Julius Echter Hefe-Weissbier Hell - Würzburger Hofbräu AG

allengarvin

Texas

4.35/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pint-bottle, served into a clean weizen glass at around 50F.

Appearance: cloudy golden pour, fairly light at the thin base of the glass, with a thick, persistent head of foam about two fingers deep.

Aroma: Very spicy, yeasty aroma, citrus notes. Canonical banana-fruit aroma.

Body/Flavor: Light body and soft character, with the initial flavor being spiciness on the middle of the tongue. Lots of carbonation. Big vanilla and fruit flavors (cantaloupe? banana?) follow, and linger in the finish.

I didn't remember the beer being this good a hefeweizen; this is a very good example of the style, on the medium-low-end of the yeast/spice scale.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2004 03:17:59 | More by allengarvin

MuenchenerKindl

Germany

4.35/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a large .5L bottle to a tall swirl hefe glass. The head slowly rises up to a very thick & creamy tall cloud of sweet fluff. just off white with huge bubbles and massive staying power. It is several minutes before I can complete the pour. The liquid is a cloudy light straw color with faint amber hues.

Smell is of soft fruity yeast.

Taste is classic hefe. Loads of tradition here folks. Love it or leave it, it is what it is. A real smooth creamy malt and bread taste with hints of nuts, spice and a very small banana note. If you are not real big on the banana taste this one is work a try.

Mouthfeel is warm and cozy, the beer oozes Gemütlichkeit. With every sip I can here the band at the Hofbrau playing 'Muss I Denn'

Drinkability is very good. At the Hofbrau they serve it by the liter for some very good reasons. You buy it by the liter for good ones also. I hate to wait with an empty glass.

Prost! Und, Zum Wohl! MK

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2006 03:36:21 | More by MuenchenerKindl

nortmand

Virginia

4.35/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours yellow orange and very hazy with a small head. Not rocky enough and disappears, leaving little lace.

Strong banana and clove aromas with an edge of citrus. Very nice.

Spice and fruit flavors are much less assertive than in the aroma. Tingly spice on the edges of the tongue. A very slight bitterness.

Medium to big body, alot of character, very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2007 23:51:27 | More by nortmand

dstc

Florida

4.35/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy, golden orange with a huge, foamy white head. Head falls very slow and stays. Lace is nice but seems to disappear back down to the head.

Nice lemon, wheat aroma with a bit of spice and mild clove tones.

Nice wheat taste with a lemony tartness and a peppery bite on the tongue. I bit of the clove from the aroma comes through in the taste as well. Hop bitterness does not exist.

Smooth across the tongue and mildly carbonated. Very nice.

Nice, easy drinking brew. Really like this one and go back to it often.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2010 21:48:42 | More by dstc

twiggamortis420

Texas

4.35/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

500 mL bottle with a best before date of 2011/11. Pours very hazed, medium gold color with a large cap of dense, fluffy white head. Retention and lacing are expectedly great.

Nose has a nice, soft banana-clove aroma combo. Niether being dominant and both complimented by some grainy wheat. Very nice hefe on the smell.

This is one of the softer weissbiers I have had and the yeast does not go too crazy on the banano-clove esters. Uber-refreshing and goes down very easy. This is one of those hefes you could drink a second liter stein of in one sitting without getting bored or too yeasted-out. Id have to say I am very impressed with this beer, I like it at least as much as Weihenstephaner.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2011 17:59:00 | More by twiggamortis420

marc77

California

4.33/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Turbid yellow hue from suspended yeast and protein haze. Creamy, soft peak whipped white head settles very slowly. The aroma is a combination of banana esters and light yeast must lending ripe fruitiness upfront, while mild caramel sweetness malt and clean graininess round it out. A initial dart of wheat tartness is ensued by a smooth waft of banana esters and caramel sweetness. Proteinaceous and creamy in mouthfeel, yet pleasantly light in body. Mild hop bitterness and trace clove provide contrast to the sweetish banana esters mid palate, then the brew finishes with light residual sweetness and a hint of breadiness. Julius Echter is a very well rounded and enjoyable hefeweizen. It's soft all around on the palate but not understated. Very refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2002 17:21:05 | More by marc77

bultrey

New York

4.33/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Here it is... an awesome session beer if I ever tasted one. Served to me in a 20 oz. Echter glass at Anam Cara about a month ago. Fluffy white head, gentle banana, spice and citrus aromas. Taste reveals some of the same, but much less banana than many Hefes. This is a feature I like in Hefes, as I don't like to be overwhelmed by banana flavor, but a hint is OK. Here, I pick up some nice citrus and even very subtle tropical fruit, like pineapple, along with some vanilla. The mouthfeel is luscious, fuller than many Hefeweizens, and the finish is so crisp and clean and refreshing. I could seriously drink this all night, and one night before the weather goes south, I think I just might. I tried this again from the bottle just a few days ago, and I found the beer to be almost exactly the same.

I've said this before -- I've never been a huge hefe fan, but a handful of them are making me see the light. I find alot of similarities between this and another kick-ass Hefe, the Brooklyn Weiss.

Serving type: on-tap

08-24-2004 02:45:28 | More by bultrey

joev

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This hefe pours a nice, cloudy orange color, aided by plenty of yeast in the bottle. A nice mouthfeel gives way to a rich banana-like flavor, along with a slight hint of cloves. This is one of my summertime favorites, and there are always a few bottles of this in my 'fridge.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2005 05:19:56 | More by joev

Cadyfatcat

New York

4.33/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a cloudy orange with fluffy and thick white head that becomes lumpy after left for a while. Thin lees left behind on bottom of bottle.

Smells of ripe yellow pear with a hint of mango yeast.

Chewy pear jumps right onto your tongue, so much citrus going on here. Spicy yeast flavor accompanied by orange, lemon, and grapefruit.

A great hefeweizen and one of my all time favorites. I can drink this beer on any occasion. A must try.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2006 05:47:15 | More by Cadyfatcat

ChicagoLaw21

Indiana

4.33/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Love those Hefe so I had to try this one. Was not disappointed.

A - Golden bronze with a fluffy head that leaves scattered but significant lacing. Not a large amount of yeast but what is there settles out slowly.

S - As one would expect - floral and banana and lemon dominate. Pleasant to the nose. Fresh.

T - Solid flavor is a nice surprise. Sweetish with a lemon finish. As it warms, fuller flavors appear. Spicy but still sweet. Over all a great taste.

M - Pleasant feel. Not too heavy. Slight carbonation and yeastly as expected in this type.

D - Very. Enjoyable in all categories. Wonderful as a refresher on a hot day.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2007 22:43:26 | More by ChicagoLaw21

Haybeerman

Colorado

4.33/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A: Hazy orange/yellow color. Poured a heavy white head that slowly dissipated to clingy ring. Lacing slid down the glass with every drink. It looked really nice (but I like the way Weiss beers look)

S: Sweet and mild. Fruit, some spice and a little citrus. Not the banana as in many others.

T: Banana comes through here. Citrus, a little green apple. Banana then light clove finish. A wonderful taste.

M: Crisp, pleasant carbonation. Nicely balanced. Clean finish sets up for another drink (or ten).

D: Go a long way with this one - any time of the year, with any food or just by itself.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2008 23:15:06 | More by Haybeerman

nem2006

Tennessee

4.33/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Drank in a pint glass out of the 500 mL bottle. Has a nice dense white head with a pale yellow cloudy body.

The smell is citrusy with coriander.

The taste is medium bodied with a with a slightly tart start, a citrusy middle and barely any hop finish. Full flavor.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2009 04:08:56 | More by nem2006

LumpyGuitar

New York

4.33/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This was 1.57 at my local stop. For a buck and a half you can't go wrong.

Pours a cloudy golden yellow with a good 2 fingers of fluffy off white head. Lacing is good, retention isn't bad either.

Smells of wheat, light spice, and a very mild lemon.

Taste is wonderful. Smooth and very zesty. Lemon is light with clove, banana and wheat. Very balanced with a nice spice and sweetness.

Mouthfeel is very light bodied and crisp, carbonated but not overly so.

Drinkability is amazing, this is hands down the best hefe I've ever had.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2009 01:01:28 | More by LumpyGuitar

brewbasterd

North Carolina

4.33/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Out of a bottle it pours a hazy golden-orange color with a frothy white head that dissapates fairly quickly and leaves moderate lacing. The nose has typical banana and light clove scents and an undertone of lightly toasted grains. The taste is is a bit more complex, still hosting banana and clove, it is now accompanied by orange,citrus,pear and some apple. Toasted wheat is vagely present and a little bit of a tang is at the end. The mouthfeel is a little more than light, it coats the mouth and flavors linger very nicely. A great beer that can be appreciated any time of the year.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2010 03:06:00 | More by brewbasterd

largadeer

California

4.33/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

500ml bottle into a nonic.

Cloudy straw yellow, just barely translucent. The body is topped by two fingers of white foam that slowly settles to a 1/2 inch cap.

Bready, doughy aromas greet the nose first. Clove, a little apple. Banana-like esters are reigned-in but still present.

The palate opens with flavors of wheat and whole grain bread, followed by apple, lemon and faint banana. Spiciness emerges in the dry finish, leaving a lingering flavor of spiced apple cider.

This beer uses a fantastic yeast strain, it provides a perfect level of fruity, spicy flavors. Many hefeweizens cloy the palate with excessive esters and phenols, but that's not the case here.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2011 05:54:02 | More by largadeer

Mitchster

Michigan

4.3/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours out to a cloudy peach, forming a tall, dense, whipped white head with excellent retention and great lacing. The aroma is wondrous, tart and phenolic with a classic mix of (green) bananas and cloves. Carbonation is medium-strong. Mouthfeel is initially spritzy, then watery with a light body. Taste is quite interesting. There are the aformentioned bananas and cloves initially, but then a very delicate pale-malt and wheat-malt body offers a gentle sweetness off-setting the yeast, hop, and carbonic tartness. There is a very brief touch of metal. The finish is EXTREMELY clean with a watery crispness, making this refreshingly easy to drink. As it warms, a honey-like sweetness emerges in the aftertaste with lemon zest notes.

In a word, wonderful. This is a very easy to drink Hefe-Weiss. Although I could stand to have more bananas in it, the uniquely delicate malt sweetness and clean finish make this a great summer/session brew.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2004 22:48:44 | More by Mitchster

KyleMWood

Texas

4.3/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Great example of a german hefe. Excellent balance and mouthfeel, could be a great session beer. It looks great, with a very pale golden color, with a slight hefe haze. 1/2 finger, white head. Scents of lemon on the noze and on the palate. I highly recommend you try this beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2009 23:51:56 | More by KyleMWood

scarletfire79

New Hampshire

4.28/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

my favorite beer from of my favorite style. great flavor. banana and clove notes as expected. super well balanced and highly drinkable. would love to sample this on tap as i have only had it from bottles.
great example of what a good hefe should be, refreshing, thirst quenching and tasty as hell. good job mr echter.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2006 20:06:56 | More by scarletfire79

Graebner

Germany

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

Pours an opaque straw color with obvious carbonation and a big fluffy head that settles only somewhat.

Nose is incredible, banana, LOTS os spice esters,lemon rind and some fresh baked bread. Smells delicious.

Taste is lightly sweet up front with a CO2 whallop, flavor is banana and clove spiciness with some lemony zest. Touch of bitterness on the end, just barely. Tastes great and refreshes!

Mouthfeel is spot-on for the style. Light, slightly sweet-ish up front, cleans itself off with the CO2. Excellent brew, easily session-worthy, and excellent for a spring day just after getting home from work. Would also be terrific in the morning with some Weisswurst.

Overall another great Weissbier from Julius Echter. They make probably the best available in my area; this stuff is great.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2007 23:05:54 | More by Graebner

Hoagie1973

New York

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

Cloudy yellow-gold with an awesome initial head. Huge and rocky with excellent retention and patchy lacing.

Smells like spiced fruit and yeast. Some earthy malt.

Fruity and spicy as you'd expect with banana & clove. Some acidic citrus fruitiness like lemon or maybe a bit of pineapple.
Earthy yeast and a touch of grassy bitterness (very slight) in the finish with bready malt and a touch of alcohol warmth.

Feel is crisp, yet smooth and a touch creamy.

Overall this is probably the best Hefe out there for the money.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2009 23:34:02 | More by Hoagie1973

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

mgdeth

Montana

4.25/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - A large fluffy head sits atop what can best best be described as a glass of sunshine! Cloudy and orange-straw colored. Decent head retention and beer lace.

Smell - Clovey spice leads off the smell. There is also some banana aroma in there.

Taste - Wheat-sweet, with a light grainy flavor. I also detect some citrus flavor in there, sort of like orange and lemon. A banana flavor acts as a backdrop. The aftertaste has a bit of acidic tang.

Mouthfeel - Smooth overall, with a sort of slippery feel to it. This seems a bit unusual, but it is not distracting.

Drinkability - This one is an easy drinker, and a good one at that. The body is perhaps just the slightest bit too thick.

Comments - This is a very pleasant hefe. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2005 04:19:00 | More by mgdeth

BelgiumBill

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Paid $3.99 for a 500ml bottle with a 9/2011 freshness date.

Poured into a pint glass, served at 43 degrees. It was a very hazy golden honeyed color with a gigantic ivory seafoam-like head. Eventually dissipated to a thin blanket with minimal lacing.

The nose was grainy, yeast, coriander

The flavors coming through were bread with citrus, then some hop making a showing along with some spice notes of coriander..

No more than medium bodied and very well balanced with neither hops, carbonation, yeast, malts, or any overwhelming flavors knocking it out of whack. Supremely drinkable.

Top tier hefe. I had the Shiner hefe last night and the difference is readily evident and appreciated.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2011 23:35:29 | More by BelgiumBill

Matty1918

Massachusetts

4.22/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bought a 4 pack at the local pkg store.

Poured it into a pint glass (only what I had at the time)...it was cloudy with an orange/light amber color.

Very fruity with a hint of spice for the aroma...very clean smelling.

Taste was of citrus..possibly lemons at first then followed by a light spice and then finished with a mild wheat/yeast taste. A very good tasting Hefeweizen

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2008 18:38:41 | More by Matty1918

cokes

Wisconsin

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

Muddy orange bodied with a creamy ivory head.
Banana bread, slight clove and wheat on the nose.
Like drinking banana bread batter. The banana flavor is not as pronounced or as forced as many other hefeweizen. Soothed out with the doughy/bready qualities. JE is just so well rounded. Spiciness is low but sufficient. Touchs of clove and a good amount of vanilla.
Body is supurb. Light but solid, creamy and delicate. Just perfect. Makes drinking this an absolute pleasure.
Top of the heap.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2002 21:35:55 | More by cokes