Hefe Weiss - Sprecher Brewing Company

AltBock

Ohio

1.6/5  rDev -56.3%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

12 oz. bottle that I got to try at my local beer store. I didn't really get a good look at the bottle, but it's the same as the one pictured on BA. When poured into a weird shaped glass, the beer had a nice head of white foam to it, but I really didn't care for the color of the beer. It's color was a very pale clear yellow color. It looked liked clear yellow water. The smell was almost nonexistent. I'm sure you know what a good Hefe smells like (bananas, cloves citrus fruits), but this one had none of that. The only smell was that of spices and a pinch of watered down wheat. It tasted like it smelled, but with more watered down wheat and with a pinch of spices and cloves here and there. The spices and cloves are really not that noticeable. The mouthfeel was light and very weak with an aftertaste of water to it. There was no body to it. I know I won't try it again or even buy it for that matter. If you can find it cheap, good for you, it will make it easier to pass it up for something with more body and flavor to it.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2006 03:52:59 | More by AltBock

Reaper16

Alabama

1.88/5  rDev -48.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

served on-tap at The Alcove, Tuscaloosa, AL, into a mason jar

Pours a respectable and expected hazy yellow color. It's got half a finger of white head. It looks like a hefe. Nothing more, nothing less.

The aroma? Not respectable. Thin wheat smell. I guess what I mean by "thin" is "barely there." It smells like wheat water. That someone dropped a lemon slice into, I suppose. The hefe yeast? It smells artificial or something. Like, there's clove but it smells fake. This whole thing smells fake.

The taste is even worse. The yeast flavors are seriously off-putting. Like an old, old bottle of stale cloves poured into my mouth through a melting PVC pipe. The beer itself is so watery tasting too. A massive failure.

It tastes watery, so of course it has a pretty watery mouthfeel. It's spritzy, which is good, but so insubstantial.

Overall, this is a failure of a hefewiezen. I will not drink one ever again.

Serving type: on-tap

05-02-2012 16:23:41 | More by Reaper16

bunnyhustle

Illinois

2.45/5  rDev -33.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Pour from 16 oz bottle into pint glass. I will have to do a "do over" with this beer as something doesnt seem right about it. Bottle says "best buy 120 days of bottle by date on shoulder" but I could not find a date. Heavy sediment in the bottom, much much more so than any other hefe I've ever seen. Very little head, smell was virtually non-existant and taste was poor. Very bitter and that was about all I could taste. In fairness to the brewer I will give it another chance down the line, as of now I have to say no. I hope this bottle was bad as I love this style and most people really seemed to enjoy this particular beer, I could not finish the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2007 05:01:16 | More by bunnyhustle

corby112

Pennsylvania

2.53/5  rDev -30.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours a hazy dark golden yellow color with straw colored hues when held to a light source and a thin frothy white head that slowly fades into a thin lasting ring. Minimal lacing.

Spicy aroma with hints of clove and coriander along with some crisp citrus fruit and ripe banana. Hints of grapefruit and lemon peel.

The appearance and aroma were okay but the mouthfeel and flavor of this beer are seriously lacking. Slightly creamy mediu body that's on the lighter end of the spectrum with a prominent spice character. The clove and coriander notes overpower what little citrus fruit flavor there is. Subtle hints of banana and lemon peel. Zesty dry finish.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2010 02:53:46 | More by corby112

HalfFull

California

2.55/5  rDev -30.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a 16 oz. bottle, this Hefe Weiss will conclude my three wheat beer evening. Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat was a fail, as was Sudwerk Hefewiezenl My last chance is afoot..

Suddenly I notice that this is a twistoff bottle. Oh no!

Pours light in color and with a weak yeast presence.

Nose is bubble gum and sour yeast. Not bad yet unexciting to say the least.

Flavor follows and finishes swiftly. Finish is chalky and lacks the lingering finish one would expect from the style.

Yet another hefeweizen that should not be called as such. Not enough oxygen for them yeasties.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2010 05:15:52 | More by HalfFull

drabmuh

Maryland

2.58/5  rDev -29.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

On tap at Resurrection Ale House in Philly. Served in a wheat beer glass. Beer is yellow and hazy, forms a big white head of small and medium bubbles that leaves some lacing on the glass. Carbonation is moderate to high. Looks good.

Mild banana esters, some wheatiness. Overall a little weak but it smells OK.

All downhill from here. Beer is thin and grainy. Very watery. Carbonation in the mouth is not helping this beer at all. Almost a harshness on the back end. I love hefe's, this was one of the poorest examples (taste wise) I've come across in a while. Will not drink again.

Serving type: on-tap

07-25-2010 12:59:04 | More by drabmuh

TheDM

Indiana

2.68/5  rDev -26.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

This brew pours a medium head of fine to large white bubbles and a slightly cloudy straw yellow body. It has banana clove aroma and a smooth initial flavor rush of banana and apricot. It finishes with a slight tingling mouth feel. The buttery notes of a Hefe-Weiss are just barely present. It is just an average at best Hefe-Weiss.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2003 14:05:23 | More by TheDM

John

New York

2.68/5  rDev -26.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Nice start to this brew, hefty head, promising looking yeasty haze. A swirl and pour of the bottle's last remains helps substantiate the beer's medium body. The aroma is citrusy with lemon and some banana. However, there's a bit of funk in here. Some strange farm, horse blanket notes are detected in the aroma and flavor. Hmm...this is a Hefe Weizen and not a lambic (?) - curious. Mouthfeel is spot on for a Hefe. Though this brew seems to be well regarded, it seems as though I'm not enjoying it as much. I'm a fan of a good Hefe but this is a bit off.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2004 03:01:34 | More by John

Retsinis

California

2.8/5  rDev -23.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Another new beer for me to sample, along with a few friends this past Sunday.

A: Pours a cloudy light orange color, with a quarter inch white head that fizzled out, and formed a ring of bubbles, no lacing.

S: Light wheat barley, mild orange peel, some mild yeast.

T: Semi sweet wheat, malted barley, mild orange peel.

M: Light mouth, medium carbonation, semi-refreshing.

O: Average for me. I didnt get any banana, or lemon zest, or clove. Hefeweizens are something, for me, that can be awesome when done extremely well, but also be made average when just made strictly to recipe. This one just didnt hit the mark for me.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2011 23:45:44 | More by Retsinis

rickyleepotts

Arizona

2.83/5  rDev -22.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I swear I have had this beer before. Untappd doesn’t show that I have. Anyway, I love it that this label is on a beer made in the United States. The brewery was originally started in Milwaukee, but is now in Wisconsin. Looking at the label on this, you would never guess it was from here. I am not a huge fan of this style, as they all seem to taste the same. But I am excited to try this one because it’s over 100 degrees outside, and a beer like this is meant for a hot summer night.

In the Glass: The beer is pretty hazy, and reminds me of an unfiltered wheat beer. I have been on an unfiltered wheat beer kick lately. Not sure if it’s the hot weather or the subtle sweet finish, but I am digging that style right now. The beer also pours heavy with a thick, creamy head.

Nose: There isn’t much on the nose. What I am picking up is that orange zest that you expect from this style. Think Blue Moon. This doesn’t seem like a beer that would get better as it heats up, either. This is a style you want to drink cold.

Flavor: The flavor is quite nice. It is quite complex starting off smooth and shallow working across the palate to provide a punch of flavor near the swallow into a dry finish. The finish stays dry, and quickly fades. With such a low ABV I could see myself chugging this beer. I bet it tastes better on tap.

Mouthfeel: The mouthfeel is weak. There isn’t a lot going on here, and it almost tastes flat at first. There aren’t a lot of bubbles, and as you swallow the tongue sort of sits there wanting more. It leaves for a smooth drinking beer, though.

Aftertaste: The aftertaste is dry at the beginning, and quickly fades. I want that dryness to stick around, but as I continue to swallow it doesn’t really do much.

The beer is cheap, which is nice. It has a low ABV, which is not nice. When it comes to craft beer, 8-10% is where I want my beers to be. I want a beer that when I finish a bottle I am feeling it. I would have to drink several of these just to get a buzz. I like the flavors, but the beer really isn’t doing much for me. Maybe it’s the style.

Sprecher Hefe Weiss - The bottle says: “A cloudy appearance and an immense creamy head are characteristic of this lightly hopped Bavarian-style brew. This course-filtered wheat ale is germinated with a German yeast culture for a refreshing close spiciness and hints of citrus fruit.”

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2012 05:52:21 | More by rickyleepotts

sweethome

Illinois

2.9/5  rDev -20.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours with a traditional hefeweizen hazy gold color and fluffy white head. Nose is also traditional - banana/clove. Very yeasty on tip, a medium mouthfeel. Flavors fail to round out, leaves me with a bit of a burnt flavor. Has all of the qualities of a Bavarian Weiss beer, I'm just a bit turned off by that burnt flavor in the mid-mouth.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2004 02:58:22 | More by sweethome

ClearDog

Wisconsin

2.9/5  rDev -20.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Served in a weiss glass.

Appearance -- Poured hazy, golden, and yellow. Nice creamy, white, two finger head.

Smells -- Smells like a weiss . . . but weaker in a way. Musty . . .

Taste -- This is missing something. I'm not especially good at identifying what's going on with a weiss, but this is definitely missing that tart oomph.

Mouthfeel -- Medium feel to it. Not totally unpleasant.

Drinkability -- I made this purchase at the suggestion of my brother who likes this beer very much. I wasn't very impressed. I'll probably try giving the remaining bottles to my brother so I can concentrate on other beers that I'm fonder of. Not the worse beer I've ever had, but I won't buy it again for quite a while.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2005 03:19:23 | More by ClearDog

germaniac

California

2.95/5  rDev -19.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured into a Sierra Nevada Wheat glass, a great looking cloudy yellow gold, with a big mound of frothy white head.

Smell is mostly grainy wheat, with a strong clove presence. No sign of fruity notes at all.

Malt and yeast sweetness with clove spice up front, with a transition into lemon zest backed up by a light hop bite.

Mouthfeel is light. Overall, a decent Hefe, but really no different from a handful of other more readily available brews. For the price, I'd get a Pinkus, and enjoy it alot more.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2006 22:45:35 | More by germaniac

KarlHungus

Minnesota

2.95/5  rDev -19.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

This beer pours a mostly cloudy yellow-orange color. The head is two inches in height, and recedes slowly into sticky lacing. The aroma is of lemons, and bubblegum. It is a very acidic aroma. I like acidity, but this aroma just doesn't do it for me. The taste is of bubblegum, and tangy wheat. It is a very faint taste too. The mouthfeel is light bodied, and watery. This beer has all the classic characteristics of an American Pale Wheat Ale, and none of a hefeweizen. I can't see myself drinking this beer again.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2011 18:19:18 | More by KarlHungus

Zachtheporter

Wisconsin

2.95/5  rDev -19.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Poured into an oddly curved pilsner glass from a bottle. (It's the closest I could get to an actual weizen glass very rich dark yellow (the color is nearly gold but not quite. Very murky with very little light

A- Pours a clear gold and upon resting in the glass, the beer is
very little light penetration in this beer, although it dose allow some through. While there is a very quick fizzy head that forms right upon pouring it into the glass it dissipated so fast that I didn't even really have much time at all to look at it. There is absolutely no trace of a head afterwords unless the glass is stirred around a bit. Even then however it doesn't last very long at all and seems to be more bubbly than foamy. Some bubbles appear on the side of the glass to show that it's carbonated but because of the murkiness of this beer no other ones are visible.

S- Upon opening the bottle you can immediatly smell the sweet scent of bublegum and banana mixed in with clove and nutmeg spiciness. It loses a little bit of it's spiciness and aroma however once it's poured into the glass. The remaining scent is fainter then the one caught straight from the bottle. with a smell almost reminiscent of old stale bread with a light candied sweetness to it. The smell is a bit musty and almost a little like cardboard at first as well.

T- The taste reminds me of Italian bread with an added sweet start and a sour finish which are both very light. Taste is a little bit watery. The sourness at the end is sweet somewhat but also very reminiscent of vegetables. For whatever reason the sourness reminds me of a dry red wine.
Very beady and grainy in between. A somewhat light tasting beer.

M- A bit chewy with a medium body and a bit of a crisp finish from the carbonation. This is another one of those beers that seems to completely coat your mouth when drinking it leaving a lasting dryness.

O- This beer was a let down. The smell straight from the bottle got me a bit excited but unfortunately it was all downhill from there. I won't necessarily say that it is a bad beer but It isn't one that I enjoy to much. The sourness came off very odd in this beer and the smell once it was poured into a glass wasn't the greatest. I just didn't like the mustiness. While I do think that some of the blame for the lack of head and the faint smell once poured, may in part be due to the glass I poured it in I don't think it had an incredibly major impact on my reaction's. However, it dose motivate me to want to go out and buy a heifweizen glass for the next time I review a beer like this. I definitely plan on finishing it but I doubt I would buy it again.

Edit: Upon my second pour a nice white foamy head actually did appear and stay for quite some time at about 1cm in height before it eventually faded into a thin layer just cover the top of the beer and the sides of the glass.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2012 20:58:53 | More by Zachtheporter

hotstuff

Indiana

2.98/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

When this beer was poured into my glass, it poured a medium sized white head that quickly dissolved with fine-small sized bubbles. There was no lacing observed with this beer. There was a lot of yeast observed along with a cloudy body and a yellow hue. The nose of this beer was that of clove. The mouthfeel was watery and thin. This beer lacked character in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2003 00:54:51 | More by hotstuff

Zorro

California

3/5  rDev -18%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured in a proper Paulaner Weizen glass this beer does look like a good Hefe.

Cloudy golden color with a tall white head.

Smell is very strongly of cloves. Bubble gum and Banana aromas are missing. Very spicy scent without and detectable flaws.

Taste is mild. Slightly sweet with a bready backbone. Mild metallic flavor defect. Taste is lemony without a strong clove flavor that you can smell in the scent. I suspect that shortcuts were taken with the yeast in this with a large amount of "pacman" yeast was used to speed up production.

Mouthfeel is watery for a wheat beer.

Looks great smells great and that is about it for this beer. Worth tasting one but I will buy Franziskaner before I buy this again.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2006 03:11:12 | More by Zorro

EnJeiBee

Wisconsin

3/5  rDev -18%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Hazy pale yellow with virtually no head

S - Fairly faint nose of banana and clove, just like you would expect from the style

T - Similarly to the scent, the expected flavors are there, but they're fairly muted

M - Thin moderately carbonated mouthfeel

O - To me this wasn't much more than you're typical hefe, I would certainly drink it again, but I'll never go out of my way to grab another

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2011 03:27:32 | More by EnJeiBee

maximum12

Minnesota

3/5  rDev -18%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Weeell, I probably should have started with this rather than the scotch ale/IIPA, but hey, a few bites of an excellent portabella wrap & cheesy potatoes, & my palate is as fresh as spring rain. Six ounce taster at the Wisconsin Dells Sprecher Brewpub.

Pour is all hefe, light, filtered, golden. Nose is clove, spice, wheat.

Sprecher Hefe Weiss is a truly ho-hum take on the style. Wheat, check, cloves, check, bit of spicing, check. Nothing stands out, none of the tastes crackle, it's just what it is.

Routine, decent hefe. Nothing to set this apart from every other hefe on the planet, this is strictly average.

Serving type: on-tap

12-15-2012 14:28:22 | More by maximum12

jdhilt

New Hampshire

3.08/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pours with a two-finger head that goes quickly and leaves no lace. Medium carbonation. Cloudy amber color. Nose is yeasty. Light bodied, I expect a little more beef with a hefeweizen. Starts with a wheat/yeast flavor and finishes with a yeasty aftertaste. It is though, a good summer beer. $1.95 for a 16oz bottle from Colonial Spirits Acton, MA.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2004 21:22:57 | More by jdhilt

brentk56

North Carolina

3.08/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: Arrives with a cloudy honey color capped by a modest head that leaves a few strands of lace

Smell: Wheat bread and clove, with a touch of orange

Taste: Bready and clovey, up front, with a distinct orange character arriving by mid-palate; some banana also arrives but the finish is dominated by the wheat bread and clove flavors

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate to high carbonation; limited creaminess

Overall: Very sessionable but the lack of dominant banana flavor makes it far from what I prefer for this style

Serving type: on-tap

10-18-2011 04:04:45 | More by brentk56

lampkins

Wisconsin

3.13/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A few years ago, before the brewery started to pastuerize their products this Hefe Weizen was one of my favorites that could stand up against the best of the German imports. Now, it is kind of bland, in my opinion. Nonetheless here is my review:

The appearance of the beer is typical of your hefe weizen slightly cloudy with a decent foamy head.

Smells kind of like cloves/bananas and invites me to drink it.

Taste - although it still is a decent hefe, it just seems that it does not pack as much punch as it once did. Maybe I had a bad bottle, but it tasted almost like a maco's version of their hefe weizen. To be fair, I will try and find a freshly bottled version, but the bottle I had left me somewhat dissapointed.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2004 11:56:58 | More by lampkins

DrunkMcDermott

Illinois

3.13/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Served at the Berghoff, no less, in Chicago. A good thin hefe head with a nice lace. Body is suitably cloudy, like a lemon peel. Nice spice and lemon notes, or maybe that was the smell of the lemon slice they stuck on it. Still, very clean and refreshing, nothing to jump out and bite you, but an ideal lawnmower beer.

Serving type: on-tap

07-20-2005 15:40:50 | More by DrunkMcDermott

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.15/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Thanks to BeerFMAndy for this bottle. Served in a Russian River pilsner glass.

Pours a quite hazy light golden color with a several-finger white head and some good ringy lacing on the way down. The nose has a bit of light bread plus some banana and bubblegum; cloves seem to take a back seat. The flavor is along the same lines. Body is thin, lending to the almost candy-like flavor attributable to the bubblegum and banana. Light bread as well. Something a bit odd about it that I don't particularly care for. I think it's just got too much candy-like flavor and there's no real clove to put everything in perspective. Moderate carbonation. Close, but didn't quite do it on a hard to nail style.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2011 23:24:43 | More by Thorpe429

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.15/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

This hefe poured out pretty clear actually, very surprised about that. The head was a little foamy but looked pretty good on this beer. The color was yellowish gold. The smell of the beer is a little sweet, has some fruity aromas and some grain in there too. The taste of the beer was a little on the weak side I thought. There was some yeasty flavors in there with a light citrus too. The mouthfeel was pretty light. Overall not really impressed here, glad I tried it but won't need to have it again.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2011 06:50:53 | More by Knapp85