Schlafly Hefeweizen - Saint Louis Brewery / Schlafly Tap Room

malibujohnny

Illinois

2.05/5  rDev -38.8%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

WOW...I was not predicting this.I poured fast from the bottle and got a head that was that heavy yet dispersing. The very first taste reminded me of miller lite....let me finish.I poured a 2nd,down the pint properly. I then recieved a very thin head that did not continue,very light lacing down the glass. Still the taste i gathered was not even close to a wheat style beer. As i drank this i could not help but notice a pilsner miller lite style with just the smallest amount of wheat malt added. The hops is hardly noted and even a orange slice for the wit beer boys would not help this one.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2007 06:05:59 | More by malibujohnny

stagman

Missouri

2.13/5  rDev -36.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

First of all, the name is misleading. This is NOT a German Hefeweizen. It is simply an American Wheat. The complexity in a Hefe is lacking with Schlafly Wheat.

Anyway, this beer pours a light gold color with a bit of haze. The head fizzes away faster than expected. Smells more like a Wit than a Hefe (citrusy rather than banana and bubblegum). Its taste also leans more toward lemons and peppers than anything else.

It's ok, but not at all what a Hefeweizen should be.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2007 04:41:24 | More by stagman

jsh420

Illinois

2.15/5  rDev -35.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

bottled 08 16 2011

pours bright cloudy golden yellow with a big frothy foamy white head that had ok retention and left lacing all down the glass

smell is very faint wheat malt and lemon

taste is better then the nose but not by much - same lemon citrus and wheat - where is the banana the clove

mouthfeel - light medium body with ok carbonation but still has that fizzy thin feel

overall - extremely disappointed after just having schlafly bavarian weissbier just a few days ago (that was one hell of a beer) this is a play it safe no imagination american wheat

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2011 04:17:56 | More by jsh420

Tilley4

Tennessee

2.25/5  rDev -32.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

This is clearly not a hefeweizen as suggested by Schlafly but rather simply a wheat ale..

Very cloudy yellowish pour with a small white fluffy head...

Smells rather grainy and non-descript.. I was hoping for at least a bit of banana on this one....

Not very impressed with the taste here either, especially if you're expecting the sweet spiciness of a hefe... rather blah..

I finished this one but just didn't like it very much..

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2008 14:53:40 | More by Tilley4

Realale

Missouri

2.35/5  rDev -29.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

From a freshly picked-up keg at a friend's birthday party last night.

Hazy gold, with a fine, bright white slightly sticky head that settles slowly to a solid 1/4" cap. Looks quite nice really.

Nose is a slightly sour, dank graininess. No real wheat character, no real yeast character. Yawn.

Light side of medium in the mouth. Watery indistinct slightly sour grain flavors. Really watery in the mid-palate, and a blessedly short finish. Not much of anything really. Carbonation level is a bit high, which leaves an unpleasant prickly sensation on tongue throughout.

Kudos for supporting the local brewery at the party, but geez, this is pretty grim stuff. Schlafly can do much better. Suffice it to say that this was the only beer on offer at the party, and I could only manage to choke down two over the course of almost three hours. Glad I didn't have to pay for it!

Serving type: on-tap

07-10-2006 02:05:12 | More by Realale

ommegangpbr

New York

2.35/5  rDev -29.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

The label on the neck of the bottle is different from the picture posted on Beer Advocate but it's the same one as listed on the brewery's site- says Unfiltered Wheat along with Hefeweizen ale.
For something unfiltered this pours awfully clear. Not quite fizzy yellow lager clear but not really hazy at all. No suspicious floaties. Nothing at all mysterious. ... ah, after emptying the bottle, a splash of yeast gets in there hazing it some; still pretty weak for the style.
On the nose it is very much fizzy yellow lager with some indications of bottled lemon juice.
On the palate, there isn't much more depth than lemon seltzer going on. A lemony, light lager is what I'm tasting. While the flavors aren't bad, they are very, very weak.
Frankly, there's probably a macrobrew that's on sale wherever you are that you will probably enjoy just about as much as you would enjoy this beer. Don't bother with it.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2009 05:40:07 | More by ommegangpbr

sutcliff

Missouri

2.4/5  rDev -28.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

This hefeweizen has potential to be much better than it is. Sure, it represents the style and fits the requirements well. Nevertheless, it is not unique and nor the best hefeweizen I have tried. During the summer months, I look forward to hefeweizens and this was not a treat.

Serving type: on-tap

09-03-2004 22:11:12 | More by sutcliff

jneiswender

Massachusetts

2.42/5  rDev -27.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

Had on tap at the Schlafly Tap Room and served in a 5oz sample glass.

A-pale yellow, cloudy, wispy white head

S-strong lemon zest smell

T-lemony, nice hit of wheat

M-light, very little carbonation

D-weak flavor, just nothing very assertive, really a below average hefe

Serving type: on-tap

11-13-2008 23:56:16 | More by jneiswender

hotstuff

Indiana

2.45/5  rDev -26.9%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

This beer had a large sized white head when it was poured with fine-small sized bubbles that mostly dissipated.The body was cloudy with a yellow hue.The nose was malty, fruity and sweet and the flavor was lightly bitter.The mouthfeel of this beer was smooth, thin, watery, and light bodied.The one thing this beer had going for it was that it had excellent lacing.All-in-all this beer lacked flavor and character.

Serving type: on-tap

11-04-2003 00:44:42 | More by hotstuff

beer1018

Ohio

2.45/5  rDev -26.9%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

I was hoping this would impress me more then the last wheat ale i had....

12 OZ bottlled on 6/30/2009

Appears cloudy yellow color with a half inch head into pint glass. Smells of citris and wheat, more wheat then citrus. Taste is not really impressing me, i would say it has more flavor then the 312 and the mouthfeel is creamier which is nice. Also to note it has a nice aftertaste to it. I dont have the dry stale beer smell you would have say after drinking a BMC. It is to carbonated for me. Because of the carbonation i think i wouldnt want more then 1-2. I am starting to think i just dont like the style, the best i have had so far is Oberon and that didnt really knock my socks off either. Either way i think APWA are great beers to give to BMC drinkers to start them dont the path of craft. Not recommended

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2009 02:50:52 | More by beer1018

janders1

Illinois

2.45/5  rDev -26.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

I had high hopes for this beer since I have had a couple of other brews from this brewery and was pleased with them. This beer had good appearance and smell, but what I tasted was not a Hefeweizen, but rather something more on the lines of a bad pale ale. Overall not a bad beer, but I would not categorize it as a Hefeweizen. I quickly went and bought an Erdinger to make sure I had not forgotten what a Hefe tasted like.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2010 22:38:39 | More by janders1

botham

Illinois

2.53/5  rDev -24.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

on tap at the brewery in St. Louis. pours a hazy lemon yellow color with a half finger of white head and no lacings. head retains for a minute or so.

aroma is a faint mix of citrus and a touch of pale malt. no wheat malt present, in what little aroma there is.

taste is watery, with a touch of citrus. there is little else. not impressive.

mouthfeel is light bodied with a slight tartness and a clean finish.

drinkability is not good. this hefe comes off as a subtle brew in aroma but ends up as little more than a watery citrus flavors liquid with some malt thrown in. not recommended.

Serving type: on-tap

09-22-2008 01:57:52 | More by botham

BuckeyeSlim

Ohio

2.53/5  rDev -24.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

12 oz. bottle poured into an Ayinger tall Kirta-Halbe glass.

A - Pours a very pale, light yellow. Four+ finger head of white, loose foam sets up instantly during the pour - glad I used this glass. Held to a full-spectrum light, beer is almost a neon yellow with a touch of light green tinting. Hazy and moderately opaque, beer shows suspended stratifications of particulates throughout the glass. Head falls in on itself at a deliberate pace, leaving splotches of foam on the sides of the glass and a fluffy pillow on the surface.

S - Lemongrass, wheat, subtle flinty mineralness, just a touch of banana poking thru the background.

T - Light wheat flour and very subtle hints of mellowed lemon. A touch of yeastiness, with a bit of banana sugar, like the end of a banana popsicle, in the little finish there is. Not much taste at all to this beer. Quite neutral across the entire quaff.

M - Neither fizzy or creamy. Rather thin, almost watery. No real finish to speak of. Little body. Light structure, but integrated.

O - Perhaps in the dog days of summer, when the thermometer and humidity are both pushing 100, this, ice cold, would be refreshing. I'm not sure if the blandness of this bottle is due to it not being just bottled - I got this last fall - and/or still being in spring and mostly drinking malty beers, but there just isn't much going on with this beer. This is a summer session beer, and one most females would appreciate being given, as well as your Bud Light friends who think all craft beers are bitter hop bombs - this one will seriously mess with their expectations. I like unfiltered hefeweizens, but this one is too soft and undefined for my tastes. It's not a bad beer - it's just not much of a beer overall.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2012 18:47:01 | More by BuckeyeSlim

BeerWhale

Missouri

2.63/5  rDev -21.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

This beer pours a cloudy yellow body, with a thin, puffy white head. It looks like a hefe should, but unfortunately the taste is below average. It has mild flavors at most. There is no spice, clove or banana hints that are normally expected in a good Hefe. It has some mild yeasty flavors, but not enough to add anything to the overall taste.

All in all; a disappointing beer that has none of the characteristic Hefeweizen flavors. I was expecting more, but was left with a bland, watery tasting beer that should not have come out of a brewery this good. Hopefully Schlafly will get their act together and make a better Hef before summer. Because, lets face it, there is nothing better than a cool, banana(y) hef while you're suffering through a St. Louis summer.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2011 01:30:08 | More by BeerWhale

cameraman

Kentucky

2.68/5  rDev -20%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A golden color, transparent, though it says it is unfiltered. A puffy white head forms, there is also alot of carbonation visible in the glass. A citrusy fragrance, followed by yeast and bread aromas, that round it out in the end. A light citrus flavor, mostly of lemon, then the yeast esters become more prevalent with some banana fuitiness there as well. It finishes with a mellow wheat wheat flavor at the end. The feel, is light, even more light than some american macro brewed beers, very thin and watery. An average drinking beer, a possible good choice for a session beer, with 4.5% ABV. I still do not understand the clarity of the beer, with an unfiltered label.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2007 12:09:11 | More by cameraman

aforbes10

Iowa

2.7/5  rDev -19.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

cloudy and orange. about right look for a hefe. odor more like a pilsner, not a hefeweizen. taste was a bit off, kind of metallic, pretty bland, not really all that wheaty, just sour malt taste. and i was planning on buying a sixer for the wife. oh well.

Serving type: on-tap

03-20-2006 15:29:22 | More by aforbes10

Cresant

Kentucky

2.73/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured this 12 oz. brown bottle into a weizen glass. The body was clear, light yellow/gold with three fingers of sudsy head. The yeast was firmly stuck to the bottom of the bottle.

Smell was soapy? Later I detected fresh bread. Not extremely aromatic.

Taste was lemony crisp and clean. White bread. Rather mundane, but I'm not a big wheat beer fan.

Mouthfeel was smooth and medium/light bodied.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2007 01:01:34 | More by Cresant

jujubeast6000

Texas

2.73/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Reviewed 11/15/2008 (Tap Sampler @ Schlafly Tap Room, St. Louis, MO):

Pours a pale yellow cloudy body, with a white head. Effervescent. Apple aroma. Watery wheaty taste. Sweet balancing out the flavor. Sweet aftertaste. Fruity, like a pear. Not much banana or clove like a traditional hefe. Soft mouthfeel, and very carbonated tasting.

Serving type: on-tap

11-29-2008 15:22:29 | More by jujubeast6000

TheSarge

Illinois

2.73/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured this one into a Maisel's Weisse Weizen glass. The brew mad a great appearance with three fingers of thick bright white head, and a hazy golden colored body.

The aroma is yeasty, and almost cardboard in character. There is not much depth to this brew.

The taste is light and bland. There is the cardboard like flavor, with a hint of citrus peel.

This is one of the lightest hefes I've ever had, and a bit let down. I guess at an ABV of 3.9%, that should've told me something.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2010 21:21:53 | More by TheSarge

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

2.84/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75

12 oz bottle into a Samuel Smith pint glass.

A: Pours a hazy golden color. The head is a two finger white shade. I like the creamy texture, and the lacing as well. Don't know why, but I find it a bit more attractive than the typical hefeweizen, even if the head lacks staying power.

S: It's more of a regular APWA than anything. The most notable element is some earthy, zesty hops. No real sense of banana, clove, or bubblegum esters here.

T: This is not much of a hefeweizen. The wheat flavors and finishing, lemony hop qualities are pleasant...but the lack of notable esters really hurt this one. In general, it's not really flavorful. Good hop profile, though.

M: Too heavy for the lack of flavor presented on the palate. This should go down much easier than it does...though to be fair, most of it *is* due to the boring flavor. Carbonation is strong like expected.

O: Meh. Not a bad generic wheat ale, but it's not a hefeweizen. I'd be a lot more forgiving of it had it not been called that - yet alas, since it's advertised as such, I have to compare it to the ones from SN, Troegs, or Weihenstephaner. And it just fails in that regard.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 20:17:41 | More by ThisWangsChung

barleywinebrewer

New Hampshire

2.85/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

I paired this with a spicy tex mex dinner. I found it complimentary but on it's own merits a touch under average.
A - hazy pale yellow, minimal white head
S - Some wheat / citrus with a slightly soapy aroma.
T - light wheat, citrus and yeast
M - light bodied, lightly carbonated.
D - It worked with the dinner I had. I woud hesitate to reach for one on it's own or with a less spicy dinner.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2007 15:58:40 | More by barleywinebrewer

beagle75

Iowa

2.88/5  rDev -14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a weizen glass.

A: Hazy, pale golden color with one finger of white foam head. Light lacing remains on the glass. Small deposits of beige yeast sediment can be seen at the bottom of the glass.

S: Lemony and metallic, slightly oxidized, with a trace of baker's yeast.

T: Begins dry, with pasty wheat flour, brief clove that is weak, and very mild and refined herbaceous hop aromatics. Acidity is normal for the style, somewhat citric and complimentary to other aromatic qualities. Sweetness increases in the middle, while most other flavors become diminished nearly to the point of insignificance. More dusty wheat marks the transition to the finish, where mild orange citrus fruit but no bitterness worth mentioning is detected.

M: Thin to medium viscosity, briefly astringent on the palate at first then turning wet, with brisk carbonation.

D/O: Inoffensive and unremarkable, this wheat beer struggles unsuccessfully to live up to the hefeweizen categorization seen on the label. The highest praise available to it is the ability to scrub the palate fairly clean. Set it aside for the non-beer drinkers.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2012 00:43:04 | More by beagle75

pmcadamis

Illinois

2.93/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - This one pours a cloudy orange (after roling the bottle around to get the yeast in the glass), and throws up a two finger white head. This is the trubid orange/gold hue of carrots crammed into a Jack LaLane juice-o-matic.

S - Underassertive and un-hefe like. This smells wheaty and tart, but there are no banana or deep yeast notes that I like to experience in a hefe. Smells lemony and crisp.

T - Again, this is wheaty and twangy with lemon and tart orange juice flavors, but the doughy yeast and banana flavors are missing. This is ok, but I expected more from Schlafly.

M - Light bodied, crispy carbonated, and really fresh. The finish is initially neutral before building up a progressive dryness.

D - Not bad. A very average and forgetable wheat beer that isn't all that hefe-like IMO.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2008 20:04:01 | More by pmcadamis

tempest

Pennsylvania

2.93/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Had a bottle from a mixed 12-pack I picked up in Columbia, MO. This beer reminds me of the Summit Hefe for it's yeasty clove kick, but it's not quite as good. The malt falls flat and is a touch astringent. The yeast character is a bit plain, but in line with the style, I suppose. There's just a little spicy clove at the end of flavor without any banana. The malt for the part tastes like a disappointing light beer. This isn't a bad pale wheat ale, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you loved the style.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2009 17:31:55 | More by tempest

paxchristi

Missouri

2.93/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from tap at Schafly Bottleworks w/o lemon in pint glass.

Appearance: About par for an American Wheat. Golden with a finger of frothy white head. Looks the part at an above average level.

Smell: Thin in the nose. Hefes are already a bit simple, so I would say that this is below average. Some flat grains and perhaps a very small hint of citrus-- but nothing else.

Taste: Eh...underwhelming like the smell. If you're going to call it a Hefeweizen then you need to have some of the spice, banana, and/or clove flavors that are essential for the style.

Drinkability: Its highly drinkable, though I suspect for reasons that are typical for why BMC sells so well-- people like cold and the generic flavor of beer without having to invest much into it.

Overall: Meh. Won't get this one again. If you want a good American Wheat than I would suggest Widmer's Hefe or Bell's Oberon Ale.

Serving type: on-tap

09-12-2011 21:35:52 | More by paxchristi