Pyramid Hefeweizen - Pyramid Breweries, Inc.

jazzyjeff13

United Kingdom (England)

3.06/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

A 355ml bottle with a BB of Nov 2012, so it's rather out of date. Picked up from Trembling Madness in York a while back and stored in my garage. I hope it still tastes OK....

Poured into a straight pint glass. Bottle conditioned - swirled while pouring to resuspend the yeast. A hazy golden hue with good carbonation. Yields a large head of creamy white foam with decent retention; this slowly reduces to a thick surface layer. Some lacing. Aroma of wheat and light malt, with hints of grain, earthy yeast, mild fruity esters, faint banana and a touch of sweetness. Not unpleasant, but not the genuine article.

Tastes of bready malt and wheat, with a dry finish. Notes of light malt, grain, wheat, earthy yeast, mild fruity esters, faint banana, a twinge of bubblegum and subtle stewed leaves. Well-attenuated, with little bitterness to speak of. Mouthfeel is smooth, dry and tingly, accompanied by good carbonation. Body is OK but a little thin for the style. Slightly astringent, with an aftertaste of wheat, grain and earthy yeast.

A rather lacklustre brew - certainly not up to German hefeweizen standards. It looks good, but the aroma/flavour are dull and lacking the bountiful fruity yeast esters that a proper hefe would possess. Body is so-so. Drinkable enough in its own right, but this is more of an American wheat ale than a hefe. Worth trying, but no need to go out of your way.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 22:25:42 | More by jazzyjeff13

BuckeyeSlim

Ohio

3.74/5  rDev +20.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

12 oz. bottle poured into a Franziskaner glass.

A - Huge head of pillowy cloud-white foam instantly fills the glass, even slowly pouring the beer down the side. Over-carbonated. Foam slowly collapses cleanly down the sides. It takes several attempts to get the entire bottle into the glass. Held to a full-spectrum light, beer is a bright pale lemon yellow and a bit cloudy. There's plenty of carbonation rising up thru the glass. Of the bottles in the sixer this is from, this is the most carbonated one by far.

S - A pleasant, soft wheat grass. No clove/banana, but a hint of soft citrus esters, like an orange. A bit of floral hops pushes into the nose, but it's light and subtle. Overall, pretty neutral, but at the same time, present rather than just missing.

T - Light wheat bread that's a bit moist and chewy with a touch of lemongrass and a hint of a lightly toasted and buttered English muffin. A bit of lemon tartness on the back end, almost as if there's a lemon wedge dropped into the beer. As it warms, a bit of lemon-drop candy shows up in the finish.

M - Fizzy and crisp. Full carbonation. Thin body, but not watery - the yeast that's present gives it just enough substance to be noticed. Structure is tight, and finish is clean, and refreshing, almost acidic. This changes to adding just a touch of sweetness in the echo as it warms up, where hints of hard candy linger a bit on the sides of the tongue.

O - This was a good example of why I like to taste a few of something I'm pretty sure I'm going to like if I can before doing a review. The over-carbonation of this beer is atypical based on the others I've had, so the hugely exaggerated head isn't going to get knocked down too badly. This is a very refreshing and quite tasty straightforward American wheat beer with only enough hops required for balance. It's not a traditional German hefeweizen, with the banana/clove yeast. Because it's unfiltered, there's enough substance to its body to keep it from feeling watery, but it's still clean and refreshing to drink. I wouldn't hesitate to pick up a sixer of this for a summer day at the lake, and it has the added advantage that most everyone you're with is going to at least find it drinkable, especially the women. Solid. Dependable. Worth having on the roster as a reliable summer option, but keep it cold because it gets a tad sweet in the finish if allowed to warm up.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 07:44:45 | More by BuckeyeSlim

sam_bliss

Washington

2.95/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12 ounce bottle into weizen glass - for once I have the right glassware for the beer!

Hazy light orange with a good head. It's translucent but far from transparent. The smell has powerful alcohol in it, with just a bit a breadiness and some citrus. The orange taste matches the color. It almost feels as if pyramid already squeezed a lemon into this wheat beer. The lacing stays great as I work my way down the glass. It is not very thick, even a bit soda-watery. Thin biscuity malt underlies medium-carbonated nothingness.

I liked this beer plenty until I finally sat down to analyze it thoroughly in the form of a beer review. Now I realize it is quite drinkable and not super tasty. It used to be Haywire right?

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2013 04:53:21 | More by sam_bliss

MadScientist

New York

3.46/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

A: I roused the yeast so a nice hazy, glowing amber with an orange hue. it pours with a finger of rocky white foam with average head retention settling into a thin film and a collar bubbles. The head should have more staying power in a wheat.

S: A soft wheat malt sweetness with a grainy character. An American yeast ester profile, so some slight orange. The is a slight citrus hops aroma.

T: It's crisp having a moderate hops bitterness over moderately-light citrus hops flavor and a light malt sweetness. There is a moderately-light wheat malt character. The balance is moderately bitter with an off-dry finish. The aftertaste is a light hops bitterness and a bit of wheat flavor.

M: A medium-light bodied beer with moderately-strong carbonation.

O: An odd choice for a winter mixed 12-pack, but I can drink a wheat in the winter. Not bad, but I don't go out of my way for wheats, but it is to style.

Enjoy By 03082013

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2013 22:26:40 | More by MadScientist

ryan1788a5

Massachusetts

3.11/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12oz bottle poured into a pint glass. Freshness date stamped on the neck is crammed together and illegible.

A: Pours a dull golden color with only a mild haze. Even with an aggressive pour, the head sputters out very quickly, leaving absolutely no trace of head atop the beer. What the hell is this? This is certainly not how a hefeweizen should look.

S: Very clean, neutral nose. Bready wheat and a hint of that wheaty citrus zing. Faint aroma of walnut and a very subtle, vague fruitiness in the background.

T: Hints of citrus, orange marmalade, and a very slight fruity yeasty presence. Very clean overall. Doughy wheat provides a semblance of a backbone. Finishes with wheat and not much else.

M: Light in body, Somewhat creamy. Moderately strong carbonation. It wants to be more filling and substantial in the mouth, but it doesn't get there.

O: First of all, this beer is no hefeweizen and should not be marketed as such. It's a very dull, safely made American wheat. Average to begin with, but also stale and probably well past its prime. This is the condition in which Pyramid beers are arriving on the shelf in MA, and one of the reasons Pyramid seems to be floundering in our market. They are not priced competitively either. I'd consider pulling out if I were them.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2013 18:20:14 | More by ryan1788a5

TheMarkE

California

3.25/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

An average American wheat ale with malts and a touch of lemon, it gets the job done and that’s about it.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 23:46:20 | More by TheMarkE

CwrwAmByth

United Kingdom (Wales)

3.68/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 355ml bottle into a Schneider Weisse weizen glass.

Pours a deep golden colour, slightly cloudy.

Smells quite yeasty and slightly hoppy.

Tastes like a generic hefeweizen with a slightly higher level of hoppiness, American hops too.

Overall, quite a nice hefeweizen.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2012 21:07:30 | More by CwrwAmByth

smcolw

Massachusetts

1.75/5  rDev -43.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1.5

Surprisingly little head for the style. No lasting yeast. Yellow gold color with little cloudiness.

Strong medicinal aroma upfront. Definitely a departure from any wheat I've ever had. There's a beef stew component as well but no wheat or even yeast to the nose.

It's hard to get past the smell to get a taste that isn't effected. Perhaps if I hold my nose... There's a touch of sweetness that is completely inappropriate for the style. No wheat notes. The swallow is like finishing a vegetable soup. The body is okay and perhaps the only redeeming quality to this beer. This beer is a clear miss. This is a difficult review because I am rooting for Pyramid to make great beers. In the end, I ended up dumping the glass.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 02:09:01 | More by smcolw

Johnlikeshefe

4/5  rDev +29%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is a great everyday hefe. It's more in the American wheat camp versus the Bavarian spicy hefe category. It's one of my favorites. Perfect for a warm day....it goes down so easy. Very drinkable. it's in the same class as Widmer Bros for it's smooth balance and not overly spicy. If you're looking for a spicier brew like a Kellerweis then this may not be the beer of choice. If you're looking to knock back a few smooth hefe's then Pyramid works well. A great everyday beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2012 20:14:02 | More by Johnlikeshefe

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

2.55/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

12oz bottle poured into large tulip

Pours a hazy golden orange color with a thick froth of white head resting on top. Slowly fades into some streaky lacing with a near-solid head retention.

Light spice and cracker malt with wheat and soft citrus. This smacks of adjunct though (whether or not those ingredients are actually used), which turns me off immediately. Muted and mediocre.

A little spicy and citrusy up front with a touch of orange. Thin backbone with wheat and crackers. Not really much to see here...muted and mediocre.

Lighter medium body, higher carbonation, smooth and crisp on the tongue. Run of the mill American hefe-carbon-copy. Move along.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2012 23:43:35 | More by xnicknj

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

3.3/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a weisse vase, the beer is a cloudy, pale, orange-amber coloring with a light, thin, bright white head that quickly settles out into an uneven film coating. Aromas of esthers and light lemon sweetness dance on the more solid banana and clove aromatic backbone. Flavors are roasty/toasty, with a buttery blending that conveys a more bready character than anything else. The fruit seems to bow itself out into the background on the palate. Light in mouth, with almost a foamy consistency as it clears the palate, albeit a smooth one. Butter gives rise to a slight banana character into the aftertaste, but too late to pull any real weight. Smooth, clean finish with a slight filmy coating left behind after a while.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2012 03:51:18 | More by GarthDanielson

PicoPapa

Connecticut

2.95/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

12oz bottle. Pours a murky brownish orange with no head. No lacing. Aromas of yeast, malts, banana, and orange peel. The taste is kind of like a weak banana bread. Mostly tasting spices. Also picking up on some faint orange peel. Yeast and banana towards the end. Very thin mouthfeel for the style. Overall, not worth the trouble and the worst offering in the mix 12pack.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2012 20:30:20 | More by PicoPapa

Tone

Missouri

3/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a golden, copper color. 1/4 inch head of an off-white color. Slight retention and poor lacing. Smells of sweet malt, pale malt, hint of wheat, and slight citrus hops. Fits the style of a Hefeweizen. Mouth feel is sharp and crisp, with an average carbonation level. Tastes of sweet malt, citrus hops, pale malt, hint of yeast,and slight wheat. Overall, very weak appearance for a Hefeweizen, and the wheat is too subtle in aroma and body.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2012 13:56:10 | More by Tone

jmerloni

Massachusetts

3.3/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Golden coloration, slightly hazy. Moderate white head that is soapy in appearance and does not retain long. Leaves slight lacing on the glass.

S - A faint bready aroma and almost nothing else.

T - bread, slight lemon/citrus rind, a hint of coriander.

M - Airy and bubbly. Light bodied. Pretty dry.

D - A pretty good beer. Would make a good summer session beer. Nothing to it that's real exciting, however.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2012 00:37:34 | More by jmerloni

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.15/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

On-tap 10/8/2012 at Doherty’s East Ave Irish Pub in Pawtcuket, RI, served in a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a cloudy gold color, with a large foamy white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains wheat, fruit, light caramelized malts and a faint touch of hops.

T: The taste starts bready with flavors of wheat and a thin malt character. Than some sweet flavors of bananas and other fruits come in. The hops presence is very mild and does not bring much balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet and slightly bready.

M: Crisp but not very smooth, light-to-medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

O: A little tasty, goes down ok, not too filling, mild kick, decent representation of style, there are definitely several other beers in the style that I would choose first.

Serving type: on-tap

10-10-2012 01:58:12 | More by TheManiacalOne

yesyouam

New York

2.88/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 1.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 3

Pyramid Hefeweizen is a cloudy golden ale with large particles floating around in it. It has a thin white head that leaves a little lacing on the glass. It has a simple wheat aroma with a touch of lemon and herbs. It's light bodied and lively. The finish is pretty watery and it leaves the mouth a little silty. It's a solid wheat flavor. There are some esters detected in the taste, but it's mostly grain and lemon. I'm not getting the banana/clove I would expect. This is sort of a lackluster American Wheat Ale.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2012 15:18:13 | More by yesyouam

matjack85

Illinois

2.65/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

I got this single 12oz brown bottle at the Binny's store in Bloomingdale, IL as part of a build-your-own six pack for $9.99, making each bottle $1.67. My label looks totally different from the one shown here on the BA page, but it's the same beer inside.

The beer poured a cloudy golden/orange color which is typical for a wheat beer, but what wasn't typical is that it only produced a ½-finger or white head. Most hefes and wheat beers produce voluminous heads. Retention on this one lasted bout a minute with a minimal amount of lacing.

A mostly wheat and citrusy smell instead of the banana/clove aroma that comes from the German hefes.

I found the flavor to be bland. Mostly wheat malt and a touch of lemon. Not enough of anything and at just 18 IBU's there's not much hop bitterness either.

Light bodied with medium carbonation.

I wish the makers of American wheat ales would stop calling their beers hefeweizens because they are nothing like German hefes.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2012 23:31:01 | More by matjack85

vkv822

Oregon

2.55/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

12oz : tulip pint

Pours a lightly hazy golden yellow with a fizzy, quickly dissolving white head.

Not unpleasant, but fairly simple and subdued flavors. Grassy, straw, wheat, lightly sweet, bread.

Medium-thin body, fizzy carbonation.

A decent beer, easy to drink, but really pretty simple/subdued as stated above.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2012 08:47:07 | More by vkv822

soju6

Missouri

3.1/5  rDev 0%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: pours a hazy copper color with a fair head that fades to traces of lacing.

S: Aroma of grain and a bit of malt sweetness in the background.

T: Taste starts with a light bit of citrus with and mild sweetness and some grain. Mild bitterness and a clean finish.

F: fairly light body, smooth and a bit creamy. Decent balance.

O: Nice beer for the style, nothing outstanding but gets the job done without all the fanefare.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2012 22:20:43 | More by soju6

nickfl

Florida

2.43/5  rDev -21.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

A - Pours with one finger of white foam on top of a hazy, golden amber body. The head settles pretty rapidly and leaves light lace on the glass.

S - Tart wheat and a lttle bit of coriander.

T - Wheat and coriander up front with some clove in the middle. Finishes with tart wheat and more of the ubiquitous coriander flavor.

M - Medium thick body modate carbonation, and a balanced finish.

D - way too spicy with an overwhelming coriander flavor that dominates and normal wheat notes. Really comes across more like a wit than a hefeweisse and pretty well exemplifies everything I dislike about American wheat beers.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2012 04:05:44 | More by nickfl

tigg924

Massachusetts

2.63/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: 1/2 inch head that fades quickly, high carbonation, orange-brown in color, hazy

Smell: dark wheat and slight caramel

Taste: dark wheat, clove, banana. and a touch of bitterness

Mouthfeel: sweet start with a slightly bitter middle and a less bitter end, medium carbonation and bodied

Overall: Below average for the style and one I will pass on in the future. I actually think this one could use a bit more banana flavor to balance it out.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2012 15:04:42 | More by tigg924

riversider76

New York

3.48/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a cloudy golden orange with a fluffy white head. Excellent retention,and a nice lace. Aroma is of tart fruits,yeast and candy. Body is medium and carbonated. Taste is,of bananna,clove,and fruit. Sweetart finish. Not fantastic,but worth a try for sure.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2012 20:31:50 | More by riversider76

UCLABrewN84

California

3.1/5  rDev 0%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours a clear light orange with a foamy beige head that fades to nothing. No lacing on this one. Smell is mainly of wheat and grain aromas. Taste is much the same with a slight yeast flavor. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is an average beer all around with no real traditional hefeweizen aromas or flavors.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2012 02:16:52 | More by UCLABrewN84

tdm168

North Carolina

3.53/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - orangish gold with a short-lived white head

S - faint orange and lemon

T - straw, bread, orange, banana

M - medium bodied, smooth, well carbonated

Allow this beer to open up a bit. After a few sips it becomes a hefeweizen. It has banana notes and a soft wheaty feel. As the beer warms it becomes much more the character it was meant to be.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2012 02:23:39 | More by tdm168

beerthulhu

New Jersey

2.58/5  rDev -16.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A: Dense tangerine orange color with a thin, spongy, off white head that quickly dissipated. Visible carbonation was hard to determine.

S: A bit of funky tangerines and not much else. Meh.

T: Again a bit of funky tangerines, wheat, mandarin orange. A bit of sour off flavor occurs with concurring sips. Slight hints of musky banana yeastiness is vague but really nothing that defines or solidifies per style.

M: Not a lot of carbonation, a bit washy, medium body, funky hay flavor off the tongue.

O: Flavor does get a bit better mid way through but maybe it just gets more tolerable. Clean yeast profile, not a lot of wheat detection, overall mundane experience with a six pack just asking for disappointment. A struggle to finish.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2012 00:14:48 | More by beerthulhu