Julius Echter Hefe-Weissbier Hell - Würzburger Hofbräu AG

rodrot

North Carolina

3.6/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured a cloudy yellow color with a frothy head that stuck around. Aroma was quite malty with notes of clove, spices, bubblegum and bread yeast in the nose. Taste was fruity with a refreshing mix of baked bread, yeast, clove, banana and apple. This is a medium bodied brew that is fairly easy to drink. I couldn't handle more than one of these though. The spicy flavor becomes too much after a while. But it's still a good summer beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2006 13:13:27 | More by rodrot

Naugled

New York

3.6/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

served in wheat glass

a: light yellow straw hazy, large white head with large bubbles and silky surface, drops quickly

s: banana with clove second but almost equal

t: banana and clove in that order, a little saltiness but no complexity.

m: thin but somewhat sugary feeling

d: good drink, I wouldn't send it back, but may not get a second.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2009 17:27:23 | More by Naugled

crossovert

Wisconsin

3.6/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

Bottle is slightly past it's best before date but I'm expecting it to be fine since it is in this brown German styled bottle. 500ml bottle poured into a Weizen glass. Has a nice thick faomy white head and a classic hefe golden wheat color.

Smell is very clovy and sweet, with a wheat base. SLight lemon but not as much as others. By the book Bavarian Hefe scent wise.

Taste follows suit although with some slightly more pronounced lemon. Mouthfeel is pretty watery with not a good amount of carbonation. I'm gonna dock this one a bit on mouthfeel, I don't feel this is the way a Hefe should feel, though i will give it a mulligan as it is an older bottle. And the Taste is less desirable than the smell.

Overall it's a run of the mill Hefe with not as good of a mouthfeel compared to most coming out of Germany. Still, I'd put it above its American counterparts, the US has a long way to go to compete with German Hefes, but in the realm of the Germans, specifically Bavaria, this one could be a bit better.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2009 03:42:11 | More by crossovert

jrallen34

Illinois

3.6/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4.5

I drank this from the bottle into a pint glass.

The pour is a very light hazy gold with a decent head and lacing.

It smells very light and sweet notes of grass and citrus.

The taste is very smooth and drinkable for wiess, but nothing hard to catch my attention. Almost to light and smooth.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2009 18:24:36 | More by jrallen34

praufs01

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance - Cloudy yellow with a big creamy white head.

Aroma -Clove and a little orange.

Mouthfeel - Light body with light carbonation and a dry finish.

Taste -Light clove and lemon flavors. Not much else.

Overall - Interesting brew but nothing special.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2009 01:08:20 | More by praufs01

Infamous7100

Ohio

3.63/5  rDev -9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer is all about value. It's not the best Hefe out there, as a poster before me stated. It is, however, the best Hefe you're going to find at the price you can find J.E. for. It's everything a Hefe should be. Cloudy, spicy, fruity (with a little bite), but very smooth and a little creamy. Despite the creaminess, it finish clean and doesn't leave much aftertaste. Get some, this beer is recession proof.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2009 15:51:17 | More by Infamous7100

rootbeerman

Virginia

3.63/5  rDev -9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

poured into aventinus glass.

A: pours cloudy yellow with a two finger head. tons of lacing.
S: rather light on the typical hefe aromas, and it is more yeasty
T: again light on the banana and clove, more yeasty and wheat.
M: smooth and light, carbonation is sort of high but not overly.
D: 0.5l goes down fast, i would imagine a full liter would to

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2010 08:50:06 | More by rootbeerman

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.63/5  rDev -9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

(Served in a weizen glass) best before 2010/07
A- The hazy straw yellow body has big bubbles of carbonation sliding up the sides. There is a white creamy head that last but turns pretty rocky.
S- The classic banana and clove aroma is soft with a slight plastic note to the finish.
T- The taste of club soda and carbonic acid is soft and gives way to a soft white bread flavor which finishes dry. As the beer opens up there is more of a butter note in the finish.
M- The light mouthfeel is crisp with no alcohol heat and the creaminess of the head is great.
D- This is a nice drinkable dry hefeweizen with some soft flavors and aromas. The plastic and butter notes are a bit annoying but not horrible.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2010 20:57:53 | More by rhoadsrage

HalfFull

California

3.63/5  rDev -9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Half liter capped bottle poured into a weizen glass, best before May '11. Pours a classic hazed golden to deep orange in color and carrying a slowly rescinding two inch cap of creamy white foam. Nice lops of lace on the glass.

Nicely balanced clove and banana on the nose yet lacking the overbearing sweet banana esters evident at times. A pleasant yeasty wheat character accompanies.

Flavor is wheat forward with some banana notes that are a bit thin at times. Bit of clove spice and wheat bread on the finish opens up with some air and helps firm up the feel a bit. Otherwise the carbonation fizzles out a bit making for a pleasant though light bodied take on the style. Overall a solid Hefe. that's a bit light in the malt delivery and a touch subdued but without any negative components.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2011 06:21:04 | More by HalfFull

weeare138

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Best before August 11th, 2007...
Appears a hazy, light gold with a thick white head of foam that slowly fades out. Tons of scattered lacing is left with each passing sip.
Smell is yeasty, tart wheat, bananas, mild cloves, light citrus, and vanilla cream.
Taste mimics the aroma with a light tartness and pungency that reminds me of a vinegar base for sauerbraten, which I'm sure this would go nicely with.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied, estery, with pineapple citrus lingering.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2007 18:01:22 | More by weeare138

midaszero

Washington

3.65/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Hazy straw with a little orange tint. One finger of white head and awesome lacing

S - Wheat and lemon peel

T - More malt then expected from the nose. Wheat with a little sweetness. Pretty smooth tasting

M - Medium body with high carbonation

D - pretty good but better to be had everywhere

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2008 17:31:02 | More by midaszero

tai4ji2x

Massachusetts

3.65/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

500ml bottle with dating: "best before end: 2009/11"

from notes, tasted in june 2009.

deep straw color w/ golden brown tones. nice and cloudy. huge, classic weizen head w/ creamy meringue on top. fades to constant thin layer. splotchy rings of lace at first, but get more solid near the bottom of weiss glass.

aroma: banana, nutmeg, clove, touch of citrus peel. bready yeast and toasted malt. gentle whiffs of noble hop. could use just a smidgen more malt/bread character...

taste: standard weiss blavors, tho again less bready maltiness and more spicy phenolic character than i prefer, which also over-accentuates the otherwise mild/moderate bitterness. esters ( banana, citrus) in finish, but phenols and bitterness still linger more than hoped.

medium body, but quite fizzy as crisp carbonation accentuates bitterness and phenols. not bad, but not as smooth as hoped. still, it's refreshing, in a way.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2010 07:36:09 | More by tai4ji2x

Gmann

New York

3.68/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured a hazy dirty pale orange color, with a nice white head that dissipated to a small cap that left some spot lacing. The smell is of clove, a bit buttery, not very distinct a bit disappointing. The taste doesn't blow me away either. It has a creamy clove taste, tones of bubblegum, no detectable banana taste. The mouthfeel is typical hefe, creamy, smooth, a bit more carbonated than others. This is a very drinkable hefe just not the best that I have had.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2007 05:11:29 | More by Gmann

DefenCorps

Oregon

3.68/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Grabbed a bottle of this at Chevy Chase yesterday. Best by May 2011

Initially clear, the addition of yeast makes the light yellow beer turn hazy. A dense, white head, quite gigantic, is present, receding slowly leaving a little lace. The nose is excellent. Restrained when compared to the Weihenstephaner, but not in a way that makes this seem neutered. Banana is mild, playing second fiddle to a blend of nice phenols and a little clove. Mildly fruity too. Not very bready, this has a mild unpleasant aroma, mildly metallic/turpentine-like, but that dissipates rather quickly.

The delicate nature of the nose doesn't translate as well to the palate. Again, this is a blend of light banana, mild spice( an excellent and delicate clove character) and a moderate fruitiness with ripe lemons and a little apple. I can't really say I get much wheat on the palate. Drying on the finish, a touch watery (this beers only detriment), there's a blend of spice and fruit on the finish. Light in body, highly carbonated, this feels good otherwise, and is very easy to drink. I'll look for fresher bottles and revisit my review.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2011 14:16:39 | More by DefenCorps

HopHead84

California

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

5/22/2011

Bottle thanks to Chris (largadeer), thanks! Poured into a snifter.

A: Vibrant yellow gold with pretty good clarity and a big foamy white head. Lots of bubbles traveling skyward. Much lacing.

S: Wheat, straw, banana, and restrained clove notes with a touch of bubble gum. Nothing more to say.

T: More banana here than was evident in the aroma, and a bit more clove now that I consider it. Slightly peppery as well. Notes of wheat are apparent and there's a light apple note in there.

M: Upper light in body with spritzy carbonation. The mouthfeel is fluffy and creamy.

Overall: A refreshing beer, but not one of the better examples I've had.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2011 08:30:16 | More by HopHead84

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

kimcgolf

Georgia

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

Pours to a hazy yellow with an orange tint, and a medium, white head that lingered to mid glass and left decent lacing on the glass. Aroma was faint sweet cookie dough, clove and banana. The mouthfeel was a little thin but the flavor followed the scents found in the nose. Finish, though a tad stale, was still rewarding.

This was good on a cool fall night, but would be much better on a warm summer day.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2007 19:04:00 | More by kimcgolf

JayQue

Virginia

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

Good hefe....I think I got a somewhat less than fresh bottle, so I'm thinking it is even a better hefe when fresh. My main clue was the color. A dark hazy gold rather than the light straw color that others reviewed. Had all the bells and whistles. Big head, delicate looking with lots of bubbles and good retention. A few rings of lacing and a dull gold color (albeit a little dark gold).

Smell was a bit faint but had the basics, lemony, cloves, banana.

Taste was pretty good but a bit "off" from a really good hefe. There was lemon, bananas, cloves, wheat, bubble gum etc., but not quite as fresh and refreshing as the best German hefes...I'm thinking this is a bit old.

Mouthfeel is just right for the style, crisp and light and zesty. Carbonation is just right.

Drinkability is good...I'm betting a fresh bottle would be better.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2011 02:18:02 | More by JayQue

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

kmpitz2

Tennessee

3.73/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The beer pours a straw to light golden straw color with a nice 3 finger head that falls to a fingers worth of head. The nose is nice, with a good banana and nice sweetness from the wheat coming through. This beer definately is dominated by the wheat malts, with the banana taking second billing; just opposite what the nose told me I would taste. I remember this being better than it is this time around. I'm going to let it warm and see what that does with it.

Warming doesn't seem to change the taste much. The beer is moderate to thick but is lacking the creamy character I prefer. There are more drinkable hefe's out there, but I wouldn't pass this one over if it was available. I put it above average to good.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2004 00:44:16 | More by kmpitz2

kmo1030

Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

cloudy gold with a thick white head. yup, looks like a hefe.
the smell has a subdued fruit aroma, but cranked up yeast character. you get a dominating bread crust aroma with wheat characteristics, clove, sweet lemon citrus, and hints of sulphur. banana is there, but not to the degree that it is in the usual hefe.
the flavor follows in the same direction as the aroma with it's yeast leaning disposition. clove gets into the mix as well as a slightly peppery flavor. bready crust and some tangy wheat characteristics are at the fore. banana and soft lemon are at the back and aftertaste.
the mouthfeel seems a bit thin, but nothing to get too worked up about.
nice drinkability, it's clean and smooth, and i can see myself being in the mood for this hefe in particular sometime due to it's slightly unorthodox flavor profile.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2008 01:47:59 | More by kmo1030

BeerNemesis

New York

3.73/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Julius Echter Hefe-Weissbier Hell | 500 ml. | 4.9% ABV | 2010

Brewer: Würzburger Hofbräu AG
Style: Hefeweizen
Glass: Weizen

Appearance:
J.E. Hefe sloshes out of the bottle in a shallow, hazy orange torrent. Bubbles glint playfully in the sunlight, while a downy, white head froths forth with reckless abandon, threatening the edge.

Aroma:
Soft, oily clove on the nose with a pillowy banana-spice backbone.

Taste:
Spicy clove meshes with a tame lemon twang. Warming fruity esters and biscuity malt follow.

Mouthfeel:
A medium-bodied, tongue massaging relief. Prickly carbonation balances the weighty feel of the liquid.

Harmony:
I prefer more pronounced clove and banana flavors in a Hefe, but J.E. ain't bad by any measure.

Would I get it again?:
Ummm... hmm... maybe?

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2010 00:12:32 | More by BeerNemesis

SWMeyer4141

Texas

3.73/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a pint glass...

Appearance-Maybe the best head I've ever since on a Hefeweizen. Considering many hefeweizens bodys look similar this is getting a 5. Frothy 3 Finger head that I'm enjoying just sit there and watching the bubbles slowly pop. Body is dark orange, hazy as hell.

Smell-Banana, Orange, Lemon. A tropical drink. I decent clove and wheat as well.

Taste-Very sweet, and lots of carbonation. Banana and Clove are there along with some orange and some light funk.

Mouthfeel-Carbonation is rather prickly and a little bit too much. Still pretty refreshing and drinkable.

Overall-Another pretty good Hefe, the appearance of this really turned me on. Another reasonably imported Hefeweizen that I can get at my local liquor store.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2011 23:42:15 | More by SWMeyer4141

germanbeer1

Maine

3.75/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I tried this at the Würzburger Hofbräu after having already attempted the Dunkles back in the states. It pours a nice hazy color that is a little darker towards the head, and closer to yellow at the bottom, which is typical of an obergäriges beer. Good lacing down the side of the glass. The smell is incredibly strong and the yeast is very noticeable. The taste was much different than the other wheat beers I have tried. There was hardly any fruitiness to it whatsover. In fact it taste kind of sour/zesty and reminded me more than anything else of Wurst. I thought this was interesting though and the beer is quite easy to handle, not bad.

Serving type: on-tap

06-05-2009 09:39:31 | More by germanbeer1

HeyItsChili

South Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked up on a whim from CBX. Poured into a weizen glass.

A - Pours hazy goldenrod with a lumpy white head that sits around a bit.

S - Sweet fruits, light citrus, banana, clove. Not an atypical hefeweizen profile.

T - Smooth upfront with some lemony citrus added to the wheaty, sweet hefe flavor, but the finish isn't quite as polished as some better hefeweizens I've tried.

M - Bubbly, crisp, smooth.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2010 03:47:35 | More by HeyItsChili