Hefe Weiss - Sprecher Brewing Company

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

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

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

Uncloudy orange-tinted amber beneath a large, whipped creamery head the color of sandstone. I added a few more ounces once the head had fallen far enough, but it looks as though there will be no visible hefe in this hefe weizen. Perhaps Sprecher's 'coarse filtering' isn't coarse enough. A slurred collar is the extent of the lace at this point and it doesn't look like any more is in the cards.

There's no question, even after one tentative sniff, that this is the cloviest hefe that I've ever smelled. In fact, it smells as if someone dumped half a bottle of ground cloves into the glass. Only trouble is though, the spiciness tends to cover up the monkey fruit to some extent.

It tastes pretty clove-like too. In fact, I can think of no other version that even comes close. If a hefe has to favor one or the other--and there's no reason to think that it does--I'd prefer that it favor banana. Surprisingly, it tastes much more banana-like that it smells and earns a respectable 2.5/5.0 on my hefe weizen banan-o-meter. It's hard to overlook the clove however; it permeates the flavor profile from top to bottom.

There's a fair amount of tangy wheat as well, underneath all the spice. Sweet and sour work well together, especially as the beer warms. In fact, I'm finding that all of the various flavors fit together more snugly as the beer sits. Either that or it's taking some time for me to get used to what is a spicier than usual version.

The body/mouthfeel is quality through and through. The beer is light enough to be easily drinkable--and sessionable--yet still possesses that light creaminess that I look for and that is often found in the best of the style.

Hefe Weiss is my third Sprecher beer and I've been impressed with all three. Although it doesn't put a scare into the Weihenstephaners, Ayingers and Kapuziners of the world, it's both good and distinctive. Especially if you like cloves.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2006 13:08:38 | More by BuckeyeNation

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

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

oberon

North Carolina

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

One of the top three American wheat beers I have had the pleasure to try.Nice lemony taste with a touch of clove in it.Nice color,am a big fan of Sprecher products.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2002 09:35:34 | More by oberon

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Notes from General Mitchell International Airport - MKE - Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Tuesday, 2 January 2007. Early afternoon.

Draft. Cloudy, deep golden amber with yellow highlights and an orange cast. Short head of creamy bright white foam drops readily to an average collar and whispy surface covering. (Bar glassware?) Nose is loaded w/ phenolics: plastic-like, clovey/bubblegum, mild green banana. Wheaty malt base. (Mouthfeel) Medium. Smooth. Very fine bubbled natural carbonation. Gentle bristle (on the tongue). Flavor follows aroma. Clove, phenols, mild banana, wheatish malt. Lightly tart. Very, very mild citrus if any. Sublime bitterness. Well balanced. Finishes slightly acidic w/ quick-fading notes of wheat + banana. A decent, average weizen. Some of the phenolics were a bit harsh to my palate. Acidity was OK - had several examples from Germany that were the same or lower in pH. Nice carb. Not as effervescent as some of the better known Bavarians, but then again, more examples from Germany... Enjoyable. Good.

Serving type: on-tap

01-22-2007 02:02:43 | More by NeroFiddled

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.05/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: hazy orange color, thick, though heavily populated with floating yeasties, with a bubbly white head, a solid collar, that thins out rather quickly.
Aroma: banana notes come off quickly out of the nose, available from far-off, but let's bring it in, for a further sniff...there it is, soft, smooth, creamy, spicy, thick with the banana, lessening some as we go. Good ol' Bavarian character is in full effect.
Taste: nice, neat little hoppiness up front, solid body, very mellow and smooth, high drinkability factor on this one.
But a bit too mellow for me...really stand-out weizens make a bigger impression, and this one lies down too easily. Lies down, I say, but doesn't keel over,exactly. Very nice hefe weizen, all told.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2003 00:54:20 | More by feloniousmonk

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

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

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.53/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Acquired from brewcrew76, so a big Thank You goes out to him. Poured from a 16oz bottle into a weizen glass.

A: The beer is a deep yellow color, with a large white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is full of wheat, lager yeast, bananas, light malts and a touch of hops.

T: The taste starts out with bready flavors of wheat, yeast and light malts. There are flavors of citrus, bananas and spice in the background as well. There's a mild hops presence that provides a little balance. The after-taste is slightly bready and slightly sweet.

M: Smooth and crisp, light-to-medium body, high carbonation, finish is clean.

D: Tasty, goes down easy, not too filling, mild kick, good representation of style, It's a decent beer that is worth drinking for a while but there are certainly other Hefeweizens that I would select first.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2008 03:16:03 | More by TheManiacalOne

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

emerge077

Illinois

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

Pours an opaque orange with medium meringue foam. Smell is faint, kind of dusty yeast. Taste is clovey, more spice than banana or yeast at first. Mouthfeel has a buttery smoothness that suggests the overall integration of yeast. Drinkability is good, a nice summer refresher...

One of the better domestic Hefe examples, rises above the crappy "american wheat" ghetto stylings of many US wheats.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2006 04:23:50 | More by emerge077

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Picked up a single from Princeton Liquors in Maple Grove. Paired wonderfully with tilapia and asparagus.

Pours a hazy yellow-gold with a white head and starts with an interesting aroma that's extremely similar to vanilla cake. I suppose it's the combination of vanilla spice from the yeast with the aroma of sweet bready malts. The flavor is a bit light - though understandably so considering the 4.2% strength. Still, the wheat malt and yeast character need to be amped up considerably for this to be considered a great beer. I guess for what it is, it makes a great light beer and tasty beverage for hot days. Save this one for the summer and you won't be disappointed.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2008 23:42:19 | More by tempest

WVbeergeek

Ohio

3.7/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appears a clouded orange glazed sunrise gold unfiltered textbook hefeweizen brewed in Wisconsin, god I love craft beer. Off white head forms thick three fingers of puffy dimpled foam leaves behind speckled sporadic lacing. Aroma sharp lively citrus peel tickles the nose with cloves and soft vanilla notes as well. Esters thrive here authentic yeast strain of course a touch of bubblegum and banana here works well together. Flavors creamy banana, vanilla, clove, and bubble gum esters arise with a creamy malted wheat not much refreshing citrus zing to it. Lightly hopped with herbal German noble hops. Texture is great really reminds me of Penn Weizen with the creamy medium body yet the carbonation is effervescent enough to tickle the palate and the back of the throat.
Excellent authentic German hefe but too much vanilla and bubblegum esters arise for me making it a tad cloying and not as insanely drinkable as my favorite weizens tend to be, so just a couple points docked on drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2008 19:46:18 | More by WVbeergeek

Wasatch

Utah

3.48/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Jredner for this one.

Poured into an Ayinger glass a cloudy golden orange color, nice carbonation, one finger creamy white head, some sticky lacing around the edges. The nose is malty, yeasty, slightly tangy, with some corinander, little touch of caramel. The taste is malty, nice yeasty/tangyness, corinander/caramel. This is a nice smooth brew, but not that great of a Hefe. Medium body. Drinkable, glad to have had a chance to try though.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2007 19:33:23 | More by Wasatch

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

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev +21%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

(Served in a Weizen glass)

A- This beer pours a nice cloudy pale yellow body with a nice thick slurry of yeast in the last little bit of the bottle. There is a sticky snow white head that leaves sip rings as I drink. The head is supported by tiny little bubbles of carbonation that can only be seen when they trail up the side of the glass.

S- The soft bubblegum smell has a slight powdered sugar note like bubble-yum gum followed by a soft yeasty bread dough note and a clove warmth at the finish. These smells meld into each other and feel very natural unlike some over-the-top Weizens.

T- The nice wheat bread flavor has soft but present bubblegum qualities and a soft clove note that is not sweet and is more of a warmth than a spic note. There is a soft carbonic acid note with a slight sweetness to finish the beer and it has a very nice dried lemon note.

M- This beer has a medium mouthfeel and the body is not heavy like some Weizens that sit like a 3 course meal in my stomach.

D- This beer has a good body and great well developed flavors that all work together quite well. I would consider this one of the few Weizens inwhich I could have several at one siting without being full.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2008 19:41:55 | More by rhoadsrage

ppoitras

Massachusetts

3.6/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

16ozer bottle from prepackaged mixed 8-pack from Yankee Spirits, Sturbridge, MA.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 1/4 inch tall white head which quickly faded to almost nothing. A pleasant cloudy lemony-gold in color, average lacing present. Good malty, grainy smell like you should have in a hefe. Flavor consistant with aroma and style, pretty much it is what it is advertised as. Would have no problems enjoying this one again.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2004 22:37:38 | More by ppoitras

weeare138

Pennsylvania

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

Appears a hazy gold, 2 finger, creamy white head that slowly fades out. Scattered lacing is left around the glass.
Smell is of creamy wheat, clove, banana, bubblegum, and mild sulfer that is barely noticable.
Taste is of the mentioned aromas, perhaps a bit less complex though.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied, creamy, a bit thin, and slightly sweet and sour with a clean finish.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2006 16:45:36 | More by weeare138

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

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

3.3/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

16 oz bottle into a Weizen glass.

Pours a cloudy pale orange (and some floaties) with 2+ fingers of poofy brite-white foam. Nice layer of creamy retention that leaves a good bit of lacing behind but it does a slide job down the sides of the glass. The aroma is fairly nice for a Hefe with tart lemon, bananas, oranges, yeast, clove, bubblegum, and some light wheat.

The taste is similar to the aroma but just doesn't get to the same level. Wheat, lemon, bananas, clove, yeast, bubblegum. It's all there but seems to be really subdued. The different flavors aren't nearly as easy to ascertain as the aroma was. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with OK carbonation but overall isn't as crisp was I would like to have felt. Even a touch flat maybe?

I nice effort that unfortunatley only gets about half way there. The aroma was fine but I just expected a little more from the body and especially from the taste that left me wanting more. I drank about 3/4 of this this and then left the wife finish it up for me so that I could move on to something else.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2008 16:38:30 | More by Kegatron

Bighuge

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +23%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance is a hazy golden with a nice fluffy white head. Really nice vanilla aroma on the nose. It smells delicious. The vanilla is dominant on the palate as well and it is delicious. There's also a tad bit of spiciness. It doesn't seem to be a hop type of spiciness however. More like a subdued pepper taste. Light to medium bodied. Great beer for poolside lounging. A nice effort from Sprecher.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2002 20:15:48 | More by Bighuge

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

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.85/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Another quality Sprecher brew. Not the haze I hoped for, but always mega carbonated, yet does not form much head.

Good banana, wheat, lemon flow to the nose, and then that is exactly the taste. Very pleasant, light body. Very easy to drink. 16oz bottles at a great price, rarely disappointed with these guys.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2010 23:21:14 | More by Beerandraiderfan

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.35/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

First had: on tap at Trapp Door, Emmaus, PA

Poured a golden-straw color, typical near-opaque hefe haze going on, with a small soapy white head. Pungent aroma of bready yeast, clove, and some citrus notes. Similar profile in the taste, nothing unexpected, bready yeast, clove and a bit of pepper, lemon and orange peel, banana skin. Light-medium body, moderately carbonated, and generally drinkable, but far from the best I've had of the style.

Serving type: on-tap

11-20-2011 20:30:39 | More by Rifugium