Mahr's Saphir Weiss - Mahrs-Bräu

sommersb

Tennessee

3.78/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Tasted On: 08-08-2012
Freshness: Not indicated
Packaging: 500ml brown bottle, pry-cap
Glassware: Weizen glass
Purchased: Single from Wino's Depot, Bowling Green KY

A: Dark golden in color, with a cream-colored head. The first pour is semi-clear but the second pour yields a much cloudier appearance as expected in a weizenbier. Very good head retention and a good amount of lacing.

S: Aromas are fruity, with bananas, plus clove spices and earthy hops.

T: Fruity with more banana as in the nose, plus hops. This is more hoppy than you usually get in a weizen. The light bitterness is countered by some malty sweetness.

M: Medium-bodied with a high level of carbonation. The finish is well-balanced between fruit sweetness and hop bitterness.

O: A different take on a Hefeweizen, with the addition of lots of Hallertauer hops. I liked it but probably wouldn't look to pick up another one.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2012 01:00:27 | More by sommersb

Sachsenfreude

Germany

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

appearance; white head retains throughout the drink but leaves less lacing than expected. Cloudy chestnut colored with chunks of yeast.

smell; apple skin and pears with some warm yeast. Somewhat fruity and remains of cider.

taste; Very distinct from others of the style but the yeast is very much as expected. Some sour notes blend with bitter hops. Yeast in the aftertaste mingles nicely with the hops. Coves are noticed but faint.

mouthfeel; thinner than expected of the style with some pleasnt velvet on the palate. Quite refreshy, with a crisp, semi-dry finish.

overall; very unique and tasty, would definitely buy this one again and it makes a good changefrom the standard Hefeweizen.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2012 19:00:54 | More by Sachsenfreude

duceswild

Maryland

4.33/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Picked up a 500ml bottle of this for $5.99. I enjoy hefeweizens so I was looking forward to trying this one.

Pours a cloudy golden color with a fairly decent sized head with a nice lacing. Smell was of bananas, spice, and yeast. Taste was smooth and crisp. Banana really came through for me along with some citrus. Very refreshing beer.

Enjoyed this beer and would not hesitate to pick it up again.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2012 22:08:27 | More by duceswild

oberon

North Carolina

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

This is a different kind of weisse true to the label.Poured into a weizen glass more clear than cloudy burnt orange/amber with a large glooming crown,it has a Schneider weisse look to it with its deep richness in color.Yeasty but not over phenolic in the nose,toasty wheat malt, fruity esters,and herbal hops come thru,one of the more hoppy hefe's I have had,maybe the most hoppy from Germany.Yeasty and fruity on the palate with a tinge of iron and toasted wheat malt,again the saphir hops play a role in a herbal finish.This is a cool hefeweizen it's yeasty but clean with a nice hop presence.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2012 23:56:31 | More by oberon

Domingo

Colorado

3.6/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Never seen this one before, even at the brewery. I suppose it's using the newer saphir hops instead of the traditional hallertau ones.
Pours a sandy brown color. Not a dunkelweiss, but a really dark normal one, a bit like Augustiner or Schneider. I did the "swirl" for the yeast and to create a nice head.
The nose features clove and nutmeg notes along with the ubiquitous banana note, which is milder than expected. Those new hops are definitely showcased as well.
The flavor profile isn't quite as hoppy as something like hopfen-weiss, but the hops do play a pretty big role in the flavor profile. I'd say they're an equal player with the spice and fruit character. While their normal wiessbier has a lot of vanilla cream notes, this one doesn't seem to. I think the increased hop profile likely subdues that character.
Pretty good, but certainly nothing I'd choose over their normal weiss, which I absolutely adore.
Texture seems to really fade a bit as time passes.
I like the slightly experimental direction while still staying true to the roots of the style, but as a beer it's nothing to write home about.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2012 17:04:48 | More by Domingo

DoubleJ

California

2.8/5  rDev -30.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Baseball and beer just go together. I'm going to do just that. 500 ml to go...and what's with the blue hops on the label? On to the beer:

Almost as much a dunkel as a helles. Orange brown colored and cloudy. The head is huge and very billowy and just looks sexy, and the lacing that slings to the glass is mere icing. Shallow in the nose, like cooled off banana and lemon cake. Well, that really cooled off my expections.

Saphir Weiss comes out hoppy, but at the cost of diluting the traditonal hefeweizen flavors. Tasting it blind, I probably would have guessed pilsner before hefeweizen. Watery banana, moderately spicy hops. a whisper of aspirin, bread crust. Light-medium bodied with a little smoothness.

Not what I expcted and not what I wanted. I was hoping my first run-in with Mahr's would end up better than this.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2011 00:30:25 | More by DoubleJ

womencantsail

California

3.68/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A hoppy weissbier, don't mind if I do...

A: The beer pours a hazed amber color with a finger or so of white head.

S: It's definitely got some hops to it. Starts off with citrus and hints of tropical fruits. Past there, there is the usual aroma of sweet malt and wheat bread with a somewhat mild banana and clove note.

T: The flavor isn't quite as good, however. Light banana notes and a strange tea flavor. A good dose of citrus peel, as well as some floral hops and a light grassiness. Plenty of sweet bread and wheat.

M: The body is medium with a medium carbonation.

O: While the aroma was nice, the flavor was lacking and overall just wasn't the most enjoyable beer to drink.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2011 13:53:18 | More by womencantsail

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer poured out a bit darker than more hefeweizen brews. It was like a muddy amber color. The head was decent. The smell of the beer was a bit hoppier than I expected. The taste has a nice hoppy flavor with the mix of yeast and banana on the tongue. The mouthfeel was pretty good, well balanced. Overall I thought this beer was pretty good no major complaints.

Serving type: on-tap

06-25-2011 17:39:23 | More by Knapp85

avalon07

South Carolina

3.35/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured from a bottle to a weizen glass. Had a rust color and a thick, cloudy texture. There was a big, creamy, long-lasting head. Average lacing.

S: A strong, robust smell of wheat and malt.

T: Here's where the wheels came off. Yes, there was a big presence of wheat, malt, and some yeast, but I didn't get any of that typical bubblegum-y, banana-y flavor you normally get in a Hefeweizen. It just seemed incomplete.

M: A well-carbonated beer with a smooth finish. Medium-bodied.

O: This is another uneven beer with some good qualities and some very average ones.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2011 12:11:58 | More by avalon07

mlazzaro

Massachusetts

4.45/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

White head over a amber color. Hazy and bottle conditioned. Head clings to glass and is composed of tiny bubbles. Not used to seeing wheat beers like this, with a bright orange color.

I suspect this is an older beer. Not being very popular and from Germany, consumed in MA. USA. I have the feeling this beer smells hoppier fresh. But at the moment I am smelling clean Germen wheat yeast. Not bad, but reading the label it sound like this beer has more to offer fresh.

The flavor is still there. I love Saphir Hops and was quite excited to see a commercial example using them. Saphir is a variety of Hallertau, and has a modestly citrus punch to it. Mixed with a wheat based beer, this beer comes off very smooth and refreshing. Bitterness seems higher than most wheat beers. But being used to American IPA and 2xIPAs, I find it most palatable. Bright citrus flavors, yeasty ending to the sip. good beer.

Body from wheat content is not grossly viscous, but notably full. Drinkable beer, I'd recommend it to someone looking for a new German Wheat to try.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2011 17:45:27 | More by mlazzaro

Halcyondays

California

4.45/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at Beachwood BBQ,

A: Pours a deep goldenrod with a nice frothy medium head, leaving solid lace.

S: Pungent, a huge amount of bubblegum and banana, very much to style.

T: Strong bready malt backbone is there, but the yeast steals the show. Banana bread heavy with bubblegum and a hint of clove and vanilla. Delicious.

M: Great strucuture, firm on the palate, biting but easy carbonation, very easy drinking and refreshing.

O: This is a great beer and one of the best hefeweizens I've ever had. A must try in this category.

Serving type: on-tap

05-15-2011 23:40:05 | More by Halcyondays

metter98

New York

4.13/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is cloudy yellowish amber in color and has a moderate to high amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high dense off white head that has good retention properties and never completely faded away.
S: There are aromas of bananas, cloves and yeast in the nose.
T: The taste is very similar to the smell, except the hops contribute citrus flavors and a light amount of bitterness. There are some hints of malty sweetness in the initial taste.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied and somewhat smooth on the palate with a moderate to high amount of carbonation. There is a bit of dryness in the finish.
O: The beer isn’t quite as refreshing and thirst-quenching as compared to other hefeweizens, but the saphir hops certainly make this beer unique for the style.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2011 17:58:19 | More by metter98

centbeerfest

Missouri

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

Poured into a 5 oz tasting glass from a 16.9 oz bottle.

Explosive thick white foamy head that held its own well. Unfilitered cloudy rich with small bubbles that translated into a very nice crisp mouth feel.

Taste was a dry and balanced nectarine zest w/ coriander. The texture and weight make this beer a satisfying meal by itself but does not leave you bloated.

On the take home scale, I would take a six pack of this beer when I could find it.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2011 02:26:42 | More by centbeerfest

generallee

New York

4.28/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Presentation: It was poured from a brown 500ml bottle into a weizen glass. The label lists the abv at 5.6% and on the back there is a short description of the beer its use of Saphir hops. There is no freshness date however.

Appearance: The body has a heavy haze and a dark brownish amber color. It is full of yeast and at the bottom of the glass there are some small chunks of yeast sediment. Up on top it shows off a thick three to four finger tall, long lasting head. This head is off white in color with a few spots of brown yeast sediment. Lacing on the glass is slick and slides right down the sides as I drink.

Smell: The aroma has fruity yeast with loads of banana with a little spice and a hint of apple. Hop notes are faint and way off in the distance.

Taste/Palate: The flavor reflects the nose with loads of banana notes from yeast as well as some light clove, bubble gum and a touch of apple. Towards the end I notice more wheat bread and bubble gum notes and a light touch of hop spice and bitterness. The palate is smooth and a little thick or full feeling.

Notes: Overall it was a very tasty and enjoyable brew. The only thing it lacked was the look and feel and even that wasn't a big detraction.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2011 15:09:48 | More by generallee

WesWes

New York

3.63/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The beer pours a cloudy, dark golden color with a thick frothy off-white head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a very nice pale and wheat malt scent that's a bit sweet and fruity with lots of yeast esters. I know the Saphir hops are on display, but I'm not detecting them in the nose. The taste is decent. It has a solid hefe taste; pale and wheat malts, hefe yeast esters. The hops are present and provide a mild bitterness and a light flavoring. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a medium/full bodied beer with good carbonation. This is a pretty good beer, but I'm not crazy about it. I like my hefes traditional, not hopped up.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2010 21:35:55 | More by WesWes

falloutsnow

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A moderate pour brings forth a huge, dense head with an off-white color. The beer itself is moderately carbonated and a turbid orange-copper color. Unlike other reviewers, I don't notice the lacing.

In the nose, the beer has subtle hints of classic wheat beer: bananas, cloves, and light bread, with something a bit fruity and yeasty, perhaps from the combination of the Saphir hop and yeast.

I pick up, taste-wise, light bread, banana, clove, a bit vinous, hints of honey, and ripe, creamy apple or Bosc pear tastes. There's also a slight hop spiciness/sharpness/bitterness in the mid-to-aftertaste. Really nice and a new twist to the style for me.

The carbonation is perhaps slightly too high to begin with and fades gradually over time. By the time I finished this beer, I may have said there wasn't enough carbonation! The finish is not overly dry, which would be quite refreshing on a warmer day, or just satisfying at any other time.

Taste & Mouthfeel: This is so smooth and flavorful, with a light body. A little bready upfront, then melds into a mild spiciness, with that unripe banana flavor that was noted by the nose. Slight dry finish, leaving you with that numbness in the back of the throat. Aftertaste has a slight warm sweetness to it.

This is a really delicious and unique beer, one that I wouldn't mind drinking quite a bit more of if I can find it.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2010 06:27:10 | More by falloutsnow

brewcrew76

Wisconsin

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

A - Slightly hazy orange, amber with a huge fluffy white head even after a slow pour. Sticky strings of lace remain.

S - Bready with banana and light spice in the background.

T - Fresh banana bread, light spice with some lingering herbal notes.

M - Medium mouthfeel with crisp carbonation.

D - Tasty. Bought this one to see what Saphir hops were like but don't much from the hops in this one.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2010 23:01:18 | More by brewcrew76

July2Nov

Hawaii

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

Appearance: Poured a HUGE frothy head. I'm talking a fist worth of head! Had to wait awhile and re-pour to get some of this deliciousness into the bottle.

Smell: I'm close to a foot away from the glass and the scents are pouring out. So, as I come closer, I can detect; Sweetness and spice. A bit of unripe banana seeps through too. Oh it smells so good!

Taste & Mouthfeel: This is so smooth and flavorful, with a light body. A little bready upfront, then melds into a mild spiciness, with that unripe banana flavor that was noted by the nose. Slight dry finish, leaving you with that numbness in the back of the throat. Aftertaste has a slight warm sweetness to it.

Drinkability: Not your run of the mill Weiss and I for one applaud changing it up a bit, every once in awhile. This is a very tasty brew and my first experience with the Saphir hop and hopefully not the last.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2010 01:36:18 | More by July2Nov

drpimento

Wisconsin

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

Great beer! Poured like a great, classic Bavarian Weiss with a huge, foamy, frothy, cream colored, thick head that lasts a long time and lots of lace. Color is a hazy to cloudy, medium amber. Sediment in the bottom of the bottle, so hefe even if not labeled as such. Aroma is classic Bavarian Weiss too- highly aromatic, spicey, banana, malt. Flavor is like aroma but the additional hop bitterness and some astringency comes out as well. Great body and carbonation. Finish is like flavor and fairly long. A bit of alcohol at the end too. Session beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2010 22:28:54 | More by drpimento

Tballz420

Minnesota

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

Dark gold into copper brown colored body, very sizable head comprised of millions of tiny bubbles. Lots of sticky lace. Scent is your classic hefe, wheat, banana, some apple. Very clean and refreshing on the tongue. Very nice wheat tones, some clove, a bit yeasty. Very active from the carbonation. Tasty hefe, very refreshing after a hot-as-ballz day here.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2010 02:28:56 | More by Tballz420

crossovert

Wisconsin

4.43/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

500ml brown bottle with no date. Says it is a extra hoppy amber hefeweizen utilizing the Saphir hop.

Pours with a huge, uncontrollable white head that is slightly foamy. The body is an amber/gold that looks decently filtered. They head takes a long while to dissipate leaving some pretty nice lacing. On the second pour I swirled for yeast, even after a minute of swirling not all of it had come off the bottom- there is a lot of yeas hiding in this bottle.

The smell is as one might guess, yeasty, with heavy spicy clove and a hint of banana, but there is also a nice grassy, herbal, and spicy hop presence that is welcome.

The flavor is super-citrusy, almost like a witbier. Tons of lemon, almost tart. The clove makes a smaller appearance in the taste along with the wheat and a heightened bitterness form a normal Hefeweizen, though not at all super hoppy.

The mouthfeel is highly carbonated and prickly, this makes it refreshing on a hot summer day.

This is a great Hefeweizen right here, surprisingly it isn't talked about much.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2010 23:03:27 | More by crossovert

Parrotbeak

Minnesota

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

Bubbly pale yellow with a faint orange hue. Massive, creamy white head that sticks around for a long time. Very thick lacing.
Smell is fresh, grainy malts with some sweet, fruity notes. Lemon peel, peach, and orange, along with some bubblegum. Some piney hops can be detected as well.
Taste is slightly spicey malts, with some hops coming in after, bringing a brief, faint bitter surge. More bubblegum notes, along with some banana, peach, and orange. Faint peppery notes as well. Finish is slightly bitter and hoppy.
Mouthfeel is fairly smooth, with a tiny bit of bite from the hops. Clean, dry finish. Light-to-medium body.
Very drinkable. Solid beer overall.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2010 05:54:28 | More by Parrotbeak

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

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

I picked this up at Julio's, poured from the 16.9 chilled brown bottle into a Weiss glass.

A - After a vigorours pour that was not needed about 4 fingers of whipped white foam tops the slightly dark amber like black tea w/ a golden highlight at the base of the glass. The bead is average sized and lace clings in spots

S -The aroma has a bready and slightly spiced quality. There is a yeasty fruit scent which gives a light ripe banana ester

M - The feel of this wheat has smooth texture from malt and medium body w/ subtle sweetness. The carbonation level is medium high and a spiced tinge in the middle adds contrast to the slight tang and cream of yeast w/ dry herbal notes in the finish which feels clean

T - The flavor is very good for a late spring day - a yeasty note with mild ripe banana and subtle herbal elements from the Saphir are well blended and the flavor of the hops complements the yeast well w/ the alcohol present in the taste as well. I like the way the yeast has a bit of clove and subtle mint quality which makes the beer taste even more refreshing with the wheat very mild as the high carbonation seems to refresh the palate with each sip. A very mild pine element is noted w/ very gentle bitterness. The yeast adds a bready flavor and wheat is dry, but not quite husky w/ light peppery effect in the layered taste of all components

D - I was really looking forward to this and used a few ounces in a rice recipe which has avacodo, lemon juice and fresh basil and it worked well. The beer itself is a refreshing wheat w/ slightly added strength but still easy to quaff - A great example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2010 16:53:19 | More by Slatetank

zeff80

Missouri

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

A - Poured out a very cloudy, orange color with golden highlights. It had a huge head of white bubbly foam that took its time settling and leaving rings of lace.

S - It smelled of banana, clove and floral notes. There were good wheat aromas, too.

T - Interesting a weizen that really brings a spicy hop bite then delivers the usual great flavors of wheat, banana and clove.

M - A super dry beer that is crisp and crackles on the tongue. Like all good hefes this is a light bodied, easy drinking brew.

D - I really like this one. The saphir hop is a nice touch. I hope it takes off.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2010 00:31:36 | More by zeff80

BelgianPrincess

Massachusetts

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

nice orange-amber hue. Smells of banana and clove. Taste is very similar to many good weizens, but nicely hopped. Not bitter, but later flavor and aroma hop additions make this truly a hefe at heart with hoppy background. Great beer, I highly recommend this as a cheaper Thiriez-type beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2010 14:26:34 | More by BelgianPrincess