Widmer Hefeweizen - Widmer Brothers Brewing Company

Jason

Massachusetts

3.98/5  rDev +22.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12oz brown bottle with a freshness date, served sans lemon.

LOOK: Opaque pale amber, excellent head.

SMELL: Bready wheat, faint bubble gum, vague ripe fruit, neutral yeast and some pizza dough

TASTE: Heavenly smoothness, moderate body, bready, grainy, assertive hop bitterness, slightly herbal, ripe fruit, spice, bubble gum, light tartness, yeast, drying finish

A highly underrated beer style or perhaps an overly disliked or misunderstood style. For what it is, Widmer brews a great one.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2012 00:18:09 | More by Jason

Todd

Massachusetts

2.63/5  rDev -19.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Out with Redhook's wheat and in with Widmer's Hefeweizen! Thanks to Anheuser-Busch ... and at least on the East Coast.

12oz brown bottle. Freshness embossed on the front of the label.

Extremely cloudy and straw light amber, topped with a creamy white lace; color and suspension of particles seemed contrived ... it poured cloudy, after settling in the fridge for days; odd, didn't need any rousing. Light citrus, wheat and faint clove in the aroma; weak overall. Clean, crisp carbonation and somewhat smooth with a pear-feel on the palate later. Sharp citric flavour upfront, that fades very quickly and allows a rather bland malt profile of wheat tannins and dry grain to come through and dominate. Light and short lived spice. Touch of fruitiness, but none of the expected banana or clove of a true "Hefeweizen." Okay, there's some light banana, but it's very weak, and the spice is more generic than distinct like clove. Notes of gum can also be detected as the beer warms, as well as some depth of pale malt sweetness. Finish is dry, with linger wheat and spice; not pleasant; mouthful of wheat husk; odd.

Tired of American breweries brewing a wheat beer and calling it a Hefeweizen? Then you can probably skip this beer. Otherwise, give it a try. It's average at best, with only hints of traditional style, but that's okay ... It's still enjoyable and I recommend that you let the beer warm a bit to loosen up on all of those tannins and allow some of the sweetness and other nuances to emerge.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2003 20:25:46 | More by Todd

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Presentation: 12 oz short brown twist with an ink jet printed drink before date above the label.

Appearance: Cloudy orange gold with a clinging bubbly white lace.

Smell: Fruity with mild citrus, hints of malted wheat and a touch of yeast.

Taste: Very smooth (almost creamy) and medium bodied, mildly crisp up front with a light bite of grain and yeast. Then comes some fruit, malted wheat, bread/biscuit and a flavourful hop bitterness (citrusy). Faint rustic under-tones appear from the flavour of the yeast and linger with some grain and a soft spicy flavour.

Notes: A simply amazing brew ... brewed with an Altbier yeast strain and hopped with Tettnanger and Cascade hops to make for an unequaled brew amongst the many American wheat beers. This was proven at The 1998 Great American Beer Fest by being awarded a gold in the American wheat category. Top pick for American wheat beers!

Serving type: bottle

07-17-1999 00:00:01 | More by BeerAdvocate

ZEB89

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev +7.4%

05-22-2013 16:21:39 | More by ZEB89

InspectorBob

New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev -0.3%

05-22-2013 15:39:48 | More by InspectorBob

MarkQ617

Massachusetts

2.81/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75

I had this on draft at some bar in Charleston, I can't remember the name of it for the life of me. The flavor and smell were a bit dull, maybe it's just a bit more malty than I'm used to for a wheat beer like this. The mouthfeel and head were a little weak as well in my opinion, usually you want that grainly bready feeling in your mouth that just...wasn't there for me. Typically like a bit more citrus flavor here as well.

Serving type: on-tap

05-21-2013 19:16:07 | More by MarkQ617

canders0927

Texas

2.25/5  rDev -31%

05-21-2013 15:47:53 | More by canders0927

45nDown

Arizona

3.75/5  rDev +15%

05-21-2013 03:39:14 | More by 45nDown

johntfox

Florida

3.5/5  rDev +7.4%

05-21-2013 02:13:28 | More by johntfox

510a

Washington

3.75/5  rDev +15%

05-19-2013 21:57:14 | More by 510a

TheZzyzxScarecrow

North Carolina

3/5  rDev -8%

05-19-2013 17:59:51 | More by TheZzyzxScarecrow

YieldToNothing

New York

2.75/5  rDev -15.6%

05-16-2013 23:49:19 | More by YieldToNothing

NickyG213

Arizona

3.75/5  rDev +15%

05-16-2013 02:01:51 | More by NickyG213

DaveOB

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev +7.4%

05-14-2013 13:55:24 | More by DaveOB

Bouleboubier

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +21.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

(on tap at the Widmer Gasthaus, April 2013)

A: bright yellow-gold, fairly cloudy.... beautiful head retention, minimum lacing

S: mellow dinner-roll/doughy maltiness, some faint banana esters, hops about nil

T: lightly doughy, white-bready.... nice balance of citrusy esters.... "American" flavors (hop?) and bitterness level....nice long malty aftertaste - this actually tastes more like a hefeweizen than a simple wheat pale ale

M: medium-bodied... the carbonation opens up the body a little more than what I prefer (which is a smoother, denser malt foundation with the bubbles only hitting up front and maybe in the end)... does feel like it has a touch of weight in the finish, but it soon washes away clean and light yet feels satisfyingly filling

O: actually good! - so much better and more to it than the crap that we get in bottles out east... likely doesn't hold up well in storage and Widmer just doesn't have the name recognition out here to move it

Serving type: on-tap

05-13-2013 23:12:18 | More by Bouleboubier

cbnz

British Columbia (Canada)

3/5  rDev -8%

05-12-2013 18:49:21 | More by cbnz

JuicesFlowing

Kansas

3.94/5  rDev +20.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a fluted pilsner glass.

Look: An unfiltered golden color with a soapy white head that calms to a film. Very light lacing stays on the glass.

Aroma: Grassy, malty, sweet, with banana notes.

Taste: Starts with a nice mellow malt sweetness. Transitions into more floral and banana notes with a hint of citrus in the finish.

Mouthfeel: Bright and carbonated.

Overall: A nice brew to session outdoors in nice weather. I like the overall flavor profile here.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2013 17:42:43 | More by JuicesFlowing

Bill235

Ohio

3/5  rDev -8%

05-09-2013 14:25:41 | More by Bill235

danfix99

Minnesota

3/5  rDev -8%

05-09-2013 13:34:41 | More by danfix99

thatdewguy

North Carolina

2.5/5  rDev -23.3%

05-09-2013 05:10:16 | More by thatdewguy

lcdawg

Mississippi

3.5/5  rDev +7.4%

05-08-2013 04:35:52 | More by lcdawg

blknikon

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev -0.3%

05-07-2013 23:18:44 | More by blknikon

MikeRice1969

Oregon

3.5/5  rDev +7.4%

05-07-2013 02:17:07 | More by MikeRice1969

nickleeye

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev +7.4%

05-06-2013 17:01:13 | More by nickleeye

IdrinkBeerinCollege

Oregon

4.25/5  rDev +30.4%

05-05-2013 09:13:06 | More by IdrinkBeerinCollege