Hefe Weiss - Sprecher Brewing Company

Caskaway

Illinois

3.15/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

I'm on vacation in Wisconsin and decided to give this local brew a try. Poured from a 16 oz bottle - unfortunately, the bar only has pint glasses.

Decent head, typical hefeweizen aroma. Definitely has the expected sweetness and spice, but missing a distinguishing flavor to make it stand out (i.e. banana, clove, etc.).

Beer became flat shortly after initial pour, but I'll blame that on the disparate glassware. Overall, a decent but run-of-the-mill hefeweizen.

Low % ABV and generic taste make this a safe, albeit unexciting, choice.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2012 03:22:28 | More by Caskaway

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

midworken

Nebraska

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

Golden wheat body with a thick and creamy, off-white head.

Citrus orange aroma with vanilla, coriander and caramel background. Certainly bright flavors with the sweet background malts to fill it in.

The taste brings in more of the grainy wheat, leaving behind the strong citrus that is the showcase in the smell. Orange peel is reminiscent about half way through the taste - not really a strong orange flavor, rather the more mellow and bitter part of the orange peel. Not as many spices that seem to dominate other hefeweissens, but they are hiding in this beer as reminders of the multitude of flavors that hefes can bring.

Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy. Definitely wet, which makes it a great drinker on a hot summer day.

Overall an OK beer. If I'm in the market for a Hefeweiss, I will consider this one again.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2012 18:10:53 | More by midworken

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

3.73/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Reviewed from notes.

A. Cloudy brownish-orange color with a solid two finger foamy head, leaves behind concentric rings of lacing on the glass.

S. Bananas and clove aroma, some sweet wheat aroma, lighter amounts of lemon peel and grassy herbal hopping.

T. Lemon peel accents on a honeyed wheat malt. The cloves and bananas are quite a bit lighter than the nose had suggested.

M. Somewhat thinner in texture than I prefer my Hefeweizens, but it is quite nicely carbonated. (neither too much nor too little carbonation)

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2012 02:11:37 | More by WastingFreetime

tencents

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +16.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

In 2001 I visited this brewery and was astounded at how true to style their German beers were (I had spent ten years in Munich). Unfortunately, living on the East Coast, it was the last time I had been able to find Sprecher beer until last week when I was in State Line Liquors in Elkton, MD.

A solid example of the Bavarian brewstyle particularly in taste and appearance. Really, its only drawback was that the mouthfeel faded as the beer lingered, so that the final sips, although still fully delicious, lacked the same experience as the first sips.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2012 01:44:47 | More by tencents

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

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Sprecher
Hefe Weisse

12oz bottle. Pours a very light cloudy straw yellow. Soapy plain white head and plenty of doily like lace. Aromas of grassy hops, banana and lemony citrus. In the taste, light and lemony, with faint banana and a mild bitterness. Light bodied and a bit thin for style, which does make it easy to drink quickly. Overall, a pretty solid, very light hefeweizen.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2012 01:04:44 | More by Stinkypuss

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - A nice golden yellow with a nice bit of haze and only a slight layer of sticky white head that turns into a sweet lace ring.

S - A bit more citrus forward with bread yeasts, clove, and maybe some banana

T - No banana in the taste (maybe a touch of banana skin) with slight bittering lemon, clove to balance, and an impressively smooth wheat like yeast making the finish crisp.

M - Light to medium yet it was still a sipper to me.

Overall not a bad version of the style at all. Not really worth the price I paid (4.17 for a 16oz bottle) or even distributed in my area but really not worth tracking down again. Pretty good beer though.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2011 19:33:19 | More by DrDemento456

Tschnab

New York

3.98/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- A cloudy straw yellow with an eggshell white foam. No lace.

S- wheat and german yeast with some lemon peel and banana. Good malt background.

T- Very refreshing and crisp, lemon peel, malt, clove, banana, wheaty yeast, just the fainteset hint of soapiness at the end.

O- Very tasty classic flavors, extremely balanced with some malt coming in with the yeast.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2011 01:31:53 | More by Tschnab

brewmudgeon

Wisconsin

3.95/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

sprecher hefe weiss

a 4 cloudy light lemon and apricot body is topped by a fairly short head that settles to a creamy looking cap. not particularly merengue-like foam, but it'll do. no lace.

s 4 fresh wheat, cracker malt, and unripe-to-ripe bananas. there is clove there too, but not as a separate element. it's as though the banana is infused with clove. this has a refreshing, light nose that makes me think it will be a lightweight quencher rather than a flavor-heavy treat.

t 3.5-4 definitely a quencher. checking the abv, i see 4.2%, which makes me feel a lot better about this beer. the flavors are light but pleasant, wheat and unripe banana, with a somewhat lemony, yeasty finish. a bit chalky. pretty dry overall, which is appropriate to its assumed task. if only it were about 25 degrees warmer in this room right now ...

m 3-3.5 the body is this beer's weakest point. light is okay, but the carbonation should be much creamier. instead it is on the spritzy side, though the creamy-looking cap is holding well.

o 4 this is a good choice if a simple, light german wheat is called for. should try this head to head with kellerweis. if memory serves, the SN product is more flavorful and yeastier, but with more of an aspirin thing going.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2011 03:27:47 | More by brewmudgeon

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.45/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Twist off bottle from the brewery. Hits the style, but not so drinkable. Big bannana,in the taste and in the aroma. average mouthfeel in fact a bit thin mouthfeel. Carbonation significant. More wheat, complexity needed. Have had much better examples of the style. Decent retained head.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2011 02:55:15 | More by northyorksammy

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

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

witster18

Tennessee

3.4/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Most of Sprecher's offerings have that fig backbone... almost that Sammy Smith's cask quality to them. I wasn't sure if the Hefe would too, but it did... AND IT actually works.

I don't care too much for Sprecher's stuff... that's just my opinion. But, this Hefe has some originality to it. It starts a little sweet and sugary, then goes to lemon, then fig. It's weird, but good.

The odd fig/prune/raisin backbone to a otherwise normal clove, banana, spice hefe is unlike any other hefe... I think I will revisit this... not session... but revisit...

For me the is the best of the 4 or 5 that I've tried from this brewery.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2011 17:22:48 | More by witster18

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

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

mactrail

California

3.38/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Standard wheat beer with hints of German style.

Not much of an aroma, though a little of the banana comes through in the nose later on. Some fair carbonation, but more coarse and less creamy than the best examples. Bit of sharpness, touch of the orange acidic flavor. Low on the expected esters and German flavors. Watery but not unpleasant mouthfeel.

A style I like a lot, but not my favorite from Sprecher. For lower-alcohol beer, though, it has a lot of flavor and is quite drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2011 05:32:05 | More by mactrail

tone77

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Many thanks to resi for sending this beer. Poured from a brown 16 oz. bottle. Has a cloudy dark golden color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of bananas andcloves. Taste is very good, banana, spices, some wheat, very flavorful and refreshing. Feels full bodied in the mouth and is very drinkable. Overall this is a top quality beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2011 15:00:34 | More by tone77

output01x

Ohio

3.78/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 16 oz. bomber into a glass tumbler (all I had available at the time).

Nice white head at first, however it quickly diminished. Golden cloudy wheat-colored body with a good deal of sediment. A lack of rising bubbles is a little concerning for this style.

Strong wheat scent with notes of fresh green apple.

Harvest wheat is immediately noticed (of course), giving way to a slightly sour yeast. Slight orange notes are also apparent.

Medium carbonation gives this a somehwat thicker mouthfeel (for a hefeweizen), but keeps it crisp.

Like most hefeweizens, I could certainly have a few more. The lack of complexity doesn't make me want to continue exploring this beer, but the decent flavor and low ABV (4.20) makes this a great thirst-quencher.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2011 02:37:07 | More by output01x

Lemke10

Wisconsin

4.28/5  rDev +16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I bought a single bottle of this from Woodman's in Janesville, WI for $1.79 in early 2011.

Pours a cloudy yellow amber color with a mild scent of wheats. Has an almost organic like wheat and grain taste to it which is rather bold along with firm hints of orange. Rather filling and heavy in comparison to many heheweizen beers. Definetly a good taste here, the only complaint I could really see anyone making is about the thicker volume the beer has.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2011 03:24:21 | More by Lemke10

WesWes

New York

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

The beer pours a cloudy gold color with a thick frothy white head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is decent. It has a light pale and wheat malt scent along with a mild banana/clove aroma. The esters aren't too pronounced, but there's also a bit of lemony zest. The taste is good. It has a light and refreshing pale and wheat malt scent along with a fruity hefe yeast character. The banana/clove character is mild at best. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a medium bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a good drinking beer. It's not as good as a traditional hefe, but it's still quite enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2011 22:40:32 | More by WesWes

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

mariposafan

Wisconsin

3.38/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Looks a lot like unfiltered apple cider in the glass - very murky with a slightly burnt orange color. Minimal head, though what there is persists and lacing is very persistent.

The smell is fairly sweet with lots of cloves. Some banana/bubblegum as well but mostly cloves.

Taste is a bit of a letdown. Cloves are very evident, some banana as well. There's a lemony tartness that's a little overdone, as well. Mostly, though, it's just a bit watery. A little more sweetness would have made this much nicer.

The mouthfeel is rather nice - smooth, ever so slightly viscous with creamy carbonation.

It actually drinks fairly well considering the flavor is less than I'd hoped for. Not my favorite hefeweizen but it will do in a pinch.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2010 01:43:54 | More by mariposafan

farrago

New Jersey

3.73/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thick pour, fills half the glass before settling down to about two fingers of bone white, wispy, delicate foam, given the looseness of the foam, the lacing displays very nice stickiness. Unblemished, clear golden straw color, turns to a noticeably bright yellow around the rims and glass bottom, given the head almost zero visible bubbles. Remarkably soft nose with minimal wheat or grain presence, banana, bubblegum, clove and cinnamon, ripe apricot and peach fruit scents, raw baking dough, lemon juice, more width than length. Full-bodied, creamy mouthfeel with minimal carbonation, swiftly sinks into your palate. Ginger, cinnamon, clove and flowers team up with the same banana, peach, apricot, pear fruit to keep this one friendly beer. A touch more wheat, hay presence here, aided by more sourness in the lemon, orange citrus. Develops a light minerally edge as it finishes. Extremely easy to drink, however, comes off as simpler than it might otherwise be.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2010 02:08:17 | More by farrago

GhostMtnAbbey

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a pint glass with a nice big billowy head.

Immediate hints of banana and light citrus flavors.

The mouthfeel was a bit thin but still pleasant and drinkable.

The clarity is opaque but not as hazy and swirly as I'd prefer in a wheat beer.

It could definitely use a more pronounced wheat flavor.

My experience with the three or four beers I've had from Sprecher is that they are a competent "work-a-day" mircobrewery. They offer beers a few steps up from the big commercial breweries but don't expect the advanced artistry of a Dogfishhead or Victory.

This is an affordable Hefe that would be a good introduction to the style for those used to conventional commercial brews. No surprises but nothing bad.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2010 01:50:25 | More by GhostMtnAbbey