Allgäuer Fürstabt Hefeweizen - Allgäuer Brauhaus AG

DoubleJ

California

3.65/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

On-tap at Hollingshead's, on to the beer:

This beer appears a hazy blonde, not as cloudy as other hefewiezens. The smell is good and dominant of ripe bananas and assorted fruit. The taste beings with banana and soft phenols. There's some trace of wheat malt and soon apricot notes appear. The body is light and semi-crisp, perhaps a little watety from the tap. Fairly clean aftertaste. As a thirst buster, this one does the job.

Serving type: on-tap

03-25-2008 05:44:00 | More by DoubleJ

msubulldog25

Oregon

3.85/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served on tap at Concordia Ale House, Portland, OR.

Pint was presented with a thick white foamy head, cloudy straw-yellow color. Smelled of yeast and citrus, mild spiciness. Taste was quite citrusy at first - almost sour - but became mellow with the yeasty bready flavors following. Was more carbonated than some hefes I've had, so it had a bit of that fizzy tingle.

Overall, a very nice (though not spectacular) hefeweizen. I would enjoy this beer again. It went especially well with the ravioli with lemon and capers on which we were dining.

Serving type: on-tap

02-21-2006 17:45:07 | More by msubulldog25

falloutsnow

Illinois

3.98/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle purchased from Friar Tuck's in Savoy, IL.
No bottled on date.
Poured into a Weihenstephaner hefeweizen glass.

Pours a fairly large (>4cm) head of very compressed, fine off-white bubbles, giving a very dense, foamy appearance that just starts to begin looking pillowy. Head breaks down over the course of several minutes to remain a thin ring around the glass with an island or two. Some spotty lacing is left. Body color is a dark golden yellow orange color away from light, a pale gold-orange when held to it. Semi-hazy, can still see distorted images through the glass, but there is suspended yeast and larger particles. Carbonation visible, rather sluggish.

Aroma of ripe bananas, musty yeast, and wheat malt on the sweet side. Also features mellow lemon citrus and a faint mineral character. Good, and rather distinctive.

Taste opens with sweetness from malt alongside gentle, but very noticeable tartness of a citrus nature. This fades out and ushers in some banana and clove flavors, along with continuing light tartness. Slight mineral notes creep in later on, probably from yeast. Aftertaste is of banana, light lemon citrus, and yeast.

Carbonation is a bit active, so this is initially felt on the palate, but not in an unpleasant way. Thus, mouthfeel is tingly, transitioning to fairly smooth. Body is about medium, arguably medium-light, and carbonation is adequate to support it.

While the freshness of the bottle is uncertain, I still really enjoyed this hefeweizen. Having many of this style lately, I thought the distinct flavor combinations in this one were a relief from the typical.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2011 17:25:56 | More by falloutsnow

Murrhey

Montana

3.33/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pint bottle poured in a pilsner glass.

A: Poured a clearish head, two fingers thick. The color is a straw-orange sort of color, opaque and cloudy, but well carbonated.

S: Hoppy and fruity, nice smell. Some banana essences.

T: Initial spiciness, finishes clear with no bite.

M: Maybe a bit watery. So smooth.

O: In finishing this beer, I realized it may not have been the most complex beer, but it was tasty and smooth and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2011 02:05:55 | More by Murrhey

Tucquan

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this on 2011-02-28 in Columbia, PA

A - Cloudy, dark straw with a 1-finger head and mild lacing.

S - Fresh, lemon, apple, clove, yeast, light grain.

T - Crisp, fresh, tart and sweet apple with lemon, mild spice, light grain, yeast and a touch of hops. Didn't get banana. Quite tasty.

M - Light-medium body and high carbonation. Effervescent and smooth.

D - Very drinkable. A nice tasting, refreshing hefe that I enjoyed and would seek out again.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2011 11:29:08 | More by Tucquan

NA1NSXR

California

4/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance - Typical hefeweizen look, maybe a touch more carbonation activity than the normal high amount, and a bunch of suspended black flakes in the beer but I don't know what they are. The lacing is a uniform coat in my tall glass.

Smell - The typical hefeweizen smell, with the banana and spice.

Taste - Above average sweetness for a hefe, the banana/fruit flavor is up front ands clean with a hint of booze near the end. This one lacks a wheat malt finish though. I'm kind of mixed in the taste. I like the stronger/sweeter banana character in a hefeweizen but I also need a wheat finish to balance it out. This one doesn't have that.

Mouthfeel - Smoother than the avergae hefe, and the carbonation is well controlled despite the active appearance.

Drinkability - If you like the style or this beer in particular you can have a lot of them.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2010 03:41:41 | More by NA1NSXR

JohnGalt1

Idaho

3.75/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

17oz bottle picked up today at Tres Bonne Cuisine for $3.50... poured into my small weizen glass...

very pretty creamy looking 2 finger head popped out over the top of the glass... the brew is expected cloudy honey golden.

Clove and banana in the nose.. of course... soft bready sweetness..

Quite a bit of banana in this one.. more than expected.. again.. pretty bready maltiness.. The mouthfeel is soft.. and the carbonation is on the light side lending a little to the heavy side.

Pretty good.. but not a benchmark in my mind...

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2009 04:00:05 | More by JohnGalt1

corby112

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Serving type: bottle.

Pours a clear golden color with a white head. Aroma of citrus and banana. Taste surprisingly less citrus like than other hefeweizens. Strong banana presence with hints of lemon and orange peel. Very refreshing and easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2008 08:16:27 | More by corby112

athensbeermaster

Georgia

3.73/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

This beer was brewed in Kempten,Germany. The appearance is slightly hazy, and the color is a amber yellow with a green hue when it reflects in the light. The head was big and fizzy like a sparkling wine. The nose had a grass and clove aroma to it. The taste is much more of what was in the nose a fresh cut grass,herbal,with a nice oily clove finish.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2008 03:07:30 | More by athensbeermaster

Globetrotter

Virginia

4/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Found in a Moscow grocery store, the brown half liter bottle sports a gold and blue label featuring an etching of a baroque church, the coat of arms, and a brief history lesson about Kempten. Purity law applies, of course. Best before 7/29/06, I opened it to celebrate President's Day, 2/20/06.

Pours a nice hazy yellow gold under a 1.5 finger white head with lots of body and nice staying power. Strings of lace abound. Good smooth nose of coriander and yeast. The mouth is light and well carbonated. Mild flavor profile, with wheat and yeast both present but far from overpowering. Spices are here, too - a dash of coriander and a splash of lemon. No discernible hops flavor until well after the finish, with a shadow of bitterness wafts across the back of the palate. There are bolder versions of this style, but this one is a rock solid rendition.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2006 13:14:36 | More by Globetrotter

TheLongBeachBum

California

3.4/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Presentation: Yet another example of a Multi-variant Germanic Style from the Braumasters at Allgäuer Brauhaus. This Allgäuer Fürstabt has a Gold colored main and V-Shaped neck label with the word Hefeweizen in a small thin red band. Painted white crown cap completes the presentation. Just as the BA Database picture my sample arrived in a 1 Pint 0.9 fluid ounce standard tall looking brown glass bottle. No strength or observable freshness date. Lots of German on the label, but a small partial English translation lists this as “Premium Weizen”.

Appearance: Slightly hazed tangerine orange body that infuses the body with a nectarine blush when backlit from my desk lamp. Smooth minute bubbled head forms a cloud like off-white blanket that carpets the body and remains at least ½” thick throughout. Nice lacing and above average carbonation.

Nose: Thick banana toffee and chewy cloves in this one. The yeast takes a back seat here and is domiciled by the stronger fruity aspects.

Taste: Cloves, banana toffee and sweetish malts, yet again, hey I wasn’t surprised either. Tasty stuff though and thicker than the Kristallweizen at times. Much more cloves and banana toffee in this one than I would usually take to for a Session beer. A little one-dimensional as such.

Mouthfeel: Another smooth yet slick chewy brew that imparts an amazingly soft talcum carbonated feel on the tongue and cheeks. Decent presence.

Drinkability: A decent enough Hefeweizen but nothing to keep my interest beyond this bottle to be honest. Average.

Overall:
Q: “What tastes the almost the same, yet comes in 3,965 different variants??”
A: “German Wheat Bier”

I “think” I preferred the Fürstabt Kristallweizen, though after trying the Gazillion takes on the same Wheat Beer I’m not sure I could really tell the difference if I’m brutally honest. Why is it that so many German Breweries make so many different Wheat Beers that all sort of taste alike?..maybe it’s just me right?!. Cost $1.99 like all but one of the other Allgäuer Brauhaus beers that I picked up this weekend. Worth trying, just to see if you can tell the difference from all the other Allgäuer Wheat beer variants ;-))

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2004 06:12:58 | More by TheLongBeachBum

Zorro

California

3.55/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a cloudy orange colored brew.

Smell is sweet with the expected banana and cloves scent, a bit spicy and medicinal.

Taste is drier than expected with a creamy and tart banana flavor like a banana tapioca pudding. Bit of a medicine taste.

Mouthfeel is OK.

An OK Hefe, can find better.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2004 02:20:17 | More by Zorro

GCBrewingCo

North Carolina

3.73/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

The beer pours clear golden yellow with a huge moussy head. The aroma is slight yeasty wheat and slight fruit. The flavor is fruity and slightly sour and quite refreshing. The body is light and the beer finishes dry. The drinkability is high.

16.9 ounce bottle.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2003 00:46:21 | More by GCBrewingCo

RoyalT

Ohio

2.85/5  rDev -22.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2.5

Appearance – Nice, murky orange in color with a big head that disappeared in seconds.

Smell – The yeast comes out nicely at the nose along with a fruity orange aroma.

Taste – I like the flavor of this ale. The yeast is there and the fruits are significant but not overpowering. It lacks dimension, though, and is kind of bland.

Mouthfeel – This was the weizen’s weak point, IMO. The ale was flatter than a pancake, making the flavors heavy instead of light and fluffy.

Drinkability – This went down OK, but it’s not what comes to mind when I think of hefeweizen. The mouthfeel was a backbreaker for this effort by Allgauer.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2003 03:14:42 | More by RoyalT

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The color is slightly darker than some, pouring a light amber color that looks like "apple cider", and it has the haze to go along with it. The creamy white head holds fairly well before dropping to a thin surface covering, but it leaves no lacing. The nose is more fruity and citrusy than most, and offers more berries and lemon than banana. Spiciness is also limited; but it does offer some bready malt (which is unusual). The body is light/medium; and it's fine carbonation is lower than many examples at around 2.7 volumes CO2/liter. It gives just a gentle zest on the tongue that awakens the tastebuds and enhances the flavor. The yeast character is more restrained than it is in many weizens, in terms of both aroma and flavor. It's quite a different yeast than the banana/clove Weihenstephan strain, and the fruitiness that the nose expresses carries over into the flavor with next to no banana but a splash of tart lemon. There's a very delicate spiciness present, but it's quite subtle and tends to become more apparent in the aftertaste. The sweetness of the flavor seems restrained in comparison to many, and it has a refreshingly dry, lightly tart character to it. It's interesting, refreshing, and very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2003 03:29:32 | More by NeroFiddled

Mustard

District of Columbia

3.38/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Presentation: 17oz. brown bottle with no "bottled on" or "best by" date; $1.79 from the Winehouse in West LA.

Appearance: Pours a cloudy caramel-gold with a fine, white, two-fingered head; decent retention but very little lacing.

Smell: Sweetly tart; yeasty; banana notes pervade; hints of lemon.

Taste: Soft, yeasty wheat backbone largely characterized by moderately strong banana esters, middling amounts of clove-like phenols and faint traces of lemon.

Mouthfeel: Fairly creamy and full; carbonation moderate to high and fairly fine.

Notes: Good but not great hefe. Certainly worth a drink.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2003 01:16:58 | More by Mustard

marcobrau

Illinois

3.33/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours with a bit of foam but not as much as some German weiss. A bit light in color, but not in body. A medium-bodied weiss with a lot of yeastiness. Theyeast adds a citrus flavor to this beer (without any lemon, I don't put lemon in my hefe-weiss) that is rather pronounced. The carbonation is rather smooth making this beer quite drinkable. Not boring, but not very exciting either, this weiss offers something different compared to other weiss beers that are more phenoic with notes of banana and cloves. Basically, if you like a citric tasting weiss beer this is your baby.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2003 19:20:36 | More by marcobrau

AudioGilz

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

It's very cloudy, more so than other hefeweizens I've had lately. The head is enormous and fluffy. It has a pretty weak aroma. I did just get over a cold though so who knows. I got some lemony zest and clove out of it, and a touch of banana. Very smooth on the palate, medium carbonation, crisp finish. The strong note of the flavor is a yeasty twang. This seems heavier on the yeast than other German hefe's. Banana is there pretty strongly as well, with a lemon background. The twang sticks around for a pleasant and refreshing aftertaste. A pleasant and refreshing brew to say the least. It's worth a try for sure, just as good as all the big names from Germany.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2003 20:04:02 | More by AudioGilz