Weihenstephaner Kristallweissbier - Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan

n0315

Michigan

4.58/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Nice pour with head about 50% of glass at the start, could be how I poured it though. Smell of fruit, banannas and pears. Soft head with fluffy cloud likeness. Nice sustain. Rusty in color, not quite the soft weissbier color, but that should be expected. On the taste, I am getting mild banannas with slight carbonation. Great as far as taste goes and mouthfeel and drinkablility are up there. Another great beer from this brewer.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2008 17:10:31 | More by n0315

hyland24

New York

4.58/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bomber into a weizen glass. This beer as the name states poured a crystal clear gold so much so you could read a book through the glass. The smell was sweet banana now&later. The taste was awesome, pure banana. Such a clean great tasting beer. Light and crisp, a perfect representation of this style. A close tie between this and the Dunkel as my favorite of this style. Great beer and a great brewery. A must try for any Weiss fan.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2008 03:54:41 | More by hyland24

cdizinno

South Carolina

4.58/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Presentation: 500 ml (16.9 oz) slender brown bottle poured into a tulip glass. No date, just a code or lot number, '8189'

A: Clear golden yellow color, slim white head and minimal lacing.

S: Spicy, fruity aromas. Wheat malt in the nose.

T&M: Medium body with a crisp taste. Medium carbonation. Spicy clove character and mild fruity flavors are present. Hops are nearly nonexistent. Relatively clean after taste with some remaining spicy wheat flavors.

Great beer that I recieved in a beer of the month package. Will definitely try again!

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2009 19:42:51 | More by cdizinno

moosiz

Michigan

4.58/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured from a big bottle into a 0.5l Weihenstephaner glass this brew looks amazing! A 1"+ billowing white head sits atop a crytal clear golden tower of steady carbonation. A couple drinks leave a nice heavy ring of lacing.

Smells much like the original style with some banana, citrus, and clove. But this one is very clean with not as much funk to it. If that is good or bad is up to the drinker.

Tastes great too! The flavors mingle together seemlessly and provide a nice thirst quenching punch followed by a slightly drying finish.
Yeasty/bready, little citric kick with cloves and peppery spice.

Very solid feel with a sweet crispness, finishes dry.

Quite drinkable. This one could be a pounder.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2009 23:20:18 | More by moosiz

saintwarrick

South Carolina

4.55/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

The filtered version of one of the great beers I have had rarely finds its way to my fridge, but I'm always happy when it does. Nice big hefe look here with a big sudsy white head, four fingers, on a pale gold brew, that is crystal clear as opposed to the cloudy hefe. Lots of herbs and lemon cookies in the aroma while the taste is a bit more drawn back than the here, lots of earthy herbs, lemon, clove and some banana in the taste, though to a less extent than the hefe. Very refreshing and smooth at the end.

A great brew for the summer, easy drinking, but I prefer the spiciness of the hefe over this polished version. Still an awesome beer that is a nice change.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2008 00:54:57 | More by saintwarrick

PatrickJR

North Carolina

4.55/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 16.9 oz bottle into weizen glass.

A - Pale gold, perfectly clear. Three fingers of creamy head rise with decent retention. Some lacing.

S - Banana is very obvious, but there's also a pilsner-like quality, maybe some spicy hops shining through.

T - Is this really a kristal...or a genuine hefe? Wonderful. Blatant banana flavor is most prevalent with accompanying sweetness. Flavor mellows out a bit mid palate with some biscuit and wheat malt coming through, a bit like a helles lager. The finish begins with a slight sourness and then, again like a pils, a slight spicy character comes through. Finish is very clean.

M - Moderate to high carbonation with a light body. Nothing really stand out, but it's perfectly solid.

D - Until now I thought of kristals as a "weak-weizen" but this has blown my mind. The difference between this and lesser hefes is nearly indistinguishable. The perfect kristalweizen.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2008 06:21:06 | More by PatrickJR

MrHassellYaHurd

Louisiana

4.55/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Pours into a weizen glass a beautifully pale golden yellow with an amazing pure white head and excellent lacing.

Smells strongly of bananas and sweet bread. Spicy clove notes are just enough to round out this kristall perfectly.

It's amazing how much of a "banana bread" taste you get out of this beer. Big cereal grain tastes, as a matter of fact, it tastes much like dry corn flakes or cheerios, that rich grainy taste they have. The slightest hint of hops, barely detectable at all, but I'll swear it's there.

Medium to thin body, with a grainy mouthfeel, due in part to the rough carbonation. It really adds to the flavor profile, IMO. Superbly drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2010 02:44:40 | More by MrHassellYaHurd

cokes

Wisconsin

4.53/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Krystal clear goldenrod with an explosive white cap.
Nose of white pepper, clove, banana and W'stephaner yeastiness (lime and vanilla)
Taste is archetype of what beers of the style should be yet so rarely achieve. Tempered banana lathered in cream. Doses of potent cloves. Yeast that suggests one of Germany's western neighbors. Pricks of lime sorbet. sprinkled with granulated wheat. Dashes of spiced hops provide closure.
Soft and supple in the mouth. Nearly powdered in texture.
Delicious. Best of class.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2003 14:24:52 | More by cokes

GClarkage

California

4.53/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

1/03/05- Purchased at Beverages and More in San Mateo, CA

Presentation- 16.9 oz bottle with a "2234" code on the back label. Poured into my Orleans wiezen glass.

Appearance- Straw yellow coloring, Nice foamy and creamy white head that is still there halfway through the bottle. Light lacing and beautiful strands of carbonated bubbles making their way to the surface.

Smell- A bit worried because I had the same metallic scent as I had in the Weihenstephaner lager yesterday. Also some decent scents of clove and pear.

Taste- Oh wow, this is some good s**t! Thankfully no metal taste here. This one is full of flavor. Lots of subtle cloves and spices. Some banana mixed in as well. Extrememly crisp and clean. Very impressed.

Mouthfeel- Moderate to high carbonation, but still goes down very smooth because of it's crisp aspects. Dare I even say a bit creamy?

Drinkability- Wish I had bought a few more of these. Outstanding tasting brew. Have a hefe in the fridge of this brand that I can't wait to try. Maybe sometime this week. Grab this bad boy if you see it.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2005 19:44:33 | More by GClarkage

Augustiner719

Connecticut

4.53/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Poured from a pint bottle into a .5L HB stein.

Appearance: Poured a lovely golden orange yellow color with a very nice 3 finger head that was light, yet fluffy. Nice lacing down the glass aswell.

Smell: nice citrusy, wheaty aromas with hints of apricots and bananas. Very fresh and light smelling with minor clove and orangy scents too.

Taste: Very smooth. Absolutely delicious tasting. Bananas, orange, citrus, lemon, pastry dough, yeast, all of that came through.

Mouthfeel: Nice texture to the beer. If anything a little bit more carbonated that I like, but comparing it with other hefeweizens it was pretty much on point. Could use a little bit of resting before drinking to rid some of the carbonaation.

Drinkability: Nice light, refreshing delicious beer. I could drink more and more of this beer.. if only I picked up more at the store... :(

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2008 02:54:35 | More by Augustiner719

yemenmocha

Arizona

4.53/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Exceptional appearance with rocky, meringue-like head that jiggles and retains well. Beautiful pale golden color that contrasts well with the white head.

Aromas of light fruit and fresh bread are noted.

On the palate this Kristalweizen offers a balanced blend of wheaty-malt, traditional hefe-weizen flavors of banana clove, and a light body that makes this one incredibly drinkable. Very, very appetizing for the next sip.

A classic Kristalweizen. One of the best, without a doubt.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2009 22:35:24 | More by yemenmocha

donkeyrunner

Massachusetts

4.53/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a pils glass 'cause that's what I had. Starts gold and fades to a pale yellow as the glass thins. Large white head and good retention.

Smells like the first day of summer. Green apple, grass, lemon, and farmy must with the usual banana and clove phenols. At first sip light and fluffy malt caresses the palette. Banana milk and clove with a sugary swallow like a goodbye kiss. Ah, l'amoure.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2009 14:53:39 | More by donkeyrunner

RoyalT

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance – Light yellow in color and clear with strong carbonation and a beautiful head that foamed up nicely and had some good retention.

Smell – Big, fluffy wheat characterizes this nose. The yeast and light fruiting make up the typical Kristal Weizen aroma.

Taste – Wonderful example of the style. The yeast and light fruits, predominantly bananas and peach, make up the delicate yet distinctive taste.

Mouthful – This also was very authentic. IMO, the mouthfeel of a weizen is the most important aspect of the style and that which is most often missed. Here though it is terrific. The body is light yet fluffy in the cheeks. The carbonation dances around the tongue.

Drinkability – Great for in between meals, especially on this Christmas Day. I will definitely buy again.

Update – I love a good Kristal Weizen and this is the only good one that I’ve had in the US. I decided to re-rate it with a 2004 vintage since my original review was in 2003.

This nose is just huge. I don’t remember it being this big. It’s gorgeous, really, and heavy on the yeast which is how I like it. It’s the same at the taste. This is a solid 4.5 overall and by far my favorite example of the style that I’ve had in the US. Nothing else that I’ve sample even comes close.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2003 22:33:48 | More by RoyalT

BeerFink

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours cyrstal clear with many streams of effervescent bubbles racing to replenish the foamy, rocky aromatic head. This hue of the brew is deceptively light. Remarkable head retention. Aroma is very appealing. The bananas and yeast don't pull any punches. Lemony fragrances grace my nostrils, as do a little grainy wheat. Taste is typical of the quality of I have come to expect from Weihenstephan. Slightly more refined than their regular hefe weizen, to be expected from the filtering process. Flavor begins mildy acidic, with the bitter lemons up front. Gritty wheat compliments uber-smooth pale malt flavor. Towards the end, the clovey bananas jump up and linger into the finish. Moderate carbonation works well with this style, adding a crispness that even affects the aftertaste. After swallowing, you are left with spicy, sparkling bananas. Very pleasing to the palate. Easy drinking weizen bier, Weihenstephan has another winner here.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2005 04:53:43 | More by BeerFink

ALESwhatCURESya

Wisconsin

4.5/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

First time trying this style, but I knew what to expect. I assume this is the Weihenstephaner Weisse filtered.

A-Beautiful lager golden, clear body with a sticy white wheat head. Steady carbonation coming from the bottom.

S-Huge clove, wheat smell. A grassy, sweet kick makes you want a sip badly.

T-Great weisse beer taste with a nice clove kick at the finish. The fruitiness is subdued, but noticable. A very mild hop presence is tough to detect over the wheat.

M-Tough to be much smoother than this. The cabonation leaves a little sharpness to the body, but it goes down with little resistance.

D-Wouldn't be a problem to drink this all night and day. I am a sucker for a good weisse, kristal or otherwise.

Filtered or not, this beer is awesome and extremely easy to drink. Could be a great "Crossover" beer to the unfortunate BMC ones.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2006 00:59:19 | More by ALESwhatCURESya

AltBock

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

1 pint .9 fl oz. bottle that has all the usual Weihenstephaner bottle art. It still has the brewery crest on the front and their unknown bottle code on the back. I have no idea what 7097 means. I don't know if I should drink it or throw it away. I'll see how it is first.

Appearance: I had everthing in place to pour the beer into a Weizen glass and as soon as I popped the cap, my bottle had a foam explosion. Luckily I was near a sink when this happened. When everything had settled down, I poured the beer and what came out was a clear straw yellow colored beer.. It had one of the best head of foam I've seen on a beer. Not only did it have a foam explosion, but everytime I poured the beer, it had a massive 3 inch head of white foam every time. It took at leat 3 pours to pour the entire bottle into the glass. The color was weak, but that's the style. Whatever was lacking in the color, the head of foam made up for it.

Smell: I thought this beer was going to have a light aroma of just fruits. Boy was I wrong! Instead, it had a heavy delicious aroma of frsh baked banana bread. It smelled so good that it got my hopes up that there was some fresh baked banana bread to be had. There was just one other aroma after that and that was cake batter. Not the most complex aroma out there, but damn if it wasn't delicious.

Taste: For a light beer, it had a nice sized taste of ripe bananas, cloves, wheat bread (not banana bread), toasted malts, orange spice, and a small hint of citrus hops at the end. The taste was just like I said about the aroma, not the most complex taste out there, but I enjoyed every drop of this beer. It's just too bad that the bananas didn't combine with the wheat bread. I guess you can't have everything.

Mouthfeel: It was a super smooth light beer that happened to have a full flavored aftertaste of ripe bananas, ornage spice, and a small pinch of cloves. The aftertaste stuck around for only a few seconds. There really isn't more you can ask for from a light beer.

Drinkability: Where has this beer been all my life! Not only did this beer make me hungry for banana bread, but it would make an excellent choice for a session beer. It doesn't matter what season you're in. This beer would suit any season. I glad I didn't throw this beer away!

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2008 22:12:11 | More by AltBock

skrib09

Missouri

4.5/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

almost crystal clear dull yellow. the head looks like a medium-stiff meringue... fluffy, almost white, great retention.

i get a whiff of bananas right off the bat. i like bananas. some breadiness.

tastes really clean and refreshing to me. this reminds me of summer time. crisp bready flavors with a hint of banana and some earthiness coming through.

hearty mouth feel yet refreshing at the same time. it's almost palate cleansing.

great drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2009 03:54:23 | More by skrib09

mjl21

California

4.5/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

500 ml (16.9 oz.) bottle poured into a weizen glass. Part of batch 1438 and comes in at 5.4%.

A-Crystal clear straw yellow with a crackling 2 finger white head. The head slowly goes down to a one finger level. Tons of bubbles continuosly rise from the bottom. This one looks like a thirst quencher.

S-Lots of the usual weiss suspects. Fruit such as green apple and banana as well as a minimum amount of clove and as it warms some bubblegum notes.

T-A whole lot like it smells. The sweet fruits come fast followed by wheat and some clove. The aftertaste is very reminiscent of banana bread.

M-Lighter bodied and very crisp due to the great great amount of carbonation. The lasting head gives this one a nice creamy mouthfeel.

D-Refreshing and it goes down way too easy.

Another great on from Weihenstephaner. The lower abv coupled by its refreshing character make this a great beer that I will seek out many more times.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2009 04:54:26 | More by mjl21

benteach

Missouri

4.5/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Very clear pour with a very thick head which remained during the entire bottle. Very good carbonation.

Faint aromas of fruit.

Very clear flavors of banana and citrus. Grainy but very smooth. The carbonation really adds to the moutfeel. The bubbles last well after tasting and much to the overall drink.

Very good Weissbier, can't wait to try other from this brewery.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2009 22:25:15 | More by benteach

confer

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A-On tap at the Tap and Table in a Weisse glass. This was my first Kristall Weisse and I was amazed at the clarity and beautiful gold color. Very unlike a Hefe-Weisse. Lots of carbonation and I small lingering fluffy head.
S- Wonderful ripe bananas.
T- The taste is fantastic. Maybe a little more banana than clove as compared to the Hefe. Very smooth.
MD- This is as creamy as the Hefe and just as easy drinking. This is an all around fantastic beer.

Serving type: on-tap

07-03-2010 01:45:52 | More by confer

gkunkle

Oregon

4.5/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Enjoyed on-tap at Apex in Portland from a Weihenstephaner weiss glass. Pours a clear but rich golden color with a 2"
tall white head. Smells of the traditional clove and banana, of course not as much of a yeast smell as the Hefe. Flavor is a little less complesx than the hefe, it retains the same elements of clove and banana, I can taste a little more hops in this than I recall in the Hefe. Mouthfeel is great, very clean and refreshing. Overall, a very drinkable beer. I think personal preference would decide what you may like more this or the hefe. This will certainly be a beer that I share with friends in the future to get them more interested in craft beer.

Serving type: on-tap

12-16-2010 17:50:15 | More by gkunkle

Beejay

Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Crystal clear, pale straw with plenty of bubbles coming up from the bottom of the glass. The head is a massive, thick, white giant. It is like a dense cloud of awesome floating over my brew.

S: Banana and clove come out right away. There is almost a slight sea breeze quality to this, just slightly salty.. Maybe my sniffer is broken.. I pick up a hint of bread. Smells good anyway.

T: Banana and clove come straight through, although in a bit more of a gentle way. Very clean and crisp. Quite a lovely brew indeed.

M: Light to medium light in body. Clean, and crisp. Carbonation seems about right for the style.

D: Everything I wanted and expected from the style. Clean, refreshing and easy drinking. This sucker goes down very easy.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2010 21:47:42 | More by Beejay

MadCat

New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

500ml bottle.

Appearance: Clear golden yellow color, voluminous white head that takes its time to dissipate, leaves good lacing

Smell: Much cleaner nose than their Hefeweizen, I smell bananas, pears, wheat, and a little light malt.

Taste: Again, a much cleaner taste than the Hefeweizen. Bananas, pears, wheat, light malt, clove, and a touch of nuttiness. I'm assuming the absence of the yeast contributes to the cleaner taste and nose.

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body, crisp carbonation, very refreshing. Would make for a good hot summer day beer. Slightly dry finish.

Overall: Very good. I would more likely go for other styles by Weihenstephaner, but I could see myself getting this again.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2011 02:16:14 | More by MadCat

champ103

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a perfectly clear straw/yellow color. A towering and rocky white head forms with excellent retention. Lots of sticky spiderweb looking lace is left behind.
S: Husky wheat, fresh cut hay, earthy yeast up front. I love the earthy aroma here. Citrus and lemon peal come in next. Bread and biscuit aromas. Just excellent.
T: Again, excellent. Husky wheat along with the other earthy flavors. Hay, grass, barnyard. Plenty of fruity esters. Orange and lemon rind. Banana and plenty of spice. Bread and biscuit flavors. I can not get enough.
M/D: A light to medium body. Crisp, effervescent, and very dry. Incredibly smooth at the same time. So easy to drink. All day with this.

This has tons of subtle character and is basically the definition of the style. I love it and would highly recommend this.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2011 23:01:18 | More by champ103

RonaldTheriot

Louisiana

4.5/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Weihenstephaner Kristall Weissbier has an extremely thick, rocky, dense, white head and a clear, yellow-golden, bubbly appearance, with heavy lacing left on the glass. The aroma is predominately of coriander, with some background white bread. Taste is of coriander spice, white bread, sugar, and there is just the faintest bitterness. Mouthfeel is light to medium, and Weihenstephaner Kristall Weissbier finishes somewhat crisp, mostly dry, refreshing, and easily drinkable. Overall, this is a most excellent beer.

RJT

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2012 14:33:35 | More by RonaldTheriot