with hints of citrus.

Taste: Moderate body, with a cleansing crispness from a level carbonation and fermented wheat. Cracker like maltiness from the blend of wheat and barley that gets more grainy towards the end. Hops are in the back ground and aim for balancing the beer only. Earthy flavours from the yeast unveil some mild fruity and floral characteristics, citric sweetness and a light tartness is capture in the palate and refreshes quite well. After taste is amazingly clean and makes the mouth want more.

Notes: Right off the bat with the aroma is the tell tale signs of an American wheat beer, this is not a Bavarian hefe-weizen. This is not a bad thing but is it something that should be understood. Quite quaffable and could be a kick ass summer time brew.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2001 21:56:30 | More by Jason

pbnagel

Texas

4/5  rDev +22%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

almost authentic hefeweizen. It is not bottle fermented, so there isn't much yeast sediment.
The label suggests swirling the last bit of beer
before pouring to get the yeast. The label would
be better for pouring instructions since this beer
does produce a considerable head (like true hefeweizen beers) when poured improperly.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2001 12:30:37 | More by pbnagel