Ayinger Bräu Weisse - Privatbrauerei Franz Inselkammer KG / Brauerei Aying

BDTyre

British Columbia (Canada)

4.7/5  rDev +13%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Awesome Bavarian hefe. Cloudy gold-orange with a thick, billowy white head. Rich, almost spicy nose of coriander, citrus, wheat and bananna. Zesty coriander taste, very malty with a mild, low hop profile.

Fizzy. but not overly carbonated. Light, but not watery. Very refreshing, especially on a hut summer day.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2010 02:50:01 | More by BDTyre

GONZALOYANNA

Spain

4.7/5  rDev +13%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

500ml bottle. Hoepfner Weizen glass. Enjoyed on jun´12. Pale yellow color, foggy appearance. White , small bubbled, froth. Thick, close, lively crown. Good retention. Herbal & floral notes, intense clove,vanilla & ripe bananas to the nose. Flavor shows gentle sweet malts, fruity hints, bready notes & ripe banana texture. Light/medium body, soft carbonation. Subtle citric touch mixed with ripe fruit is the only hop character shown. Lasting finish. Creamy, flavorful & satiating.Refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2012 23:53:48 | More by GONZALOYANNA

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

4.68/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A. Served in weizen glass. Quarter inch head with a bone white appearance.

S. Clove and slight banana.

T. Exceptional. Sweet refreshing wheat with fruits and sugars.

M. Coats the palate and wheat taste diminishes quickly.

D. Would love to have these all day.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2008 19:44:57 | More by Stinkypuss

roadhouse

Florida

4.68/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had on tap today at the Marquee Lounge. Served into a tall Ayinger weizen glass.

Appearance was a cloudy golden yellow with a one inch plus white head that fell a bit but held up the whole time and left some good lace. I think the Ayinger glass enhances it as well.

Aroma had lots of banana esters and fresh baked sweet breadiness, with a light touch of clove in the back.

Taste began with the aforementioned bready sweetness followed by the perfect amount of banana that was balanced in the finish by the perfect amount of spicy clove character. Perfect.

Mouthfeel was on the light side, very crisp and refreshing with nice carbonation, though I think it could have been slightly higher.

This was fantastic on tap. In the bottle it is just good but from the tap it is amazing. It had to have been quite fresh.

Serving type: on-tap

02-22-2009 02:51:23 | More by roadhouse

KTCamm

New Jersey

4.68/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

The pour - 500ml bottle into a basic pint glass. Two stages due to the size. Pours a very nice pale cloudy yellow with active white foamy head.

Smell - beautiful mixture of wheat, banana, and clove. The smell erupts from the glass with minimal effort.

Taste - fantastic. Crisp, slight citrus, loads of wheat. Everything you'd ever want in a hefe. Flavor holds in the mouth well, and carbonation goes to work. Absolutely delicious.

The perfect summer brew. Could have loads of these. Drinkable only scratches the surface.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2009 13:46:15 | More by KTCamm

Morris729

Texas

4.65/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours a hazy golden straw color with a massive foamy and rocky white head that lasts until the beer glass is empty. Nose is ripe banana and lemon, vanilla, clove, and nutmeg. Fine champagne-like carbonation is very crisp and refreshing in the mouth. Taste is sweet bread, spicy clove, tart lemon, and fresh fruit. Another great Hefe. Simply a pleasure to drink.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2003 14:19:12 | More by Morris729

PatrickJR

North Carolina

4.65/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 16.9 oz bottle into weizen glass.

A - Hazy yellow with nice 3 finger head, but it recedes quickly to a white collar, some lacing.

S - Heavenly banana aroma with a phenolic backdrop. Some sour wheat malt creeping through. The best hefe I've ever smelled.

T - As extraordinary as the nose. Quite a sweet hefe, with a strong banana component early palate. Dominates mid and late palate as well, where mild phenols and wheat malt shine through. Mild yet balanced, this is pretty much everything I could ask for in a hefeweizen.

M - Nicely carbonated with a bit of a heavier body than most.

D - I'd love to have these all day, but price is a definite issue. Otherwise throwing back one after the other of these wouldn't be the slightest problem.

This might be my favorite hefeweizen thus far. The prevalence of the banana esters while phenols and wheat malt take a backseat is amazing. This beer is perhaps what I've always wanted in a hefeweizen.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2008 07:01:30 | More by PatrickJR

cagocubs

Illinois

4.65/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

One of my favorite hefeweizen beers. Ayinger continues to amaze me.

A: Golden/Honey pour with nice thick white head that persisted well into the drink.

S: Smells of citrus: Orange/Lemon. Spicey scent as well.

T: Great summer beer. The wheat and citrus does not overpower as you are left with a nice aftertaste.

M: Smooth and light with little tingle.

D: I found this hefeweizen easy to drink because it was extremely light, great for a hot day.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2009 18:24:50 | More by cagocubs

PirateUlf73

Illinois

4.65/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured into a cylinder glass.

A: Very cloudy golden-yellow color, with a thick white head.

S: Lots of clove and phenols on the nose, with some banana in the backdrop. Spicy hints of nutmeg also abound. Manages to still be light and pleasant, like a warm summer night.

T: Nice wheat and clove characteristics up front, with some yeast and phenolic notes coming in toward the middle. A faint hint of lemon is also present. All the flavors meld very well.

M: Substantial, yet still fairly light-bodied. Decent amount of carbonation. The feel might be best described as "light, yet coating." Wonderfully sweet finish.

D: Oh, so refreshing and easy to quaff, yet quite rewarding to those looking for complexity.

If Weihenstephaner makes the best hefeweizen in the world, this offering from Ayinger comes in a close second, if not holding a sort of "1b" status. This beer is so light and refreshing, it was practically tailor-made for warm nights, relaxing outdoors with good company. The true beauty of this brew lies in its sublime feel, so soft yet all-encompassing. Definitely give this one a shot!

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2009 07:10:38 | More by PirateUlf73

ghostofpaulman

Missouri

4.65/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 500ml into an oversized preserves style mug.

A: pours a hazy honey color with a big frothy three fingers of head.it's so hazy i can't even see through to the other side of the glass.almost reminds me of tamerindo soda.

S:very fruity.almost reminds me of banana pudding.also a very keen lemon smell with a bit of cloves.slightly bready like a fresh pie crust.

T:damn good but kind of hard to describe.definite banana in the back of the taste.almost a sweet spices like cinnamon and cloves.also just a little wheat breadiness in there.

M:Very light and very little carbonation.very wet and thirst quenching.

D:Very High.I love hefes and this one is a very good representative of the style.cool,crisp and refreshing.

Overall: A wonderful beer that i'd recommend to any beer drinker.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2009 22:01:32 | More by ghostofpaulman

beerguru15

Michigan

4.65/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The Ayinger is your typical Bavarian Hefe-weizen that just brings out all of the element's its supposed to.

The appearance of this hefe is a Cloudy but light yellowish/golden color with a white head.

When you first smell the beer, you get a mixture of Wheat,and Banana's

This beer is quite tastey, is very smooth and the drinker is presented with a strong initial taste, which is a good thing.

Overall this beer is very drinkable and highly recommended. I can see myself purchasing this beer more often.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2010 06:47:55 | More by beerguru15

sweemzander

Illinois

4.65/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

500mL bottle poured into a hefe glass.

(A)- Pours a cloudy pale yellow color that produced a great pure white fluffy head with solid retention behind it. Plenty of lacing left behind as well as it dissipated.

(S)- A nice earthy dry wheat-like biscuit aroma with mellow lemon, clove, and banana too. Nicely crisp with hints of bubblegum in the far background.

(T)- Similar to the smell in pretty much everyway. A nicely mellow earthy biscuit with smooth lemon, banana, clove, and bubblegum.

(M)- A crisp yet smooth and mellow carbonation level. A great harmonious balance of classic hefe flavors. So smooth and easy drinking.

(D)- A fantastic hefeweiss that is a shining example for the style. Crisp, smooth, and refreshing. My personal favorite style for summertime; this one did not disappoint!

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2011 00:36:24 | More by sweemzander

jeremy13586

Pennsylvania

4.65/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

500ml bottle poured in to my weisse glass.

Very cloudy orange color. Poured a two finger eggshell head, that dissipated in to a fluffy one finger layer of foam.

Wheat, clove, and banana. Spicy yeast hits the nose at the end of the whiff.

The taste is pretty similar to the nose, though I do find a very nice bubble-gum/cotton candy sweetness in the middle. Gets yeasty at the end of the sip, but the finish is clean.

The carbonation was nice and bubbly up front, but it wasn't an assault on the palate. Turned creamy. Full bodied and not too heavy. Dry finish

One of my favorite wheat beers. I've had this numerous times, but never had the chance to review it. It's even better on tap, but the bottle is still fantastic.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2012 20:42:32 | More by jeremy13586

malty

Michigan

4.63/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into its voluptuous proprietary glass.

A translucent straw yellowish orange with a meringue like 2" bright white head - truly a thing of beauty.

Scent: Lemon, peach & apricot are evident from the beginning. More whiffs detect Archway frosted lemon cookies and a gingery spice. Yeasty esters provide ironic clean lake breeze scents, as if you were deeply inhaling on the Lake Michigan shore.

Fresh flavors you'd expect from a true Bavarian Hefeweizen; pronounced clove, soft banana, delicate vanilla and slightly sweet bubblegum. Dive deeper and you get an earthy musty, yet very clean yeast experience. Layers upon layers of sweet wheat malt wrapped-up in a perfectly tart, slightly dry but a more sweet citrus finish.

Mouthfeel is exceptional. Med.-full bodied and optimally soft. Airy and comforting. Perfect level of carbonation which make the hefty suspended yeast gracefully layered and balanced.

Drinkability is top notch. This is a beer to be quaffed during the summer for optimal fulfillment, although it's a cool autumn night and it's hitting the spot like never before. I could drink this until by belly burst.

Overall a beer I consider to be in the top 2 in Bavarian Hefes, keeping close company with Weihenstephaner for sure. Perfection in a glass. I must try this at the source before I die.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2005 23:54:53 | More by malty

CMW

Missouri

4.63/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a golden yellow color with a small white head that fades quickly. Nice and murky with just a slight bit of soapy lacing.

S - Clove, banana, fresh bread.

T - Much like the nose and that is a good thing. Fruit and spice dominate the front with some malt and wheat providing a nice backbone. A slight touch of bitterness in the finish rounds this out.

M - Creamy and delicious.

D - Perfect for those spring and summer days. I wouldn't change a thing.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2010 00:33:27 | More by CMW

fitzy84

Massachusetts

4.63/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured with a cloudy, gold color with a thick head. Great lacing on the sides. Aromas are fantastic; balanced mixture of citrus aromas and spiced wheat. The taste was sweet with a hint of that spiced grain. The mouthfeel had a light thickness to it, enough to make it refreshing, but allowing it to have a solid body. Overall, this was a great hefeweizen.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2011 02:14:07 | More by fitzy84

goz

Massachusetts

4.6/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours a cloudy medium straw color, with a huge frothy white head that mostly lasts, leaving good lace on the glass. Aroma is quite big and nice - banana, lemon, cookie dough, honey, some clove. Flavor is also quite large - sweet start with a good bit of banana and honey, some spiciness in the middle and end, and a slightly sour, acidic finish. Medium-full bodied, but not heavy at all. Lively carbonation. Supremely drinkable, perfect for quaffing on a nice summer day, out on the boat fishing...and would pair equally well with said fish at the dinner table.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2003 03:15:45 | More by goz

ChrisBowers

Virginia

4.6/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

An exceptional example of the style, served on tap at Sean Bolans. Poured into proper Ayinger glassware. Pours a hazy yellow with a nice 1" head on top. Aroma is citrusy, very pleasant. Taste is oh so refreshing. Citrus notes combine with a yeasty spiciness and a touch of sweetness in the end. When poured with a properly mixed gas you could drink these all day. One of the most drinkable beers around for sure. Its a gem on tap if you can find it.

Serving type: on-tap

04-16-2005 13:51:15 | More by ChrisBowers

Celt44

New York

4.6/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Eyes are average for a wheat - not bad - nothing special
Aroma is everthing a hefe weizen should be. You can almost taste it before it hits your lips - coriander jumps forth.
Taste is superior. Coriander and ginger come to mind first as flavor bursts forth. Bananas and clove predictably present but not too much.
Mouthfeel is above average and very smooth - carbonation is not overbearing.
Overall a superior hefeweizen. Thank you again Germany.
This one was a big suprise. I ordered it in a bottle at my favorite pub in town that serves mostly craft on tap. They were low on IPAs so I gave this one a try. I don't regret it even though it was a bit on the expensive side. Great summer session brew if you can pony up the big bucks.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2006 01:00:01 | More by Celt44

KarlHungus

Minnesota

4.6/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This beer pours a cloudy pale orange color. The head is massive, billowy, and bright white. It recedes very slowly leaving thick chunks of foam. The aroma is of cloves, tangy wheat, and has a hint of banana. The taste is of cloves, banana, more cloves, and has a nice zesty finish. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with lively carbonation, and a velvety texture. Overall, this is a very good hefe. I can see myself drinking this regularly.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2008 01:31:51 | More by KarlHungus

joezak5

New Jersey

4.6/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Appearance: Poured into a Duvel sniffter; beautiful hazy honey color with meringue pure white head. No lacing above the liquid by a great lace as it's being enjoyed; good retention.

Smell: Spicy citrusy yeast with clove notes.

Mouthfeel: Light body with medium carbonation, suprisingly chewy for a session beer-like abv.

Taste: Fantastic yeasty lemony cloves; just a little dry malt on the finish.

Drinkability: A session beer at its finest; This was the first beer in 21 reviews I've finished prior to completing the review. I want a few more.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2008 01:50:02 | More by joezak5

gford217

Georgia

4.6/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Sipped on this one while playing bocce with brickstoredave at Leon's Full Service. Life is good...

Pours a very hazy golden yellow with a huge puffy white head that lasts for ages and leaves great lacing.

The aroma is classic hefe with a massive banana sweetness with only hints of spices in the background.

Taste follows the aroma and is, once again, textbook hefe with a huge bubblegum and banana sweetness with hints of lemony hops up front and spices in the finish.

The mouthfeel is light to medium bodied with tons of carbonation and very smooth.

To call this one drinkable would be an understatement. It's an exceptionally easy beer to drink and one of the best examples of the style I've had. Highly recommended!

Serving type: on-tap

02-11-2009 03:40:37 | More by gford217

Finn

Pennsylvania

4.6/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Appearance: poured into a tall weihenstephaner weiss beer glass. A fine, thick, creamy head sits atop. The beer is a hazy gold color. a bit lighter in color than your average.

Smell: Banana bread with a clove/vanilla afterthought. marvelous.

taste: Smooth, mellow blend of the classic flavors of cloves, vanilla, and bananas. Sweet maltiness is present, but not in a cloying manner.

mouthfeel: strong, tingly carbonation balances perfectly with a creamy, rich body.

drinkability: this is up there with the best. the drinkability is amazing. it manages to be flavorful and lush, but not cloying. could easily have a few of these (now if it only wasn's so expensive.) This is perhaps my favorite hefe that I have had to date.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2009 00:54:58 | More by Finn

bobsy

Ontario (Canada)

4.6/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I pull out a weizen glass and then have to stop mid-pour as a gigantic bone white head surges upwards and overflows the lip, causing a small trickle of liquid to cascade attractively on to the counter. After finishing it off with a swirl I'm left with a beautiful pastel yellow body (cloudy, naturally), and a good two fingers of creamy white head. Strangely, as the head dissipates, what lace it leaves seems to lack staying power. Huge hefeweizen aromas dominate the nose, but there's a particular emphasis on cloves. Underneath the expected banana and lemon provide a satisfying base.

My first sip reveals that the body follows the standard template faithfully. Medium-light with a strong, yet soft, carbonation, it certainly ticks all the right boxes. What does interest me is that there seems to be a slight stickiness to it, as if some residual sugars are left over.

Like most hefeweizens, the flavour does not deviate significantly from the aroma, and in this case that's a very good thing. This must be a relatively fresh bottle because the banana is so clean and vibrant, and the slight wheat sourness provides the perfect remedy to an excess of esters. The real defining characteristic, though, remains the clove. Its turned up to eleven in this beer, yet never seems to heavy. I think because the other flavours are so full and vibrant a delicate balance is actually achieved.

You need to find hefes fresh. As they age a horrible dullness descends on them and you'll never understand why its such a loved style. This has to be a fresh bottle as all competition is kicked into touch. A very good hefe. Prosit!

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2009 15:08:29 | More by bobsy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4.58/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

The pour generates a colossal bone white head that fills the glass, then slowly recedes to reveal the opalescent, lemon yellow-gold beer within. The cap is pillowy, but not airy, as evidenced by its reluctance to fall lower than about one finger. Strangely enough, there's very little lace.

If there's anyone out there who doesn't know what clove smells like, take a whiff of this beer. Banana esters appear in a supporting role and nearly steal the show.

Brau-Weisse tastes like it smells, it's as simple as that. I tend to like bigger beers (in general) and I fear that I've slighted some styles as a result; hefe weizens are just one example. This one tastes good to me though; it resembles liquid banana bread, fresh from the oven.

Okay, so someone had a heavy hand with the clove. Not acceptable in the bread, very acceptable (and to style) in the beer. It's difficult to appreciate much wheat flavor given the level of spice, but can wheat, in and of itself, carry a beer? Not in my world. It's the yeasties baby, that's where the action is.

The final pour brings about some expected and appreciated changes. The beer has become overtly murky for one and the aromas and flavors have intensified due to warming. The body manages to be both light-medium and slightly slick at the same time. Downing several in succession should be no problem.

Ayinger Brau-Weisse is a terrific example of the hefe weizen style. It's solid across the board and is a beer that I'm sure I'll come back to again and again. Fantastic stuff.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2004 21:52:26 | More by BuckeyeNation