Maisel's Weisse Original - Brauerei Gebrüder Maisel GmbH & Co.

HappyHourHero

Indiana

3.78/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Lemony and yeasty aroma is about right. Huge, dense, cream colored head is holding me back from pouring the rest of the beer. Hazy, almost opaque (this is before I poured the yeast off the bottom) apricot colored beer. Soft, fluffy mouthfeel with a touch of fizz. More flavor from the wheat then the yeast. Crisp wheat mixes with a stick of bubble gum and a few drops of lemon zest. Finishes soft and yeasty. A good solid Hefe, although not quite at the top of the field.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2006 21:20:20 | More by HappyHourHero

Fatehunter

Oregon

3.49/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Looks great with two fingers of head on a darker straw colored body, a few bubbles are visible.
The aroma is nice: grain and hay.
The taste is fairly malty with a moderate bitterness. A bit different for the style, but good.
The texture is smooth with moderate carbonation.
Enjoyable, but not a traditional hefeweizen.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 04:54:12 | More by Fatehunter

colts9016

Idaho

4.18/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Cloudy orange with a thin white head.
Nose: Wheat, malt, oranges, pear, apples, lemons and a hint of floral.
Taste A nice wheat malt complex that laces orange citrus, fruit and a touch of hops on the end.
Overall: This was a very good Hefe and I enjoyed. The finish is slightly sweet. A very good summer beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2008 04:49:23 | More by colts9016

falloutsnow

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle purchased from Binny's in Schaumburg, IL.
No clear bottled on date.
Poured into a US pint glass.

Pours a tall, fluffy head of off-white bubbles of medium and small size, creating a sponge-like head that slowly decreases to a thin cap atop the beer. Body is a cloudy orange-copper away from the light, orange-yellow when held to one. Carbonation is visible, along with some yeast that gradually floats to the bottom of the glass.

Aroma is pleasantly sweet and light from wheat malt, alongside banana, yeast, and light vanilla, orange peel, and clove scents.

Taste opens with sweetish wheat malt, then combines fair amounts of yeast with sweet wheat malt and banana esters. This perpetuates into the mid-palate, which also brings in, in the background, clove-like phenols, a bit of bubblegum, and very mild continental hops. Aftertaste of sweet bananas and yeastiness.

Body is medium, slightly lighter around the edges. Carbonation is in high enough amounts to be felt, but not caustic or getting in the way of being able to taste. The result is a relatively smooth mouthfeel with a fairly dry finish.

Overall, a very solid and good-tasting German-style hefeweizen. Should rank in the top members of the style that are available in the US, and one to add to the collection of those "good enough to get again."

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2011 02:43:39 | More by falloutsnow

Sigmund

Norway

4.33/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

500 ml bottle, bought in Germany. ABV is 5.4%. Hazy amber colour, large slightly off-white head. "Absolutely fabulous" aroma, orgasmic in its abundancy of fruitiness and spiciness. Notes of leather too. Flavour is bit more restrained, still very nice with all the traditional hefe characteristics, wheaty and yeasty with cloves but also some caramel and brown bread. Aftertaste is, like with most wheat beers, very moderate but nice. Can you expect a hefeweizen to be much better than this?

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2005 18:33:53 | More by Sigmund

dasenebler

Maine

2.98/5  rDev -22.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

.5L, Germany, best by May 2011.

Hazy straw-orange. Head is sub-par for the style: thin and short-lived.

The aroma is faint, but has some good banana and raw yeast character.

Flavor is boring and watery, but at least not offensive. Whereas a good Hefeweizen has bright, fruity and phenolic flavors, this beer has a dull, bready character, with a bit of tang thrown in for good measure. This style is all about the yeast, and I'm afraid the Maisel's strain forgot about flavor during fermentation. The mouthfeel is okay, but kind of chalky and watery. All in all, this is not so bad to drink, just very mediocre.

Note: I last reviewed this beer over two years ago following a buzzed afternoon in a Berlin biergarten. Though my palate has matured since then, this bottle did not even come close to what I experienced that late summer afternoon in 2008. Oh well. I guess it's better on-tap...

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2011 02:08:02 | More by dasenebler

KajII

North Carolina

3.65/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

[Best served in a Weizen glass]

Poured dark murky orange with an average sized white creamy head that had fair lacing. The aroma was heavy with yeast, mild grain malt, a light citus hop with notes of banana, coriander and cloves. It tasted light, sweet and quite yeasty at first and finished with this light sweet-bitter acidic yeasty flavor with hints of citrus, spices and a touch of banana with the flavor lasting an average amount of time. Mouthfeel was light in body and watery in texture with a soft carbonation. Overall a nice light full flavored Hefeweizen.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2011 17:07:17 | More by KajII

John

New York

4/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this fine Hefe at the Mondial de la Biére 2001 in Montreal. This is the real thing and IMHO there's no substitute for it (sorry domestic craft brewers of so called Hefe Weizens). Unfortunately, I haven't seen this one in the US (or at least not in NY) yet.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2002 11:28:16 | More by John

stephens101

Oklahoma

4.05/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Haven't gotten to too many hefe's this summer, and that's a shame. Time to change that. A murky, dark orange, almost amber brew is topped off with a big rolling off-white head which stays put for a bit while the active carbonation shoots to the top. All the typical hefe aromas are present, including banana, spice, grapefruit and maybe even some coriander. The smells are vivid and complex and very promising. Tastes spicy, tart and piney up front with a good fruity kick in the middle and a sweet malty finish. Mouth-feel is light bodied and atypically crisp, yet still weizen like in that it has some creaminess too. Figure that one out. After a few drinks a sour essence presents itself but doesn't take too much away from the experience. This one's a keeper.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2008 18:26:56 | More by stephens101

kkipple

South Carolina

3.85/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

So there’s this bar that’s become a staple of my Tuesday nights. It’s called The Whig and they offer 50 cent tacos made by a black guy who supposedly has a master’s degree in art. I’m not sure if the degree helps or not, but the man does assemble a delicious taco. The Whig also serves a fair selection of bottled beer, and was recently advertising this Maisel’s Weisse. First time I’ve seen it anywhere... I believe it just arrived in SC. Here you have me reviewing it at home on a hot night. (Is there any other kind in my city? But I digress.)

So anyway it pours into my 22oz Weizen glass an amber-honey color, with a dense white head and some yeast globs that fall to the bottom. Cloudy but not overly so. Head leaves no lacing as the beer is drunk.

Smells malty and yeasty, with the required banana-spice notes present. Not overwhelming though. Wheaty and safe smelling.

A long draught (I love that word) yields an impressively creamy, spicy wheat beer. Not as complex or forward as some other Weizens I’ve had, this one emphasizes a full mouthfeel and boasts a mellow, wheaty, banana taste with a mild bitter and sour finish. Not much in the way of hops, but nor should there be. The clove and spice flavors are a bit muted compared to, say, Wiestephaner’s offering, but still present. Actually one could call it “well balanced” and be pretty correct too. All in all, a hearty, warming and pleasant beer.

Mouthfeel is creamy and full, with a nice carbonation level. Warms the throat and leaves a dry, mildly sour apple taste behind.

While not a stunning beer, Maisel’s Weisse is a solid one, and if you enjoy the Hefe Wiezens, you certainly should seek it out. I suppose the highest praise I can give is that even though I’m not a huge fan of the Hefe style, I still enjoyed this one quite a bit.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2006 02:09:42 | More by kkipple

draheim

Washington

4.13/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500mL bottle (code 14.F 14:16) into a weizen glass. Pours a beautiful coppery amber color w/ a 1-finger white head, explosive carbonation. Lovely.

On the nose I get a nice blend of pear, apple, banana and spice. Really a surprisingly powerful aroma. Very nice.

Taste follows nose. Lots of sweet fruit, wheat malt, lemon and clean water. A touch of mellow banana/vanilla in there too.

Mouthfeel is just right. Smooth and thirst-quenching w/ a sharp crisp bite on the finish.

Overall I was impressed by this one. Didn't expect much (picked it up on a whim) and was pleasantly surprised. Always the best kind of beer experience when it happens.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2012 23:30:25 | More by draheim

OldFrothingSlosh

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

For some reason, I love the cloudy appearance of this beer. A beautiful light copper color in appearance with a very nice head that really lingers. Fragrant, citrus-like aroma. Good mouthfeel and very tasty. This is a beer that is really easy to drink and I will definitely have to keep a bottle or two in the fridge.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2002 08:47:47 | More by OldFrothingSlosh

PatrickJR

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +16.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 16.9 oz bottle into weizen glass.

A - A shade darker than most hefes, a bit orange/amber. Hazy, with a nice 3 finger head with decent retention but settles into nothing; no collar or cap. No lacing. Less than I expected from a hefe.

S - Wonderful, and a little different than some hefes. The banana is still there, along with faint clove notes, but there's something very sweet, maybe apple, with a lot of bread and nuts as well. More complex and less phenolic than most hefes.

T - Starts off with some overripe banana, with a suggestion of apple, peach, or other stone fruit. Very interesting. Mid palate some light wheat malt takes over, but the barley comes through as well making itself known much more than most hefes. Late palate is slightly phenolic but much less so than others of the style. Aftertaste is slightly citric, but not sour.

M - Highly carbonated and medium bodied, great for the style.

D - A great hefe, and a great beer at that, to kick back with. A little pricey, but worth it.

I love this hefeweizen, even if it does deviate somewhat from others. I feel Maisel's is a more functional "interpretation" than most. The sweeter, apple-like esters prevailing over sour wheat malt and clove/phenolic flavors make this one hell of a beer for me. It's gotta be the yeast.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2008 09:18:58 | More by PatrickJR

vkv822

Oregon

3.74/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

on-tap @ Belmont Station: tulip pint.
from notes.

Hazy, golden orange with a thick, billowy off white head.

Weizen yeast, faint clove and banana in both the nose and taste.

Medium body, with foamy carbonation.

An enjoyable Hefeweizen. Fairly standard, well done flavor profile, with an enjoyable body.

Serving type: on-tap

02-19-2013 07:17:20 | More by vkv822

flyingpig

United Kingdom (Scotland)

3.73/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark orange coloured here with cloudy look and a huge foamy white head with great retention as expected. Some carbonation evidence from bubbles too.

Clove coriander and banana. It’s not as strong as I’d have liked but acceptable for the style with some fruity spice. There is also a little bubblegum aroma at the end too.

Some banana, clove and pepper with touches of spice and coriander. I enjoyed it but much better hefeweizen out there within a similar price range.

Smooth with tonnes of carbonation and a sweet fruity tang with touches of spice. Medium body and well balanced if a little weak.

Average for a hefeweizen but it was nice and had good flavour. It could have been stronger in taste along with the smell and nothing really struck me for it as being overly exciting.

1001 Beers Blog: http://abarwithnoname.wordpress.com

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2012 20:12:05 | More by flyingpig

Nerudamann

Arizona

3.53/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a weizen glass.

Look - light amber color, clear, with about two fingers' worth of foam that dissipates quickly.

Smell - fruity, clove-like smell...generally with a typical hefe type of smell.

Taste - the taste is much like the smell, only the cloves are much more prevalent. It's got a darkish middle of the taste, which is hard to describe, but it just seems to warm up or mature in the middle.

Mouthfeel - pretty well-balanced overall, not having too much of a creamy or watery tendency to it.

Overall - not a bad brew, and pretty indicative of the style.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2012 03:15:01 | More by Nerudamann

nomad

Kansas

3.7/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured a very dark orange that appeared burnt or amber-like, and with a typical hefe haze. Also had a big off-white frothy head and streams and streams of minute bubbles rising.

Smelled of wheat and cloves but with a sour tinge to them and a very herby character, too. The scents were touch weak so the banana didn’t really come together. Taste was of an ambered hefe-weizen, so that the wheat had a slight roast flavor to it. Had a small lemon flavor at the end, not a sharp one, actually more sour than anything else. Some banana flavor too, but in sum a moderate body of flavors.

Had a very dry finish, more so than some other hefe's of recent - it came on quickly yet not sharply, very much like a banana cloy than the type wheat typically produces. Thin watery mouthfeel and easy to drink, I'd call this a good hefe-weizen.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2003 10:12:34 | More by nomad

vancurly

Australia

3.53/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

a) Dense frothy head, heavy lace. Dark orange / apricot hue, hazy, bubbly.
s) Typical Weizen.. banana, clove, wheat.... appealing balance
f) As with aroma, but with a more dominant wheat character.
m) Kinda light, slightly thin. Fades quickly. Needs more body and length.
d) Very quaffable

Serving type: on-tap

09-13-2007 10:35:24 | More by vancurly

DaveHS

California

3.63/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A-Pours cloudy golden/orange with nearly an inch of fluffy off white head. Reduces slowly, leaving soapy lacing.

S-Heavy clove and banana aromas. Soft wheat/earthy notes.

T/M-Soft and light. Carbonation isn't as prickly as the average German hefe. The earthy wheat notes indicated in the nose are not as prominent in the flavor profile. Thin mouthfeel and a crisp finish.

O-Okay.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2011 01:38:43 | More by DaveHS

Shadman

Alberta (Canada)

3.83/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Recent addition to the beer stable @ Trackside in Medicine Hat.

Certainly looks like a Weisse with the cloudy aprocot colour( although this beer is slightly darker than say Weihenstephaner). Nice thick head, good retention.

Classic Weisse aromas..caramel, banana, clove, and a slight tinge of pepper. Nice balance as no single aroma dominates.

Solid in the taste department as well. Bit watery initailly, but then the malt and banana yeast kick in. Clove and pepper spice follow up and linger into the dry finish.

Decent feel once the very brief watery period at the beginning is over.

Solid example of the style. Good summer thirst killer.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2012 00:02:11 | More by Shadman

Backer2004

North Carolina

4.13/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Goodbye Winter Warmers, Barleywines, and Old Ales for a while, it's already feels like summer here in NC. At 86 degrees and the first day mowing the lawn, this one really hit the spot afterwards. Lots of bananas and clove, but quite quenching and easy to drink as well. Lots of carbonation and good head retention. This one the ladies would love as well.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2007 19:05:31 | More by Backer2004

ElGuapo

New Jersey

3.9/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

a golden, straw colored brew with a head that was out of control (note that i was a bit aggressive on the pour). it was pillowy and white, and took a while to die down. yeast, dough, and bananas leap out of the glass into your nose as you take a whiff.

there is a lot of lemon flavor that bitters the sides of your tongue as the carbonation tingles the tip. it is quite a sensation. the crisp start fades, but the lemon lingers and you will have to swallow a few times to clear the taste. you are then left with a dry yeasty aftertaste. the yeast is present in the beginning, but it goes away for a bit and then comes in at the very end of a swallow. you will also get a good taste of bananas in the finish which provides a unique contrast to the lemon flavors that have just cleared out. it is not too complex, but the intensity of the flavors that it has keeps it very interesting. this is definitely a brew to try.

if you drain the bottle of all sediment, you will get much less of a citrus flavor. the yeast will take over. either way, it is still a pretty good one.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2003 12:16:57 | More by ElGuapo

ncvbc

North Carolina

3.65/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A pretty nice example of what a hefe has to offer. An off-orange color with the usual thick, white head. I don't pick up as much in terms of smell as I do with others that I've enjoyed. Cloves, some fruit, wheat. It's all hard to trace. The taste is also more tamed. I notice some fruit in the background but more spices come through in this one. A consistent mouthfeel that is a little on the lighter side. Not the greatest ever but I could come back for more of this in the future.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2007 20:05:41 | More by ncvbc

LittleCreature

Australia

4.03/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - 4.5
Pours orange to amber, a shade darker than most of the style. Atop sits a fluffy two fingers of off-white head. Very little haze in the original pour, but once the yeast is added, it is properly cloudy.

Smell - 4.0
Citrus (mostly lemon), banana, clove and light spice. Tempting.

Taste - 4.0
Falls short of the very best (Weihenstephan) but still a very tasty hefe. More bitter in the finish than most, which is at-odds with the style, and for this it loses points. Flavours of clove, mixed spice, orange peel, a soft apple-like fruitiness and a hay-like wheatiness.

Mouthfeel - 4.0
Again, not quite as smooth as the best, but there is persistent fine and reasonably lively carbonation.

Drinkability - 4.0
Very drinkable, particularly in summer. The fact that Weihenstephaner exists is probably the only thing that would stop me from buying more.

OVERALL - 4.1
A good example of one of my favourite styles.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2009 07:15:11 | More by LittleCreature

zaphodchak

Virginia

4.22/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Green Dragon in Portland, OR.

A finger of white head. Deep yellow body, some lace.

Bubblegum banana nose, very sweet.

Slight crispness up front, but then it's a banana-wheat smoothie. Nice.

Not too thick, sparse, bright carb.

Nice-a weisse! Get it? Because, you know.. it rhymes... It's a decent heff, but it's definitely on the sweet side, which works fine for me.

Serving type: on-tap

12-31-2011 18:52:48 | More by zaphodchak