Julius Echter Hefe-Weissbier Hell - Würzburger Hofbräu AG

Clonies720

Texas

3.91/5  rDev -2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

A: Pours a straw-golden, hazy color. Thin head with little retention. Very cloudy.

S: Banana esters, clove, some bready/grainy aroma with a hint of bubblegum

Taste and Mouthfeel: It's thin, watery, and light on the tongue. Follow the nose. Nice bits of banana, touch of bubblegum, nice grainy wheat flavor. Medium-carbonation with a medium-low body. Fruity esters.

Overall: An excellent wheat beer. One of the best. Very freshing.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2013 16:41:43 | More by Clonies720

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

A-Pours a hazy honey color. Big, frothy head leaves only light lacing. Head hangs around forever.

S-Wheat and yeast at moderate intensities. Residual sweetness, banana and cloves.

T-More of the same. Rather sweet. Buzzing yeast. Bananas and cloves are mild. Tangy wheat. Crisp.

M-Fuller than some but still mostly light. Prickly carbonation. A bit chewy.

O/D-Didn't love it and didn't hate it. Pretty unmemorable.

Serving type: on-tap

03-29-2013 00:55:43 | More by VelvetExtract

pkalix

California

4.48/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

well now, everything i have brought home from HOLLINGSHEAD DELI has been expired. i was pretty buzzed leaving the place (they have a great assortment of taps and bottles, but the bottles are all old) and obviously didnt check what i was bringing home with me. it's still a great place, but i guess i'm reviewing something that was a "drink before" of 11/ 2012....
pale, pumpkin, toffee color pour with a weak head on top.
smells like a roasted toffee malt and brings the flavor with it. very nice taste; like a dark hofbrau (which i just had at THE RATHSKELLER) but not quite the same. very nice sweet and malt-y, tastes commercial but still unique.
for being old, it tastes great, it's another great german brew and i love the stuff from germany. i normally cringe at anything below 5% but i forgive this because it's german. i'm partial; i cant help it. i think the age of the beer really comes through in the 'mouthfeel'- it's kind of thin and bland and i lowered the rating here for this. but it's still a great brew....

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 23:45:53 | More by pkalix

BigCheese

Massachusetts

4.28/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Had on tap at phoenix landing.

A cloudy yellow. Huge yeasty flavors. Very bready and sweet. Lots of phenols and funyness. Very sessionable. Nice creamy mouthfeel with high carbonation. One of the most authentic and flavorable hefs I've had. They do it right in germany.

Serving type: on-tap

01-13-2013 01:42:40 | More by BigCheese

flagmantho

Washington

4/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 500mL bottle into a weizen glass.

Appearance: light but rich silvery-golden hue with a good haze and plenty of effervescence. Head is three fingers of pillowy white foam. Quite nice.

Smell: rich, sweet wheaty aroma with tones of clove. The balanced aroma of an authentic hefeweizen.

Taste: malty, wheaty taste which is clean and refreshing. The yeast contribution to this beer leans much more to the clove than the banana, which in this case works quite nicely. It's a balanced and tasty brew.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a good level of carbonation and a smooth creaminess. The wheat in this beer makes for just a great texture.

Overall: a tasty, satisfying and refreshing hefeweizen. Earthy and fresh, I could drink tons of this stuff.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2012 02:23:33 | More by flagmantho

Ethanol4one

New York

4.5/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This beer is bananas... and clove, and maybe slight citrus, as has been suggested, sure.

But I had issues with it, and this is my 3rd session with it, so this review is bananas too.

Sure, it begins with a beautiful golden haze in the glass, and sure, it's followed by a big bold and unstoppable head that was revived with each pour right to the bottom of the bottle. The head was so remarkable, it made me think that I'd really like to see some of these American craft beers, such as Dogfish Head's Raison D'Etre do that.

But next, the aroma is pure bananas; and we're talking aroma like windows down along Costa Rica's Caribbean coast line, south of Port Limon, where miles and miles and miles of banana plantations grow. And like the mosquitoes on Costa Rica's East coast, it took a little getting used to for me. By the third gulp, I'd say my journey on this new path to Mecca was well underway. I'm a fan, maybe not many of those reviewers here, but it grew on me, kind of like Brooklyn Dub music years ago, which was the craziest thing I ever heard, until I started buying CDs from DJs in basements on Ralph Avenue.

Change, it's the constant, oui? Yeah, I know, it's not Fromboise.

So despite my reservations, I realized this beer is well more of an immovable object than I am an unstoppable force in matters of taste, despite my reservations were backed by the persistence of cider memories, recalling what happens to sick ciders, where low acid apples are used (eating apples verses fermentation apples, which were largely wiped out of many American orchards during prohibition) or no acid is added to prevent the transition from apples to banana flavors. The culprit there: acetaldehyde, which works on cider's tannins. The solution-- Champagne yeast to dry out all the sugars, or just make vinegar. And this beer, among other Hefe Weiss style beers, made me wonder if something similar isn't going on.

So I looked up the yeasts used to make Hefe Weiss on White Lab's website: Acetaldehyde, which indicates 11.9/ppm. Bingo, right? Wrongo, no! No, because there are dry ale yeast strains that deliver 36/ppm that don't deliver Josephine Baker's banana dance... (which would make a great commercial for this beer by the way, with a kind of Fahrvergnügen soundtrack, if they ever decide to go big, and do a super bowl campaign against big bland brother's horse show, right? Hey, it's an idea... maybe not a great idea, but clearly bananas have this effect on me).

Moving on, the mouth feel is slightly creamy, yet thin bodied, like more of an egg cream than milk shake (or lard shakes in many of these fast food drive thrus), and without a lot of heat from the hooch, making it light and lovely like one of Hitchcock's leading ladies, you know, before he terrorizes them with birds, or insane inn keepers, or Soviet era spies... .
So basically, overall, like most reviewers here, I'd give this beer like 4 to 5 Eva Marie Saints. Would I order it again? Are you bananas: would you watch North by Northwest again, if only for the train scene?

Exactly.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2012 15:23:47 | More by Ethanol4one

Cavanaghty

Maine

4.2/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a smaple glass.

Appearance: Cloudy yellowish color, the usual for this style beer. About two fingers of white head and some lacing on the glass.

Smell: Slightly heavy on the cloves and banana smells with some citrus and grassy notes.

Mouthfeel/Taste: Lighter bodied and smooth. Taste just as it smelled, cloves and bananas with some grassy and citrus notes.

Overall: Decent brew, it was one of the more popular ones at my recent beer tasting party, so I might just have to get this one again.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2012 22:34:26 | More by Cavanaghty

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.85/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a Celebrator pokal. Pours a cloudy light to medium orangey yellow amber. Nice three finger white head with excellent retention and lacing. Aroma of wheat, cloves, banana and a hint of lemon. Mild flavor dominated by wheat with light banana, lemon and cloves. Finish is a bit thin and abrupt leaving a faint bitter wheat aftertaste. Light bodied as is appropriate for the style with good mouth feel from active carbonation. A nice hefeweizen, but I would like a bit more robust flavor and finish.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2012 23:47:26 | More by LiquidAmber

draheim

Washington

3.98/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500mL (best before 11/2012) into a weizen glass. Pours a hazy orange-yellow w/ a 1-finger white head, lively carb.

Aroma is banana, clove and pungent floral hops. Orange peel.

Taste is tropical and citrusy for a hefeweizen. Soft bready wheat malt, orange zest, spice. Tangy finish.

Mouthfeel is soft, light, refreshing.

Overall a unique approach to a hefeweizen, more orange-y than most. Wonder if this was dry-hopped? Label says both hops and hop extract were used.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2012 01:11:52 | More by draheim

Cyrano41

Virginia

4.6/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap into a Hefewizen glass at the Bier Garden in Portsmouth VA
a deep yellow-orange color with 2 fingers of persistent head.
Smell was over the top with spice and fruit- coriander, banana and orange. Yeast and hops here too.
Taste was well balanced - not as sweet or fruity as the aroma, but the spice and banana come out well. The yeast and hops are in the flavor enough to cut the fruit and let you know its beer.
The mouthfeel, hmm. Medium bodied but the higher carbonation makes it seem a bit lighter.
Definitely a world class hefe. Number 2 on my all time list.

Serving type: on-tap

08-17-2012 23:59:59 | More by Cyrano41

ONUMello

Ohio

4/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500ml bottle poured into a weizen glass
A: Yellow/golden wheat color with a tall three+ finger head that slowly settles; lots of carbonation.
S: Clove and banana.
T: Lots and lots of creamy banana. Probably the most banana I've ever experienced on a beer.
M: Light-bodied and creamy.
O: A solid, refreshing example of the style. Not overly complex but as often as not that's a good thing, nice to sip a simple yet tasty beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2012 02:36:52 | More by ONUMello

Jwale73

Rhode Island

3.7/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

500ml bottle served in a weizen glass. Best before 2012/11 indicated on the front, right-hand corner of the label. Pours an orange-gold hue with a dense, five inch, bright white head off the pour. There's quite a lot of effervescence happening here as the bubbles rise from the base of the glass to the underside of the cap. Nose is fairly subdued; however, you definitely get the classic clove, banana esters, yeast and wheat aromas that characterize the style, with the yeast and wheat being the most prominent. Taste is somewhat consistent with nose - the banana and clove are definitely in the background. There is a slight bubblegum aftertaste; however, the yeast and wheat dominate the flavor profile and there is also a suggestion of wet cardboard in the mix. Mouthfeel is light in body with a lively carbonation and just a kiss of acidity. Overall, not my favorite German Hefeweizen. Definitely solid, but I can think of three others off the top of my head that I'd go to before revisiting this again in a bottle. I would like to see if this is a different animal on-tap.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2012 01:12:52 | More by Jwale73

jtingue

New York

4.2/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Best before 2012/09. Poured into a hefe glass.

Appearance. Almost luminous translucent orange in color to peach in color. Pours with 3 fingers of dense creamy head. Quite beautiful.

Smell. Contains the usual banana and clove, but leans more toward the banana side. A very light cinnamon-like spiciness rounds it out.

Taste. This one really hits your palate like a wave. A lot of intense flavors come at you very fast and lead right to a very long lingering finish. The most predominant component of this wave lies somwhere between nuttiness (walnut and almond) and over ripe apple and peach. It really has that taste of baked apple that is just cool enough to eat. Complementing this is some spiciness and cloveiness. The nuttiness really subdues and smooths out everything. The finish, as stated before, is long and lingering with remenants of the apple and some pear flavors. It is also relatively dry.

Mouthfeel. Tight carbonation is not creamy, nor is it prickly. It has well defined, but tight bubbles. Behind that is a fairly thin body.

This one really proved to me how different these beer can really get. The presence of the yeasty flavors in this one are really quite palate punching.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2012 17:22:41 | More by jtingue

JerzDevl2000

New Jersey

4.08/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Picked this up a few weeks back at the Liquor Outlet Wine Cellars in Boonton. I never tried this before and since I'm a fan of this style in the warmer months, I was eager to give this a go. This had a very typical pour, head, and taste and for anyone who likes a good, cloudy beer that's easy to drink, this would be an excellent choice.

The appearance of this was a deep goldenrod with a cloudy hue and fluffy head that lasted for quite a while. There was quite a bit of sediment at the bottom of the 500 ml bottle that I had to swirl out when I made my way down but it wasn't anything excessive. Lots of least, banana, and clove here but the taste was just a bit heavier than I anticipated. I could see some people taking a piece of fruit to cut this with since this was quite filling but purists would be pleased with just the contents of the bottle.

For a large serving, I couldn't feel the alcohol in this. Had I bought more than one bottle, this would have been perfect to down since this isn't something to chug or let warm up too much. No bubble gum sweetness here and just a hint of creaminess was all that was needed to liven this up. I will probably have this again soon and anyone who's looking for a simply and enjoyable beer for the warmer weather months will be pleasantly surprised by this offering.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2012 20:36:58 | More by JerzDevl2000

rangerred

Tennessee

4.1/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500ml bottle into a weizen glass.

Pours a hazy rusty orange with a huge billowy head.

Smells amazing. Full of orange and lemon with a great yeastiness. Smells fairly tart.

The flavor is orange along with bubblegum and banana and a little bit of clove. A slight citric tartness is present but it doesn't detract at all. Mouthfeel is smooth and slightly drying at the finish making this an excellent thirst quencher.

Overall, an excellent hefe and wonderful on a hot day.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2012 18:05:59 | More by rangerred

Neorebel

New Jersey

4.2/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Hazy yellow color, with a fluffy head. Initially I am getting a big sense of the yeasts in the aroma, in that it is almost 'creamy, or yogurt-like...' This isn't really a bad thing if it sounds that way. It's earthy, grainy, and some tartness and sour apple in there as well. Very complex aroma. The taste is a very soft, with a light breadiness, hint of banana, and not very spicy. Ethereal. I really enjoyed this, and would love to get my hands on more. Great spring/summer beverage.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2012 00:50:52 | More by Neorebel

rinhaak

Massachusetts

3.68/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pouring a beautiful hazy golden orange, this hefe pours a little lighter than the average. But a huge, foamy head lingers for the duration of the glass, leaving behind a nice lace that clings perfectly.

The nose is a little mild with hints of clove, banana, and pepper, while the mouth adds a bit of lemon zest to flavor. Unfortunately, the beer has an odd finish resembling the flavor of stale rice cakes that sort of takes the freshness from the mouth (the beer has an expiration date of 09/12 – six months later than my review).

The beer is crisp and refreshing, and up until the odd finish, a real winner. However, the flavor of rice cakes is off-putting enough to cause lower my overall enjoyment.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2012 00:48:16 | More by rinhaak

DavidST

Texas

4/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 500 ml bottle into a pint glass. This pours a hazy yellowish color with a massive white head. The smell is of wheat, yeast eaters, lemon. The feel is medium to light high carbonation. The taste is good, light and crisp, wheat, no real hop presence, lemon, banana.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2012 01:51:29 | More by DavidST

AoxoMoxoA

Florida

4.08/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Reviewed while listening to Queen's greatest hits.

A - Pours a pleasant hazy golden with a big foamy head. Looks like a hefeweizen should. Appears well carbonated, a myriad of bubbles are rising in my glass. "Under Pressure"

S - Smells sweet and wheaty. Very slight banana and yeast aroma.

T - Extremely refreshing. A little on the light side, flavorwise. Not too many typical hefeweizen banana/clove overtones. Still, it's quite tasty. I think I would like their Dunkel. The after taste is reminiscent of my first sniff of the beer's aroma. "Killer Queen"

M - Mouthfeel is pretty light and subtle. Definitely smooth. "Fat Bottomed Girls"

O - I wasn't disappointed... although I was craving some stronger weizen smell/flavor, which leads me to believe I should try their dunkelweizen. This beer is highly drinkable, tasty, and pretty to look at. Can't really note any negatives, other than the fact that I would have like a stronger flavor experience. That doesn't mean this isn't a fine example of a hefeweizen. "Bicycle Song"

This whole beer/Queen synergy reminds me of a song from The Simpsons:

"When I was seventeen, I drank some very good beer
I drank some very good beer I purchased with a fake ID
My name was Brian McGee
I stayed up listening to Queen
When I was seventeen"

(I'm not really 17)

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2012 00:43:45 | More by AoxoMoxoA

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

2.45/5  rDev -38.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Pours a hazy, straw yellow color with a white head. In the aroma, banana and fruity wheatiness. In the taste, wheaty, small banana, and quite watery and muted flavors. A small spice like bite and a medium to lighter bodied mouthfeel, with a small dry remnants of banana. Better nose and color, quite watery and lack of flavor.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2012 16:29:01 | More by OWSLEY069

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Had this beer right before I drank the Dunkel version of it. This one poured out as a hazy golden color with a fluffy white head on top. The smell of the beer gives off the typical banana and clove aromas that a true hefeweizen should. The taste of the beer has the soft flavors of wheat and grains with just a hint of lemon in there. The mouthfeel of the beer was smooth, lightly carbonated and refreshing. Overall it's a pretty good brew.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2012 01:42:20 | More by Knapp85

BierStein711

Illinois

3.15/5  rDev -21.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bottle poured into weizen glass: freshness date: Feb 2012

A: Looks like a weissbier, thick three finger head

S: Smells like wheat and barley

T: Tastes like a regular pale lager rather than a like a hefeweizen.

M: Feels like a weissbier, it has that moderate mouthfeel

Overall, this is a most forgettable beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2011 21:18:31 | More by BierStein711

curasowa

New York

3.9/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Appearance: Cloudy, gold color with a big, fluffy head that fades slowly with chunky lacing.

Aroma: Pretty standard, yeasty with some banana over grassy, light malt aroma.

Taste: A little thin on the front with some light wheat malt, then a building of some spiciness which picks-up some chemical taste towards the back end. There's a touch of clove in the finish and then a lingering phenolic taste.

The Rest: A decent German hefe. As I look at the bottle, I noticed that the best before date is 6/11, which may explain some of the off notes.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2011 19:14:24 | More by curasowa

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500 ml bottle poured into a weiss glass.
Best Before End 2011/04, no info.

A - Poured with bottle-swirled yeast, this hefe is a cloudy goldenrod yellow in color and crowned by a relentless white head. A little lace is left covering the glass, but not as much as the typical hefe.

S - The pungent aroma offers lots of earthy clay aroma with mild white pepper and balanced clove. The aromatic banana livens it all up, bringing the esters full-circle. Soft wheat stays in the back.

T - A little lighter in flavor than anticipated, this hefe is certainly yeasty and potent with esters of earth, clove, and banana, but lacking a nice light malt backbone. Soft wheat is there though.

M - Light-bodied and soft in feel with a well-carbonated but non-intrusive spritzy finish. Pretty clean and lightly dry finishing.

O - Solid across the board, this hefe isn't stand-out amongst the sea of great German ones, but it's certainly drinkable and refreshing on a warm day!

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2011 02:10:29 | More by BeerFMAndy

Halcyondays

California

3.28/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

500 mL bottle,

A: Pours a cloudy gold with a medium white head, very good retention, some lace.

S: Wheat malt, lemon, quite fruity and yeasty, banana.

T: Dominated by the wheat flavour with a clear lemony tang. Very light esters, no real yeast flavours, I'm missing those.

M: Light-bodied, crisp carbonation, biting, creamy, nice feel.

O: An OK hefe, the flavours aren't really there, but the overall structure is good.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2011 03:05:48 | More by Halcyondays