Arcobräu Bavarian Wheat Beer
Arcobräu Gräfliches Brauhaus

Arcobräu Bavarian Wheat BeerArcobräu Bavarian Wheat Beer
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From:
Arcobräu Gräfliches Brauhaus
 
Germany
Style:
Hefeweizen
ABV:
5.3%
Score:
81
Avg:
3.4 | pDev: 17.06%
Reviews:
17
Ratings:
21
Status:
Active
Rated:
Sep 18, 2015
Added:
Jul 10, 2004
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
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Ratings by Cindirene:
Photo of Cindirene
Reviewed by Cindirene from North Carolina

4.38/5  rDev +28.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Newly available in eastern NC - My BB date was 1-24-2007 - Apparently fresh and fresh it was - Poured into a tall glass - Nice thick head which dissipated somewhat leaving dense lacing - Haziness typical of unfiltered wheat beers - Aroma is immediately wheat with lemony hints in the background - Taste is wheaty and lemony with a slight hint of sweet in the back at the end - Smooth and easy to drink this time of year - Think I'll have another
Jul 20, 2006
More User Ratings:
Photo of drmeto
Reviewed by drmeto from Germany

2.68/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 2.5
L:
-pours a cloudy straw golden with a medium, creamy,white head
-medium to high carbonation visible
S:
-tart,lemon,wheaty,pickles,perfumy,clove
T:
-wheaty,lemon,clove,pepper,slight banana
-finishes dry
F:
-medium to high carbonation
-light body
O:
Barely average
Sep 18, 2015
 
Rated: 3.98 by Jerseyislandbeer from Jersey

Jun 19, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by ArmyATCBrewer from Korea (South)

Oct 03, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by His_Royal_Hoppiness from England

Jan 24, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by SWY from Hong Kong

Dec 24, 2013
Photo of biboergosum
Reviewed by biboergosum from Canada (AB)

3.71/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
500ml bottle. Dubbed a 'Weissbier Hell' on the label.

This beer pours a slightly hazy medium golden amber hue, with two fat fingers of puffy, tightly foamy off-white head, which leaves a few instances of wavecrest lace around the glass as it slowly ebbs away.

It smells of sweet bready wheat malt, hardy ripe banana, a bit of sugary chewing gum, cloves, white pepper, soft yeast, and a mild, mostly subdued orchard fruitiness. The taste is more semi-sweet grainy, doughy wheat malt, edgy banana bread, ethereal clove and black pepper dust spices, stoic yeast, chalky bubblegum, and some mixed fruit salad sweetness.

The carbonation is quite sublimated, and understated in its quotidian work ethic, the body a sturdy medium weight, and generally quite smooth, with a small attendant creaminess. It finishes on the sweet side, the wheat malt and banana-fronted fruit carrying the load.

A decent enough hefe, even though it's not denoted as such. A little too sweet, perhaps, but drinkable all the same.
Aug 15, 2013
Photo of jazzyjeff13
Reviewed by jazzyjeff13 from England

3.63/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
A 500ml bottle with a BB of March 2013. Picked up a while back from Aldi - this is called Arcobräu Weissbier Hell on the label but I presume it's the same beer (same ABV). The double-headed eagle on the label is cool.

Poured into a tulip pint glass (with swirling to resuspend the yeast). A light golden-amber hue with a deep, translucent haze and good carbonation. Yields a large head of creamy white foam that lasts for a while before reducing to a thick surface layer. Looks the part. Aroma of bready wheat and intense notes of banana, accompanied by hints of clove, bubblegum, phenolics, earthy yeast and faint apricot/peach.

Tastes of light wheat malt with a yeasty character and a dry finish. Notes of banana, clove, bubblegum, phenolic yeast esters, bread, subtle apricot/peach, light fruit hints and mild stewed leaves. Earthy and slightly sweet, with a hint of carbonic acid. A faint, dry bitterness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth, tingly and slightly spicy, with spritzy carbonation. Body is decent but a tad insubstantial. Somewhat astringent, with an aftertaste of banana, yeast esters and wheat.

Pretty good - a solid effort that ticks all the right boxes. It looks nice and the aroma smells as you might expect, with dominant banana notes. The flavour seems slightly less complex but well-rounded. The body could perhaps be a shade thicker. Doesn't quite have the depth of some of the better known hefeweizens, but nonetheless tasty and drinkable. Worth sampling at the price I paid - grab one if you see it.
Feb 01, 2013
Photo of flyingpig
Reviewed by flyingpig from Scotland

3.33/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Cloudy yellow to light orange colour with a thumb sized,foamy white head taht is on the small side for a hefeweizen and settles to a thin, soapy lacing.

Citrus and some orange zest on the nose along with some lemon and coriander. I also got a whiff of some spice but naturally it was the banana that made up most of the smell.

Banana with clove and light coriander. I detected some light citrus notes such as lemon and orange with some background spice in there too.

Smooth and with a fizzy tang to it and strong carbonation. There was also a lingering bitterness at the end to go with the overall sweetness of the beer.

A nice beer and one that I drank fairly easily although I wouldn’t rate it as a particulary good beer or hefeweizen for that matter. It was quite basic for the style and perhaps a little strong on the citrus. Drinkable though.

http://abarwithnoname.wordpress.com
May 31, 2012
Photo of BlackHaddock
Reviewed by BlackHaddock from England

2.24/5  rDev -34.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
From the UK Aldi chain: Arcobrau Weissbier hell.

500ml bottle best before 1st March 2013: poured into a Franziskaner Weissbier glass 9th May 2012.

Looks every bit the ideal hefeweizen: cloudy with a deep, full white head: mid-range orange/lemon hue to the colour, just like the best of this style.

Wheat aroma with mild traces of vanilla and banana: I prefer fuller smells in this style of beer.

Refeshing but lacking in flavour: the first sip told me this was a cheap option.

Weak body and taste: below average in all aspects bar the looks.
May 09, 2012
Photo of rarbring
Reviewed by rarbring from Sweden

3.38/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
The beer is rather deep golden with a brown tone, a white firm head leaving good lacing.

The smell is spicy, coriander, clove etc, citric aromas and quite a lot of yeast giving a bit of a closet feeling.

The sweetness is in the syrup area, citric nuances from oranges and lemons, the spices mentioned and some lemon and grape-fruit zest.

Medium high carbonation, lots of small soft bubbles. Smooth

A rather good wheat beer, possibly a bit sweet.
Jul 26, 2010
Photo of avalon07
Reviewed by avalon07 from South Carolina

3.08/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
A: Poured from a bottle to a weizen glass. Had a brownish-yellow color and a big, foamy head. Decent lacing.

S: Smelled mainly of wheat and and banana, but was also a bit on the skunky side.

T: As with the smell, there was wheat and banana, but also the skunk. Kind of thin for a hefeweizen. Leaves a funky, slightly unpleasant aftertaste.

M: A pretty high amount of carbonation and a smooth finish. Medium-bodied.

D: As hefeweizens go, this is a lackluster beer. It didn't seem to have quite enough character or taste to be good. Pass.
Oct 06, 2008
Photo of PatrickJR
Reviewed by PatrickJR from North Carolina

3.28/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3
Poured from a 12 oz bottle into weizen glass.

A - Hazy yellow with massive 3-4 finger head that hangs around a while before falling to a thick cap. Moderate lacing.

S - I may have a skunked sample; it was in a green bottle after all. Banana is present along with a minimal phenolic note. Somewhat skunky aroma overrides the other smells.

T - Banana is very faint and appears briefly early palate. A bland vanilla/citrus flavor with evidence of the powdery yeast dominates mid palate, and by late palate the wheat malt kicks in full force with a noticable sourness.

M - Medium bodied, very creamy. Almost no carbonation to speak of, and I'm not sure why. It really takes away from the beer.

D - It's a less than engaging hefe, but the taste is solid enough to have more than one. The main issue I see is the lack of carbonation causing this beer to feel too heavy after a couple, or even the first one.
Aug 04, 2008
Photo of cvstrickland
Reviewed by cvstrickland from North Carolina

3.63/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
12-ounce bottle poured into a weizen glass yields a hazy pale golden orange with lively active carbonation capped with two fat fingers of soft white foam that retains at a sheet and leaves nice foamy lacing.

Smells like bubblegum and cloves, with a hint of banana and a nice nutty wheat backing.

Tastes wheaty and tangy with the same essence of bubblegum and tinge of banana.

Light-medium body; smooth with a significant sting of carbonation. Very drinkable.
Jun 07, 2008
Photo of bark
Reviewed by bark from Sweden

3.15/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
This beer is sold in the British supermarket chain Somerfield under their own label “Somerfield Best Ever… Bavarian Wheat Beer”.

The colour is yellow-orange with a tint of gold. The finger thick head is white and very compact. It sinks slowly down, leaving some lacing.

The smell is not the strongest one I have noticed from a Weizen. The notorious sour-sweet yeasty notes are there, as are some flavours of green apples and apricots.

The taste is fresh with the usual notes of sour yeast, green apples, wheat dough and apricot jam. Some sweet notes balance the “wheat sourness”. But there is not much than that; nothing more to make it more interesting, drinkable or complex. The aftertaste is sweet with some yeast and sour fruits.

The carbonation is strong and refreshing; the tickling bubbles are small. The liquid is quite smooth.

An, by all means, archetypal Weißbier. On the other hand, it is very good news that even an English supermarket finds enough of a market to create its own label of a very German beer style. A style that was impossible to get even at beer stores a few years back. Prosit!
Oct 06, 2007
Photo of jcdiflorio
Reviewed by jcdiflorio from West Virginia

2.98/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Had this beer on vacation to the Outer Banks at Howard's Pub was very hot and wanted a good German Wheat decied to try something new. Asked for a wheat glass the closest glass they gave me was a large wine glass the beer was in a long neck green bottle with a crimped cap.

Cloudy,light gold with a white fizzy head thea dissapated quickly.colud barely seem some stringing bubbles through the cloudiness.

Fruity nose,faint aromas with hints of bannana and clove with berry like aromas. Had a bannana nut bread smell.

The taste was of overripe bannanas,dry,light wheat and dried straw with a cider like note.

Light grainyness,tangy,average wheat beer body with a slightly syrupy feel. Was easy to drink,just did not have the classic German wheat beer taste i was craving. Left me a bit dissapionted.
Aug 21, 2007
Photo of GreenCard
Reviewed by GreenCard from Maryland

3.88/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
The Waitrose "Bavarian Weissbier" version...

Appearance: pale straw with an orangey hue; delightful cloudiness, spongey layer of pure white foam that collapses to a thin cap

Aroma: lemony wheat with hints of clove, banana, elderflowers, and honey

Flavor: light breadiness with a touch of wheat-thins crackers, orange blossom honey, and powdery yeast; herbal hop flavor; very balanced; finishes dryish with a lingering graininess in the aftertaste

Mouthfeel: medium-light body, zingy carbonation, soft texture

Other comments: Waitrose is known for its epicurean quality. This is no exception.
Aug 13, 2007
Photo of MarkSCCOT
Reviewed by MarkSCCOT from South Carolina

2.07/5  rDev -39.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
I am a huge fan of Hefe Weissen's so I had to try this beer when it first appeared on my local shelves. Perhaps I should have been wary when the date on the bottle was 01 24 06. Is this a best buy date or a brewing date.

A. Average. Despite my best efforts of swirling the bottle I couldn't agitate any yeast. Is this really a Hefe or is a Kristal? The head was unimpressive.

S. Unremarkable. No banana clove as I am used to in this class. Smells almost like a bland Belgian pale.

T. Wow, I hope this is an old beer, because it is not good. It tastes like Budweiser. No clove, no citrus. I have tried almost 100 Hefes and this is not like any of them.

M. Lightly carbonated, unimpressive.

D. I hope this is just an outdated bottle because otherwise this is a horrible beer. I will see if I can review it again with a fresher beer.
Jul 02, 2007
Photo of wl0307
Reviewed by wl0307 from England

4.06/5  rDev +19.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I got this beer under the name of "Waitrose Bavarian Wheat Beer--Hefe-Weiss Bier" in Britain, and Waitrose is a quality supermarket chain over here. After some research I finally learned that the beer actually is brewed by this small brewpub as there're only very indirect clues on the label which give you joy/headache researching on the web--"brewed near the town of Plattling in Bavaria in what was originally established as a castle brewery in 1567"... well, I still don't get why beers brewed for supermarkets or special brands cannot be fully explained on the labels??
The BB date is JUL 2006.

A: served in a full-pint weissbier glass, it pours a cloudy, dark orangey honeyish hue, with a slowly effervescent, tight white froth like densely aerated egg white or maringue... the beautiful beer head stays thick and frothy and simply refuses to go away against streams of fast ascending bubbles - looking flawless!!
S: fruit esters of banana, orange and salty-sour-sweet dried Pilipino mango slices, clove, slightly sharp woody note, perfumy note like that of a sweeter Belgian pale ale, and some notes of lactose-drink with a seaside salty-breeze, on top of a bed of juicy sour wheat... Overall very fruity, pronounced and complex.
T: tartly-sweet juicy wheatish flavour upfront brings on board lots of fruit estery flavour akin to an aromatic & fruity Belgian pale ale, with an intriguing edge of "Chinese green-bean paste" (that I quite often use to refer to this particular aroma and flavour); followed by banana skin, sour green mangos, and a faintly spicy flavour, towards an delicate, shell-fish-like savoury-sweet aftertaste. The "floating" mouthfeel of lingering grains seems to outlive everything else, fed by creamy fizz.
M&D: the mouthfeel is creamy-smooth, a lively touch is retained, against a solid grainy backbone and fulsome flavour, though in the end it suffers the sort of "thinning-out" mouthfeel almost all weizens do. This is a winner, and the Waitrose supermarket quite rightly chooses it under its own brand name. A very delicious and beautiful hefe-weizen to savour in my book.
Nov 30, 2005
Photo of oberon
Reviewed by oberon from North Carolina

3.66/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Pours a real light slightly hazy yellow with a large rocky head that settles leaving big globs of lace down the glass,the two times I have had this brew thearoma has been a little skunked because of the green bottle but I do pick some apple and some yeasty-spicey qualities in there I would love to sniff on a fresh bottle.Taste is light but very refreshing some apple juice in there with a touch of spice finish with a toasted wheat flavor in the finish.To me this as good a hot weather brew as you can get very light will seek out when the heat comes back to NC next year.
Nov 16, 2004
Arcobräu Bavarian Wheat Beer from Arcobräu Gräfliches Brauhaus
Beer rating: 81 out of 100 with 21 ratings