Frankenmuth Hefeweizen - Frankenmuth Brewery

BDIMike

Ohio

2.83/5  rDev -25.3%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a clear golden color. The bottle says it is unfiltered for a cloudy appearance, but my drink is as clear as it gets. There is also no head at all, which I am used to a nice thick white head atop a hefeweizen.
Smell has a little bit of clove and banana to it, but not very strong.
Taste is that of a very typical hefeweizen. A mild banana and clove taste, like the smell.
Mouthfeel has a nice smoothness to it, with a bit of a crisp hit.
Drinkability is okay on this beer. An easy drinker, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2012 01:33:45 | More by BDIMike

StoutHunter

Michigan

3.35/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I picked up a bottle of Frankenmuth's Hefeweizen last week for $1.59 at The Lager Mill. I was in the mood for a Hefeweizen today so I thought I would give this local example a try, so lets see how it goes. No visible bottling date. Poured from a brown 12oz bottling into a Weizen glass.

A- The label looks ok, it's pretty the much the same as most of their other beers. It poured a hazy straw golden color with three fingers worth of fluffy whit head that died down to a thick layer that stayed till the end and left some spotty lacing. This is a good looking Hefeweizen.

S- The aroma is pretty spot on for a Hefeweizen, it has a higher amount of medium sweetness with all those typical aromas that you would find in any good Hefe, like banana, clove and some citrus rinds, but this one has a little more citrus rinds then normal mainly lemon, I don't mind it. The aroma is pretty standard for the style with a little extra citrus kick, I like it.

T- The taste starts off with some wheat and sweet malts, next I get a little bit of yeast and some milder banana and clove flavors. After that comes some citrus rind which seems to sick out the most and carry through to the aftertaste, it also had a very low amount of bitterness. The flavors was ok, but I would have liked more banana and clove flavors to balance out all those citrus rinds to make it taste better and be more traditional tasting.

M- Very smooth, slightly crisp, refreshing, on the lighter side of being medium bodied and it had a nice amount of medium carbonation. The mouthfeel was pretty true to style and worked well with this beer.

Overall I thought that was a good beer and a slightly above average Hefeweizen, the flavors were nice and refreshing but there was a little too much citrus rind that seemed to overshadow all those nice banana and clove flavors you would want from a good Hefe. This beer had very good drinkability, it went down much faster then I anticipated and it was pretty refreshing, I could see drinking a six pack during the day while grilling outside. What I liked most about this beer was the appearance and mouthfeel they were both good for the style and just how they should be. What I liked least about this beer was the lack of balance it had when it came to the flavor and aroma, if the citrus rinds weren't so heavy it would be a pretty good Hefe. I would for sure buy this beer again when looking for a solid and drinkable Hefe, but I would much rather have some traditional German ones, since I find those to be a notch above this beer. I recommend trying this beer if you are a Hefe fan, it't worth a shot to see where you stand with this beer. Frankenmuth came through with a solid beer, one of the better ones I have from them, but I still would rather have a traditional German Hefe over this one, they have the balance down when it comes to this style and this brewery didn't really have that, still a solid beer nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2012 22:15:11 | More by StoutHunter

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.2/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This poured out as a hazy yellow color, it had a thin white head on top. The smell of the beer gave off the traditional aromas of banana and clove with some sweet wheat aromas in the finish. The taste of the beer was soft with some decent light refreshing citrus notes along with the minor notes of clove. The mouthfeel of the beer was light and soft. Overall it's a pretty standard Hefeweizen. Can't see myself buying it though.

Serving type: on-tap

03-09-2012 04:11:30 | More by Knapp85

jsisko01

Michigan

3.88/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - Pours a hazy, unfiltered pale-golden color with an inch thick head that dissipates after a minute. Has decent lacing.

Smell - Bananas, wheat, clove, and sweet malts.

Taste - The banana and clove is very strong.. with wheat, lemon zest, and black pepper. Seems a bit watery.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with medium carbonation.

Overall - Not a bad, all depends on if you like clove or not, because it's abundant. This could be a very refreshing beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2011 02:16:15 | More by jsisko01

DannyDan

Michigan

4.2/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A. Pours out a pale yellow hue with a thin whitehead that disappears quickly and leaves hardly any lacing and minimal retention.
S. The nose consists of bananas, wheat and sweet malts.
T. The taste starts out with some wheat, yeast and sweet malts, followed by some hops with bananas and cloves throughout.
M/O. The mouthfeel is a sticky, lip smacking and easy to drink while leaving a slightly dry taste in the mouth. A very good tasting light to medium bodied beer that I would recommend.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2011 04:45:37 | More by DannyDan

djeucalyptus

Oregon

3.8/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

a subtly yeasty cloudy straw yellow with a tepid half-finger head. lace is unfortunately minimal. aroma is standard for the style (not a bad thing, in my book) with banana, clove, bready yeastiness and a touch of lemon. the flavor follows suit with fermenting bread dough, clove, banana esters, and a pleasant dose of lemon. mouthfeel is a touch high on the carbonation, coming across just a smidgen sharp, but all in all, pretty solid. smooth with a decent slightly astringent finish. This is nothing stellar, but a good, solid, hefe that hits all the right notes nicely.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2011 18:18:36 | More by djeucalyptus

Brenden

Ohio

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

This is an appropriately yeasty-looking brew, cloudy with lots of sediment swirling around. It's a pale yellow in color. A white head comes up about a finger high and fades off to a foam that leaves some spotty lacing behind.
One thing that annoys me is when a brewer makes a hefeweizen just another wheat ale and neglects what makes it special. Thank you, Frankenmuth, for using the Belgian yeast the way it ought to be used. There's a sturdy malts backbone to frame this beer in the aroma, but the banana and clove are there and the main feature.
The banana, clove and wheat are all here in the flavor, but a light phenolic taint distracts. Fortunately, it's quite weak, but it is there. Bready malts presence is also in the foreground.
It's a little dryer than I'd expect in a hefe, but otherwise the light, bright body and crispness with a bit of smooth heft to it makes for a nice mouthfeel. I would expect a bit more of the sweetness to draw away from the dryness of the feel, though.
This isn't a great example of the style, but it's a good one for certain.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2011 14:13:32 | More by Brenden

oline73

Maryland

3.23/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a bottle into a goblet.

Appearance: Pours a cloudy yellow with an orange tint. There is a half finger of fluffy white head that fades to a ring around the glass.

Smell: Lots of malt and banana up front. There is a lighter spice component, but it is overshadowed by the banana smell. A medium amount of sweetness.

Taste: A bit watery. Banana notes along with some spice, perhaps clove. Some crisp wheat in there as well. The finish is mildly fruity with some flavor from the yeast.

Mouthfeel: A bit thin with an aggressive amount of carbonation and a mildly dry finish.

Overall: I had high hopes for this beer after smelling it. The banana hit me just as I opened the bottle. The taste was a bit of a let down.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2011 22:39:51 | More by oline73

Jason

Massachusetts

3.33/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz brown bottle with no freshness date.

Swirlled the yeast in, nice a cloudy though I expect a bit more form the head. Banana, check. Clove, check. A pleasing aroma. Some smoothness, carbonation is a bit tame. Yeasty palate with some dried breadiness in the back. Some medicinal phenols drop into the play, a bit of a distraction as it is not a subtle flavor but thankfully it soon fades away. Bandaids come to mind. Dry-ish finish with a some of the banana, clove and breadiness lingering.

Hard to pit this against pretty much any German hefe, decent.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2011 02:45:08 | More by Jason

SpdKilz

Illinois

3.63/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to sirotan for this great extra!

Appearance – Pours a slight golden hazy color. A bit of head that dissipates quickly leaving little lacing.

Smell – Banana and cloves. That’s about it.

Taste – The flavor begins with lots of banana flavor, black pepper, and lots of clove. Slight citrus.

Mouthfeel – Lighter bodied, easy to drink.

Overall – It was an okay beer, but nothing special.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2011 03:17:10 | More by SpdKilz

jale

Michigan

3.8/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a hazy light golden with two quarters of white head.

S: More clove than banana upfront.

T: Clove upfront with just a hint of banana. A little spice in the finish.

M: Light body with good carbonation.

O: I'm not a fan of this style, but this has more clove than banana so I rather enjoyed it.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2011 15:08:09 | More by jale

GRPunk

Michigan

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

Bottle poured into a weizen glass.

A- A moderate pour and yeast swirl gave a 1-1/2 finger, off-white head that drops and sustains at about 1/2 finger that leaves really good sticky rings on the glass. The body was a cloudy, golden-yellow with moderate-heavy carbonation.

S- Classic. Banana and cloves come through with a hint of citrus. It's almost candy sweet in the aroma.

T- Lots of lemon here. Banana and clove definitely present, but not quite as pronounced as the aroma would suggest. The banana is quite sweet, not artificial or candied, more like an overly-ripe fruit.

M- Moderate carbonation, creamy/wheaty goodness. Lemon dries out the finish.

O- It's a really solid American interpretation of the style. So many times the classic banana and cloves are missing. This version has it and throws in some pleasant citrus that seems appropriate. It's very refreshing on a hot spring afternoon (highs in the mid 80s). I could see buying quantities through the summer. A perfect match to brats on the grill during the hotter months.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2011 21:13:54 | More by GRPunk

Magpie14

Michigan

3.73/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: immensely clouded peach yellow body. No head and no lace. Pretty motionless in the glass. Poor marks

S: the nose is chockfull of cloved bananas with mild wheat and yeast-like notes. Smells a bit sour and sharp at the same time

T: the palate unloads a bushel of bananas, some light spices (clove, nutmeg, and possibly cinnamon), with a light tart apple character in the finish. This tartness/sour vibe caught me off guard, I find it pleasing however and not a negative factor. Slight bubblegum flavors are detected after a fourth of the beer is gone. Some very interesting flavors are fusing together. I also have to look beyond the temp my beer was served at...way to frigid. Warming up helps accentuate some of the lush flavors

M: I find the body nice. Rather mild and smooth on the way down

D: I know of many better Hefeweizens. But this one is not bad

Serving type: on-tap

07-15-2010 01:02:02 | More by Magpie14

drinkallday

Michigan

4.1/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from the tap at restaurant. Poured a nice cloudy yellow with a nice white head. aromas of bananas and little clove were evident. Nice flavors of wheat and yeasty goodness made this beer highly enjoyable. Lace left on the glass the whole way, which wasn't a long time. Very nice beer.

Serving type: on-tap

06-15-2006 14:33:24 | More by drinkallday

BeerFink

Ohio

4.08/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance is slightly clearer than a typical Hefe, but is still maintains the classic unfiltered blond appearance, capped by a (thin) white head. Bananas dominate the nose, much more than other examples of the style. Also present in the aroma is a hearty dose of cloves, and a bit of yeast. True to the nose, lots of banana and plenty of clove come through in the flavor. Clean and refreshing brew with a nice, full mouthfeel. Not overly yeasty or bready like some examples of the style, which may or may not be a good thing depending on individual taste. Personally, I found this to be highly drinkable and enjoyable.

Serving type: on-tap

05-14-2006 02:38:44 | More by BeerFink

Frozensoul327

Michigan

3.23/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

An exceptionally good Hefeweizen. A touch strong on the spicy side, but nevertheless very good. Had a pale golden color and little foam. Had hints of almost sweet sugar bread like flavor and a floral scent. I don't know if i could drink several of these, but if i was gonna have a brat, this would be a good beer to go with it.

Serving type: on-tap

12-25-2003 23:23:50 | More by Frozensoul327

inebrius

Michigan

3.35/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pale yellow clouded brew with minimal head. A hefe heavy on the spice and light on the fruit. Nose is pepper, clove and a whispering of citrus. Very refreshing, indeeed, but if you like your hefes traditional, you might find this one lacking. Light-bodied and easy drinking.

Serving type: on-tap

08-25-2003 13:23:10 | More by inebrius