Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier - Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan

John

New York

5/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Incredibly full bodied, classic malt and yeast spiciness. One of the finest Hefe Weizen beers.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2001 09:14:04 | More by John

bk3nj

New Jersey

5/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This beer is the pinnacle of weissbier perfection. Cloudy orange, very tasty, and infinitely drinkable. Pass another one over here..

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2002 23:57:08 | More by bk3nj

hulmanite

Iowa

5/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This was *the* best beer I've had in a long time. For me, this ranks as one of those all time greats. The taste is fantastic and the head is constant. Once I took the bottle cap off, it never stopped foaming. It makes for a great party beer, for sure.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2003 23:48:37 | More by hulmanite

Dmann

California

5/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This is a truly world class beer and the most outstanding Hefeweizen I have ever had! This great elixer poured a perfect hazy golden color with a great big fluffy white head that slowly faded into a slight layer of froth on top the beer. The smell was so good I could have sniffed it all night long! It had a great spice character along with a room filling aroma of clove and bananna and a great bready character as well. The taste was heavenly and just erupted in my mouth with a nice citrus twang in the beginning, followed by a rush of bananna, clove, malt and a great prickely mouthfeel that seemed to excentuate the flavors. If you ever have the opprotunity to get this stuff, do yourself a favor and sample a beer at the top of its field!

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2004 10:55:59 | More by Dmann

cracgor

Texas

5/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Appearance: Golden color, but cloudy, cloudy, and cloudy. A thick white bread like head pours out with good retention and minimal glass sticking. There is tons of carbonation, but it is difficult to see for the opaque characteristic of this one.

Smell: grassy/grainy. Smells like fresh wheat bread and some acidity similar to grapes.

Taste: Spicy and fruity. The malts break through the many flavors and are delicious. The beer is a little sour to the tongue and the spice remains as an after flavor. Other flavors I can taste remind me of cedar, vanilla, and apples. Really comes together well to make a nice fruity and complex taste.

Mouthfeel: medium body. Carbonation plays with the tongue along with a dry/spicy after feel.

Drinkability: This is one of my favorite drinking beers. It is well balanced, delicious, and I can drink this as well as any beer. In fact it is so good that I wish I had another bottle as the glass is empty.

Notes: This is the classic Hefe Weizen in my opinion. It is what the style attempts to emulate. I have never had a better hefeweisbier, and doubt I ever will.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2005 21:59:58 | More by cracgor

kegerator

Maryland

5/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

perfect example of the style.
pours a slightly pale yellow color with a nice 1 inch head thats bubbly and dissipates quickly but not too wuickly and leaves minor lacing. Smell is bready, spicy with clove and peppery aromas along with a slight orange peel/citrusy aroma lying in the background. Taste was refreshing, crisp and thirst quenching. great on a hot day. nice fruity esters blend very well with the light clove spice. Very drinkable especially on a hot day

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2005 19:20:01 | More by kegerator

nortmand

Virginia

5/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Wow, my first 5. and mostly because this is hands down the best hefe I've ever had. Damn.

Pours yellow orange below a peerfect fluffy head.

Smell is a spicy banana clove yeastiness that literally permeates the entire room. Simply amazing.

Yeasty flavor, huge clove flavor. Esters, grass and fruit to boot. This goes above and beyond.

Chewy yeastiness adds alot of body to this brew, but it remains light and delicious overall.

Extraordinarily drinkable any time of year. Refreshing when its warm out, spicy and fulfilling in the cold. I give it a five based on the fact that it literally takes this style to another level. Sure, if given the choice of only this or Arrogant Bastard for the rest of my life, I'd choose the arrogance, but this is one fine, well crafted brew.
Hot damn!

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2005 00:58:18 | More by nortmand

yelterdow

New Jersey

5/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Served in the brewery's own Weihenstephan Hefeweissbier glass at just over fridge temperature. Freshness code reads 3285 on the rear label. 16.9 oz.

Appearance- Perfection. The beer glows a cloudy orange with streaming action inside the glass... it takes a few minutes to pour because of the resilience of its gigantic, soapy head. The sheer beauty of this rivals the exquisite presence of Duvel in its own tulip glass, on a perfect pour.

Smell- Even cold, the bananas and cloves leap out of the glass... and a thick, yeasty aroma blankets the nose. Bold and powerful, there is no mistaking the superb craftsmanship that awaits.

Taste- Full and round, the bready notes of the yeast intertwine with the banana-like esters and malts, as the dense wheat character rides alongside. A gentle sweetness is left behind in the finish.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability- Prickly and alive in the mouth, with just the right fortitude in the swallow. Medium weight and certainly not wimpy. This drinks so well by itself in the middle of winter, but memories of this by the barbecue in the summer sun with sausage and pepper sandwiches are too much for my brain right now. IMO, the finest Hefe out there.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2005 21:34:03 | More by yelterdow

TexIndy

Texas

5/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured from a 12oz bottle with no apparent freshness date but there was a code on the back label. Was an cloudy honey color with couple fingers foam and good carb. Some lacing. Smell was fantastic - exactly what you expect in a great hefe. Tones of clove, banana, etc. The taste was incredible. This has been one of my top 5 for a long time. Actually suprised that I'm just now getting to reviewing it. Great mouthfeel as well. Great beer to try in general and a must if like Hefe's. Also has a permanent home in my fridge. (5.0,HR,T,Y,HOF)

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2006 22:59:36 | More by TexIndy

seanyfo

United Kingdom (Scotland)

5/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This is my second review of this beer, vom fass at the Weihenstephan outlet in Berlin, at Hackesher Markt.

A: Cloudy amber colour, withlively beading and yeast sediment throughout the glass. Fantastic head, 3 fingers and sustained, lacing is also good.

S: Strong esters of banana and cloves, stereotypical of the style. Slight hints of vanila come through aswell.

T: Typical weizen taste. Strong flavours of banana, and maybe some peaches. finish is smooth and creamy with moderate carbonation, not as watery as others. Slight hint of vanilla on the aftertaste. But it is so well balanced, better than the UK on tap offerings, which i felt had a very medicinal quality in the aftertaste.

M: Refreshing with moderate carbonation, smooth.Not watery and overcarbonated at all as i have found in other big name weizens

D: This is world class! The amazing fresh summery weizen flavours with a superbly comfortable refreshing carbonation and the long linger creamy afterflavours, make this the perfect hefe-weizen!

Serving type: on-tap

08-04-2007 13:22:02 | More by seanyfo

HotterThanHell

Arizona

5/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Recently bought this at AJ's here in Phoenix but also had it last year at Weihenstephan on tap. One of the top 5 breweries on the planet and and simply put, a top 2 hefewiesse (along with Schneiderweisse).

The aroma is beautifully dominated with cloves with hints of other spices dancing through you nose hairs. I tend to sniff it for a good 4-5 minutes to let it warm slightly before drinking it down.

A nice white head on top of straw/light brown body that is a bit murky because they leave all the good flavorable shit in the beer.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with multiple flavors cascading around your tongue.

The taste is true hefeweisse and should be the STANDARD. If you know little about this style and are looking for the beer by which all others can be compared, this is the one. Ungespundet will be brewing their soon, so if the quality falters, you will know who to e-mail.

Prosit and see ya in Munich in October!

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2007 04:16:25 | More by HotterThanHell

Grundle20

Ohio

5/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Appearance:
The beer pours a hazy golden straw color with an ample sticky white head. The retention is superb as is the lacing.

Smell:
There's a rich aroma of banana and cloves from the yeast and just the right touch of tartness from the wheat.

Taste and Mouthfeel:
The beer drinks smooth and full and is completely rife with an amalgamation of flavors that is best described as banana nut bread. Up front you get the sweet ripe banana notes which then meld in to more of a yeasty bread character and is then finally smoothed out in to a crisp cashew finish. Absolutely delicious.

Drinkability:
It's too tasty to be anything but highly drinkable. It's really one of the most perfect drinking beers in existence in my opinion.

Bottom Line:
I guess you learn a few tricks when you've been brewing the same beer for 500 years because this beer really is perfection when you get a nice fresh bottle of it like the one I reviewed today.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2007 21:38:37 | More by Grundle20

TheSarge

Illinois

5/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier lives up to its reputation as one of the best beers in the world, not just the best hefe. Anyhow this presents itself with a picture perfect three inch bright white head, with a golden orange body, which is hazier than most other hefes.

The aromas I detect are white pepper, a slight perfume aroma, and a kind of cedar smoke fragrance.

This tastes more like blood orange and honey, with a little hint of banana. There is a little peppery taste here too.

By far this is the standard of hefe weizens. This is a true pleasure to enjoy.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2007 08:44:50 | More by TheSarge

czfreeman

Michigan

5/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Oh delicious goodness! My bowl of wheaties on the morning off. I drank this wonderful weisse for the first time in Deutchland, but now am giving it the proper review. Poured from a .5l bottle, huge frothy head, great hazy body bubbling in the sunlight. Great aromas of bananas, citrus, yeast, wheats, cloves. Giant taste matches the aromas, great creaminess on the mouthfeel, drinability is an absolute pleasure. The worlds oldest brewery has set the absolute standard in my book. I know "5's" are rare, but as hefe's go, this is it..
Just came back to my old review after so long, but really an exceptionally made Weizen. The flavor, smells, all have been described in detail by other BA's, but what really struck me now is the absloute plush mouthfeel.It really is the epitomy of a Weizen. Cheers

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2008 04:12:04 | More by czfreeman

Lexluthor33

New York

5/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Where do I start ?
The look is sunny yellow and hazy with a top of heavenly clouds for a head.
The smell is of light,fruits and citrus with cloves. I think I detect so many different things when I take a sniff of this brew. All of them are grand. The taste is sweet,yeast, banana,lemon and spice. One could go on about how good it is and the point is to go out and drink it. It has malts to balance and the sweetness is just right.
The feel is smooth,medium body, high carbonation and yeasty. I could drink this all night and I feel it is one of the best beers I have ever had. Certainly the best for it's style.
+ Buy the right glass for this beer,you will not regret it.
Man, I really love this beer. When I saw the movie "Beer fest" I imagined that the secret brew recipe tasted like Weihenstephaner.

Notes: It is true that learning to pronounce this beer's name makes you seem smarter and even impresses the bartenders.But really,one should just know how to pronounce what one is drinking.This one takes practice.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2008 02:27:57 | More by Lexluthor33

ScottUCF84

Florida

5/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Bottle into a pint. This is one of my favorite beers, if not my favorite. Although the hefeweizen style doesn't offer any over the top, extreme flavors, its all around balance and drinkability is what captivates me.

A- Cloudy, light peach skin in color. Thick, creamy white head that dissipates into a thin skin on the top of the brew. Moderate lacing,

S- Banana nut bread, cloves, wheat. Maybe a little citrus.

T- At first there's some spice mixed with wheat. Then yeasty bananas and cream... finishing with light citrus.

M- Medium to light body. Creamy, with very subtle tingle from carbonation.

D- I could drink this beer alone for the rest of my life. I love it.

I'm planning a Eurotrip to occur in the next few years... one the things on my to do list while I'm over there is try this on tap, if I can't visit the brewery. : )

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2008 03:44:08 | More by ScottUCF84

saintwarrick

South Carolina

5/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

THE hefeweizen, but it's so rare to get fresh. Pours a majestic light cloudy yellow with orange hints into my Weihenstephaner weizen glass. Has a huge four-finger head which the beer constantly replenishes thanks to the yeast and thousands of tiny bubbles in the body of the beer. Heavy clove and vine-ripened banana in the aroma, very dry, earthy and tropical with a little citrus zest thrown in. Taste is cool crisp and refreshing banana bread in the taste, very light and citrusy. Easily refreshing and smooth this brew is.

Easily one of the greatest brews in the world, blows the other hefes out of the water. It's great on tap as well.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2008 23:23:31 | More by saintwarrick

UGADawgGuy

Georgia

5/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured from a .5L bottle into my .5L Weihenstephaner weizen glass. In case you're new to the style, you should know that it is CRITICAL that hefeweizen be served quite cold and in an appropriate glass, for a number of reasons.

Appearance: This beer pours from a brown bottle with an elegant-looking label, which touts Weihenstephaner as the "oldest brewery in the world." Once it's in the glass, a good weizen pour reveals a hazy, golden liquid with a frothy, meringue-like head. A little beer was left in the bottle for "swishing" in order to unleash that delicious, yeasty sediment into the glass (in my opinion, this is essential with traditional hefeweizens).

Smell: A fantastic bouquet of starchy, mildly citric goodness, with a hint of spice (cloves?). There's a mild banana-like element here, too. The prevailing scent, though, is a uniquely yeasty breadiness.

Taste: Follows the nose. Cold, refreshing bread in a bottle, with a hint of very mild citrus and a very light spice/clove note at the end. Hops are not evident. This is true to the style, and for my taste in hefeweizens, that's a good thing. Regarding the style -- Weihenstephaner practically INVENTED this style of beer, so it stands to reason that they would brew a great one.

Mouthfeel: Crisp, ample carbonation and a low ABV combine with the starchy yeast to produce a cooling, refreshing swallow. This is a beer that you could GULP down if thirsty without being overwhelmed. I don't recommend that, though. This is a beer to be savored.

Drinkability: Again, the low ABV, cold serving temperature, and refreshing flavor profile yield a fantastically drinkable beer. There's a reason this beer is consistently viewed as among the most sessionable beers on the planet. On a hot summer day, there's not much out there that could be more refreshing. Of course, if you're me, you'll drink it year-round, because it is your favorite beer of all time.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2008 23:48:13 | More by UGADawgGuy

funkyspunk87

California

5/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

From Brauerei Weihenstephan

Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier
Brauerei Weihenstephan
Style: Hefeweizen
ABV: 5.40 %

"It was zee greatest hefe in all zee vurld!"

The most solid, best tasting, cleanest, and affordably priced readily available beer around - in ANY category.

People who drink Pyramid hefe are REALLY missing out with this beer. All the complex flavors you look for in a hefe without being overpowering.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2008 21:12:43 | More by funkyspunk87

mattXdezzi

New York

5/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

12 oz bottle poured into a stolen...err... liberated weizen glass.

A: pours a beautiful hazy wheaty yellow with a huge 3 finger head that fills up over the top of the glass. The head sticks around for the entire beer.

S: smells of banana and wheat with a little bit of yeast.

T: very wheaty taste (duh). Also a bit of banana and a hint of citrus-y flavor. None of the tastes are too overpowering. everything works well.

M: Extremely smooth, just the right amount of carbonation and not to think.

D: extremely drinkable, easily my new favorite beer. Not hard to pop open another, maybe a few.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2008 05:31:56 | More by mattXdezzi

yemenmocha

Arizona

5/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Too bad U.S. craft brewers cannot adequately emulate this Weissbier.

Enjoyed in 1 litre stein at Haus Murphy's. Poured a hazy straw color with rocky white head. Exceptionally creamy and aromatic head.

nose is a delightful mix of estery, bananna, clove, and bread. Very appetizing.

palate is a glorious mix of malt/wheat with plenty of fruit and that nice estery banana taste.

Finish is very appetizing as well. Had to have another.

Serving type: on-tap

12-24-2008 01:29:01 | More by yemenmocha

gonzo46and2

Florida

5/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours a hazy rustic orange with a towering white head. It laces all over the glass and takes quite a while to die down.

Smell is cloves, honey, corriander(I think), banana, pear skin, and apple skin.

Taste is dry and smooth with a touch of sweetness. Nicely attenuated.

Mouthfeel is creamy and smooth. Refreshing yet full bodied.

Drinkability is off the charts. This is THE Hefeweizen!

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2009 20:53:13 | More by gonzo46and2

Liverpool08

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

WOW! I was blown away by this. Had on tap at the Publik House in Brookline. I always knew I liked a good Hefe, but this goes to a whole other level.
What a great pour, Big soft white head,with a orange cloudy color. Big smells of wheat, bread, orange, and other citrus. The taste is even better. Bready with vanilla, cloves and orange accents. Such a smooth crisp feel in the mouth.
This just begs to drink more than one. This has got to be the best in the class for this style!

Serving type: on-tap

04-11-2009 01:29:04 | More by Liverpool08

MusicmanSD

California

5/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I don't have to say much. Strait up best hefe out there. It looks great, smells balanced of clove and banana, tastes a-mazing, feels amazing, and you could drink a lot of em. I just had a Paulaner and Ayinger in the spirit of spring, and although I haven't had this in awhile, I know, it's just better than those beers. And those breweries aren't too shabby either! Weihenstephan FTW.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2009 03:52:32 | More by MusicmanSD

steanu

Michigan

5/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I have to say I thought Samuel Adams was my favorite beers but this one knocks all out of the water. It is such a treat to have.

A-It's got a nice golden look to it.
S-It's got a nice banana smell to it with a little bit of apple.
T- It taste like banana too with a hint of Olive and Bubble gum w/ the hops. (As weird as that may sound it's quite good) it's a little sweet but not too sweet and you still taste beer. It smacks the mouth with flavor.
M-no aftertaste at all and it goes down smooth.
D- It's worth it! It's a treat to have. If any of you find this at a store you must buy it! It is an amazing beer.

Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier is possibly the best Beer I have ever tasted and I will get another one from the store. It is as I said a treat. I am on a diet sadly and I rarely have a beer to help me drop pounds but, I love a good brew when I can and this is a beer I will love to treat myself to.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2009 22:28:16 | More by steanu