Weihenstephaner Kristallweissbier - Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan

dbrauneis

New Jersey

4.15/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a crystal clear (no pun intended) pale straw yellow with moderate amounts of visible carbonation. There is a two finger tall foamy white head that has excellent retention - barely diminishing over the entire course of the beer. Also, significant lacing is observed.

S: The aromas are similar to many of the hefeweizens but not quite as intense - hints of grassy hops, citrus hops, clove, and banana.

T: Again, the flavors are very similar to a hefeweizen but not as intense. A very nice complexity of flavors and balance. The flavors are primarily banana and clove with hints of citrus and grass. The presence of wheat is detectable.

M: Light bodied with moderate to high amounts of carbonation.

O: I really like this beer - very delicious and a great example of the the style. Very sessionable, I could literally drink this beer all afternoon evening and not tire of it. What a "light" beer should have been in America - a slightly lighter version of something great.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2012 00:07:11 | More by dbrauneis

DeltaGolfSierra

Tennessee

3.93/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance is a crystal clear straw color with a big billow head on top. The scents are of bread and lemon and clove, with a slight alcohol scent too, but a bit on the weak side. The taste is banana and clove, a touch of floral/grassy flavor, with a slight bubble-gum sweetness. Carbonation is high. Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbeir is one of my all-time favorites, so I can't help but compare the two. Kristal falls a bit short of its cloudy brother - the smell and taste just seem more muted (maybe an older bottle?) - but is still very good.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2012 08:57:34 | More by DeltaGolfSierra

jtierney89

New Jersey

3.65/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Brilliant, super crystal clear bright gold color with frothy bright white head that bubbles away quite quickly. Clove and banana bread on the nose. Big bubbly mouthfeel. Incredibly crisp. Big sweet clove flavors and bready mouthfeel. Some alcohol detection on through. Long and tingly finish.

My first kristall Weiss. Strange having that wheat beer taste in a crystal clear beer. Good though. Very good.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2012 18:24:48 | More by jtierney89

mscudder

Georgia

3.85/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poor into my 0.5L Weihenstephaner glass.

A - Wow, A beautiful clear brew with a strong head. Lacing that lasts for quite some time. This is what those "American Light Lagers" should be striving for.

S- Banana and very subtle citrus.

T - Very light and follows the smell quite well. Banana notes and citrus.

M - Strong carbonation dominates this beer but after it subsides it leaves a a smooth, bready yeast. Enjoyable.

O - This certainly tastes like it was made. A filtered Hefe could not be any better, but I will stick with the original or the dark version. If you prefer a very light brew (perhaps progressing from the Bud Light, Miller genre) this is for you.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2012 05:39:43 | More by mscudder

Merkur

Tennessee

3.23/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Beer pours a hazy straw color.

Beer smells slightly of clove, slightly grassy and slightly bready.

Beer tastes very sharply of bananna and clove initially and then fades away into a slight citrus taste.

Beer has way too much carbonation. Very light in body.

An OK Weissbeir, but too much carbonation for my tastes.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2012 15:46:04 | More by Merkur

augustgarage

California

4.18/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 22oz bottle into my Ayinger Weissbier glass.

Perfectly ("crystal"!) clear pale straw liquid supporting a lasting merengue-like finger of ivory. Lasting sticky lacing...perpetual retention.

Very gentle wheat aroma with vague hints of clove and banana (or am I imagining these?).

Grassy, bready, crackery palate entry. Faintly tart/spicy/sweet flavor profile is indeed similar to a subdued hef. Medium dry finish with a hint of buttermilk...very nice.

Medium-bodied, surprisingly creamy for a filtered beer, soft and well carbonated.

Hard to find fault with this as an example of the style, though I still strongly prefer unfiltered wheat beers...

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2012 07:22:34 | More by augustgarage

PittBeerGirl

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Body is a crystal clear straw yellow hue. Pours with a generous 3 finger + foamy white head. Fades slowly and retains well at about 1 finger. Lots of lacing left behind in the glass.

S- Nose is light and fluffy. Very mild banana, clove, and bread.

T- Taste is very similar to the smell. Mild clove upfront with a moderate bready yeast background and just the slightest hint of banana. Flavor is consistent throughout.

M- Very lightweight body with medium carbonation. Smooth and bready.

O- I would imagine that this is the gold standard for the style. Nice, light and bready-like a much milder hefe weizen. Good beer overall.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2012 02:17:51 | More by PittBeerGirl

shambeano

Australia

4.03/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 500ml bottle into a weihenstephan weizen glass.

A- pours clear with about an inch and a half of fluffy white head that just stays around for ages, nice lacing. looks pretty good.

S- Banana straight up, a touch of bubblegum and citrus, also just a slight touch of clove. all the great wheat beer flavours, a little subdued at times.

T- straight up banana and a bit clovey, a touch of spice, a little bit of citrus just like the on the nose. very nice.

M- lighter bodied, nice prickly carbonation, good length, solid feel.

O- i do like this beer, but i find i rarely purchase it, i prefer the hefeweizen, and this is slightly less flavorful. still damn good though.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2012 11:05:33 | More by shambeano

Bendurgin

Maine

4.13/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

First beer coming off being sick for the past week. I'm stoked. Poured into a pint glass. Pours a clear golden straw with lots of visible carbonation and a four finger thick creamy white head.

Unripe bananas in the aroma with some cloves and white pepper. Really straightforward on the aroma. The pallet gives off more of what you get from the aroma. Cloves with banana sweetness and a saltine like malt flavor.

The body is light and crisp with appropriate carbonation. Light and enjoyable. Overall a nice one to have. One doesn't really go wrong grabbing a beer from Weihenstephan; especially with their reasonable pricing.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2012 03:54:44 | More by Bendurgin

MrIncognito

Virginia

4/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had at Doner Bistro in Leesburg, VA

A - Pale straw body and very clear with champaign-like bubbles. Nice sticky white head but a little less rocky than it's unfiltered hefeweizen cousin.

S - Very light wheat aroma with small traces of banana and lemon. Clean in the nose with a nice sweet maltiness.

T&M - Very bubbly in the mouthfeel that makes this a little bit dry but still quite smooth. Medium bodied with a crisp lemon rind flavor with light hints of banana. A nice wheat snap in the end. Tastes just like what I would expect a filtered hefeweizen to taste like.

O - I really enjoyed this and it goes down very easy. Even more so than a hefeweizen. A nice lighter version of one of my favorite styles.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2012 19:32:55 | More by MrIncognito

papat444

Quebec (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 1 pint 0.9oz. bottle (code 7361 which means it was bottled the 36th week of 2011)

Appearance: Pours a clear, pale gold body. Nice glass filling head without overdoing it. Spidery lacing and long lasting.

Smell: Heavy floral aroma mixed with banana and lemon.

Taste: Lemon, citrus rinds, spices, nice subdued wheat and orange peel.

Mouthfeel: Very sprightly with good carbonation. Finishes mildly watery but overall good.

Overall: Satisfying, refreshing and simple. I liked it.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 02:28:11 | More by papat444

DCon

Missouri

4.05/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bought a ONE PINT, 0.9 FL.OZ. bottle from Lukas Liquor in Ellisville, MO for $2.99. Poured from the Green Labeled bottle with “Crystal Clear” below the brand into a 16oz Tulip Glass. Has 6 1 11 on the back of the label but not sure this means anything.

Aroma- Sharp banana notes hit the nose palate huge at the beginning with a continuous sweet aroma. Malts and wheat are big time too. A crispness finishes off the aroma. Very nice stages of complexity here (even though its only a few ingredients)!

Appearance- Pours a 3 finger head that lasts what seems like forever! A light pale yellow body is present with a "Crystal Clear" background. Leaves only suds behind.

Flavor- Subtle grains and sweet malts start off this tasting. A bit of a banana character comes around again but lighter then at the nose. Has a crisp finish with almost no hops but all sweetness.

Mouthfeel- Light Bodied, Medium-High Carbonation, Smooth, a bit effervescent, and has some qualities of a Belgian Pale ale without the hop... Not sure I can place my finger on much here.

Overall Impression- While not being able to compare this beer or this style of beer with anything I've ever had before, I enjoyed this tons! It had a great banana flavor with a light and easy going mouthfeel for the entire time. Will be looking out for many other in this style again! Would suggest if your looking for a refreshing beer to start your night with.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2011 07:23:59 | More by DCon

ehammond1

California

4.03/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle

Texas Liquor
Carlsbad, CA

Clear golden yellow with a big, thick, persistent, whipped cream head that leaves splotches and connect-the-dots of lacing down the glass.

Strong scents of banana and clove erupt from the glass, along with an earthy, bready wheat character. Pleasant and appropriate.

Banana forward flavor with the wheat following inline. There's a bit of clove and black pepper spice. Low bitterness. Incredibly drinkable.

Medium bodied with ample carbonation.

Not quite as lovely as the unfiltered version, but still a fantastic (inexpensive!) beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2011 01:37:29 | More by ehammond1

horshack7

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: On top is a very bright white bubbly head that is a solid two fingers thick. Underneath is a clear golden where carbonation rises up from the bottom.

Aroma: Pears, apples a touch of spice from the hops that are rather floral. Along with all that is a very nice dryness in the nose.

Taste: Spice, pears, apple skin and a crisp mouthfeel that has nice carbonation. It finishes rather clean with a touch of dryness.

Notes: This is very easy drinking beer very tasty and a good one pick up. Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2011 03:43:49 | More by horshack7

Nerudamann

Arizona

3.83/5  rDev -5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass, due to not having a Weizen glass.

Look - light golden in color, clear, with about three fingers' worth of frothy white foam that dissipates somewhat slowly.

Smell - very much like a Bavarian style lager. Hard to describe other than that. It has a certain ester that other beers don't.

Taste - it also tastes much like a Bavarian weizen. Just enough wheat in it, plus some other spices (maybe a hint of coriander?).

Mouthfeel - it leans a little more on the water side in regard to texture.

Overall - This brew is a nice remembrance of my times in Bavaria. So this one seems to have lost none of its originality.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2011 06:00:39 | More by Nerudamann

dankster

Colorado

3.73/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

16.9 oz brown bottle with fresh date on back

A- clear and golden with very good carbanation. almost see though like liquid glass

S- very grassy and clean hop smells coming though for me. not much malt if any.

T- super clean with hop notes somewhat presant but more carbanation than anything. could easily knock back a sixer with no problem.

M- very thin and bubbly. great beer for a spicy meal or a hot day. also good for backyard work. nice and refreshing.

O- my first for this style and i enjoyed it alot. will try to seek out others to compare to. a very solid beer i would love to have around all year.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2011 19:09:29 | More by dankster

rudzud

Massachusetts

4.3/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked up a bottle of this at Julio's. Poured into a weizen glass.

A - Pours a crystal clear golden hue with a fluffy one finger head that faded rather quickly and left well, nothing behind.

S - Very nice, just like the hefe. Good bananas and cloves and spice notes. The strength of the banana is rather impressive considering this is a kristal.

T - Nice taste here. More of those solid cloves and bananas backed by those light light spices. The flavours are strong and not limp but quite assertive. This again, quite impressive considering all the yeast has been filtered out.

M - Nice carbonation keeps it good and tingly though it does feel slightly thin/watery without the chewiness of the yeast.

O - Overall this stuff was rather tasty. Glad I finally got to try this style. Its pretty good, would buy it again for the price and would love to try this stuff legitimately fresh from Germany.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2011 21:48:13 | More by rudzud

greybeardloon

Rhode Island

4.05/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottled July 7, 2010. Probably wouldn't have bought it had the bottling date been visable through the packaging.

A: Thick, fluffy head with outstanding retention and regeneration.

S: Banana, clove and bubblegum.

T: Banana and spice. Some acidity or brightness on the roof of the mouth balances the sweetness. Crisp without much aftertaste. Lighter on the palate than the unfiltered.

M: Light with good carbonation.

O: Very drinkable. I prefer the unfiltered.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2011 03:15:59 | More by greybeardloon

Jimmys

Pennsylvania

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

500mL bottle into weizen glass

A: very bright gold body with streaming lines of carbonation. very dense bright white head. bustling. good retention and thick lacing.

S: the aroma is very banana-y. no hop aromas. a little bit clove-like as well. the banana is impressive/interesting considering the yeast has been removed.

T: a very obvious, but light, banana flavor. chewy, flavorful wheat. finish is a little sweet and leaves a pleasant fruitiness on the palate.

M: moderate carbonation on a light/medium body.

D: very tasty brew. easy drinking with plenty of fruit presence. wouldnt hate to come across more of these in the future.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2011 23:57:02 | More by Jimmys

mdfb79

New York

4/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Picked this up yesterday at Rick's in Alexandria, VA for $2.99. Poured from a 16.9 oz. bottle into a weizen glass. This is my first beer in the kristalweizen style; one more down, only 5 to go.

a - Pours a very transparent bright yellow color with two fingers plus of fluffy white head and high carbonation evident. Head only lasts for a minute and leaves no lacing. Very carbonated, bottle was a very slow gusher when I opened it.

s - Smells of cloves, wheat, musty notes, earthy notes, bready malts, and very light bananas. Nice and crisp, getting more spices than bananas or fruit. While I like it, the musty notes drop it a tiny bit for me.

t - Tastes of bananas, cloves, spices, wheat, bready malts, grains, earthy notes, and light floral notes. More hefeweizen notes than the nose and more bananas, though seems a little bit like a watered down version of their hefe. Still very nice though and a step up from the nose.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation. Was actually expecting it to be too carbonated based on the look but thankfully it wasn't. Easy to drink.

o - Overall I thought this was a good beer and I enjoyed it. It isn't my favorite Weihenstephaner beer, but for the style it was exactly what I was expecting. A good beer I'd certainly have agan, though personally I'd get their classic hefeweizen over this.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2011 22:03:55 | More by mdfb79

Eriktheipaman

Virginia

4.15/5  rDev +3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a super clear pale straw with amazing white head.

The smell consists of slight banana and clove along with some bready character. It is all kept in balance and nothing takes front stage.

The taste is also evenly balanced with the usual hefe qualities but with a slightly lighter body and a crispness that isn't usually found in the non kristal versions.

Overall I'm glad I finally decided to pick up this style. It is slightly different but no worse than the non filtered version. I would prefer this with a big burger as it seems to not fill you up as much.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2011 23:45:10 | More by Eriktheipaman

seesnow3

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Large wine glass (forgot to check freshness)

Pour-Huge head, thick and fluffy, yet runny lacing, heavy effervescence, fades but holds for a long time (I tested it for 40 minutes), brilliant golden color

Nose-Lemon peel, wheat, spices (clove)

Palate-Sweet, bitter, a little bit spicy and drying, light citrus and wheat

Body-For wheat it has a heavy effervescence, medium light flavor, light weight, crisp

Finish-Wheat, sour citrus notes, excellent, certainly my favorite wheat beer out of several tasted by far

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2011 20:56:09 | More by seesnow3

tobelerone

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is sort of a lighter version of the flagship hefeweizen. To me it’s very similar but a little crisper, cleaner, and more summery. Not quite as flavorful or aromatic. Still, it’s quite good and extremely easy to drink. As the name implies it’s very clear and light gold in color with a smaller head and less impressive lacing that the original. Aroma is fruity, yeasty, and full of wheat, with the obvious banana/clove profile and hints of lemon and other citrus notes.

Flavor is also distinct and light but still yeasty and spicy; coriander and clove are in there with the wheat, mildly sweet malt, and mostly banana amongst the fruits. Finish is very clean, carbonation is lively, goes down easy. An exceptionally quenching brew but a bit less interesting than the original hefe. Probably wouldn’t buy this one all that often; the standard is light and refreshing enough for me with a bigger and better taste and aroma.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2011 12:24:37 | More by tobelerone

mikeg67

New Jersey

3.83/5  rDev -5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

500 ml bottle. Pours clear golden with a huge, foamy, white head and lively carbonation. Aroma is of yeast, wheat malt, cloves and banana. Light, creamy body. Wheat malt, yeast, a lot of cloves, banana and some bubble gum fill the mouth. Medium, spicy finish. All attributes of good Hefeweizen are present in this brew except hefe in the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2011 15:40:59 | More by mikeg67

tykees88

Indiana

4.03/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Wow, super clear. Great head and retention on this. A solid one finger was left the whole time. A very nice pale straw color.

S- Smells like a hefe. But obviously it isn't. A little less of a dominant wheat smell than a traditional hefe would have, but it's still nice.

T-Taste is good. A beer that Has a bunch of flavors that just meld with each other nicely. A grassy hop profile, while still having that yeasty esters of a nice hefe. A sweet malt backbone.

M-Pretty nice. Carbonation is spot on, but all of the weihenstephaner brews are.

O-Pretty good beer here. There beers are perfect examples of what the style should be. Really setting the benchmark.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2011 13:53:48 | More by tykees88