Hefe Weiss - Sprecher Brewing Company

dbtoe

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

16 oz bottle poured into a Weizen glass

Look cloudy yellow with a 2 finger white head that slowly reduced down to a cap.

Smell fruit, spice, and yeast.

Taste Like the smell citrus, spice, yeast with a dry sour finish.

Feel crisp mild body with good carbonation, lively.

Drink Very drinkable all flavors combine together well. I drank both bottles I had from the sampler pack.

Comment this style isn't one of my Favorites. I'll drink it now and then but I don't go out and get it for myself. However, I think this is a solid example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2008 17:14:28 | More by dbtoe

thaichile

New Jersey

3.63/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a hazy golden yellow with a soft, white head. Citrus notes all over the nose. Taste continues with lemon and then some spice. Banana essence is limited to a back seat. Creamy and quenching, but too much citrus to be a really good hefeweizen. None the less, it was enjoyable. Bottle courtesy of Zorro.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2006 11:01:32 | More by thaichile

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

BobLuvBeer

Illinois

4.78/5  rDev +30.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Nice straw color, pours with great head. Appears to be overly carbonated however. Aroma is a creamy blend of citrus and clove yeast. Very inviting. Excellent balance of clove and citrus as well in the flavor. Slightly crisp, but thick and full flavor. An excellent American version of the style.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2004 14:42:25 | More by BobLuvBeer

jsolack

Michigan

4/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Appearance:
Hazy yellow color. Looks nice and cloudy. Head is gone shortly after beer is poured.

Smell:
Smells like a banana's and wheat... very sweet smell, like a banana split!

Taste:
Great wheat flavor. Everything I like about a wheat. Sweet banana flavor with great wheat accents. Bitterness is controlled by sweetness.

Mouthfeel:
I would like this to be a little thicker in the mouth. It's a little too water, carbonation doesn't give the smooth thick feel instead feels a little crisp.

Drinkability:
A very drinkable beer. Great flavor and a great finish. I could definitely have a few of these in one sitting!

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2004 04:12:54 | More by jsolack

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

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

Sallerj

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +12%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This beer is slightly cloudy orange-- actually a little clear for a hefe. It smells like grains and honey and orange peel. The aroma doesn't hit you in the face, which I like in a hefe, but it's nice. The flavor is more citrus-y than banana-y, with plenty of clove-y esters and a long, spicy finish. This is a very nice, very drinkable beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2010 03:25:52 | More by Sallerj

arkurzynski

Wisconsin

3.53/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours straw gold and yeast hazy with very little head. I'm not sure if this is an old bottle or what? Aroma is lemon, vanilla, clove, and sweet wheat malt. Just a hint of sourness in the nose. Overall decent aroma. Very light on the palate with a lot of fizz. Sweet wheat malt taste, some banana, some lemon. Light on the flavor. I've had this many times before this rating and the conclusion is still the same - very drinkable, but nothing special. Prefer their lager selection.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2010 03:16:44 | More by arkurzynski

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

Moe55

Iowa

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

Picked up a 4-pack at a local liquor store. Pours slightly cloudy golden color. Nice white head that leaves some lacing. I can smell the clove spices and citrus. Worthy of calling itself a Bavarian style brew. Nice wheat taste and just the right amount of clove spices to give it a refreshing taste. I can also get a bit of banana at the end. Not as watery tasting as other craft wheat beers. This is the perfect beer on a warm, summer day. I am yet to be disappointed by Sprecher Brewing Company.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2010 23:07:12 | More by Moe55

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

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

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