El Jefe Weizen Ale - Hale's Ales Brewery & Pub

JayQue

Virginia

3.68/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A "West Coast" Hefe. Pours the requisite Hefeweizen straw color with the standard big head with tiny bubbles.

Smell is very mild but there is cloves, bananas and astringency.

Tastes starts out the same as the smell. The hefeweizen flavors are more pronounced than the aroma....but wait, whats that at the end....?

A strong hops finish!!!

In all, it works fairly well. Somebody looking for a standard hefeweizen will be disappointed with the finish, but it is a pretty good beer overall.

Mouthfeel is rich. The switch from astringent to bitter at the end would be more pleasing to some than others and this would affect mouthfeel and drinkabiltiy.

I could enjoy several of these on a hot day. THose that don't fancy West Coast hops in their hefeweizen should look elsewhere.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2008 03:36:45 | More by JayQue

yemenmocha

Arizona

4.03/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a luscious straw yellow, plenty of hazy, and a gorgeous meringue-like head - reminds me of graceful flowing snow in winter.

Nose is fresh, bready, faint bananna.

Palate is a little disappointing given the fine leadup with appearance and aroma. Not very flavorful in any of the normal directions that a hefe-weizen often goes. Balanced, but uninteresting.

Finish is semi-short. Easy drinking wheat.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2007 03:52:25 | More by yemenmocha

Westsidethreat

California

2.8/5  rDev -22.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

A: Drab peachy copper color with some haze to it. Head is boring and quite low, just a small ring of buttermilk colored foam wraps around the glass. Whole lotta sediment at the bottom of this bottle...think I am gonna avoid most of it.

S: Spicy wheat, cloves, green bananas and copper.

T: Begins sour and grassy, a lot like how lemongrass juice would taste I suppose. Not as much banana in the taste as in the nose, but it does follow suit with the tastes being under ripe. Some minor butterscotch flavors coexist with the sour notes, but not enough to make an impact. Finishes sour and grassy.

M: Medium body with just a sting of carbonation. Probably the best part of the beer unfortunately.

D: Not really sure why I bought this beer, I know better. Guess I'm just dumb. Once in a while an American brewery will make a decent German style hefe but few and far between. This is drinkable, but barely...

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2007 23:21:30 | More by Westsidethreat

froghop

Washington

3.33/5  rDev -8%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

pours is a very cloudy orange, with a thin off-white head, lots of sediment, and not much lacing.

smell is of orange peel, coriander, spice, and a hint of ripe banana.

taste is crisp, wheat, spice, citrus, a little banana, and orange peel, end is a little dry.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2009 16:04:58 | More by froghop

Seanibus

California

4/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Light and refreshing and very wheaty, without lot of the phenolic funk you'd expect from a true Hefeweizen. Really, this is a slightly edgy version of an American Wheat, and if you go into it expecting that, I think you'll enjoy this beer more.

Pours a slightly hazy golden with a big white fluffy head. The aroma is very wheaty with a kiss of honey. The taste follows through precisely, with a super mouthful of wheat, with that bready, breakfast cereal character, and a finish of sweet honey. There is a little fruit in here, but muted - apricot, perhaps, some white grape. There is relatively mild bitterness without a lot of obvious hop flavor. The mouthfeel is fairly slick.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2010 21:00:50 | More by Seanibus

RJLarse

Washington

3.73/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I bought a bomber of El Jefe while traveling in western Washington. Poured in to a weizen glass.

Pours a pale gold color and is hazy, with a little yeast residue in the glass. Many bubbles are seen rising through the beer. A rich, foamy white head forms, and is very resilient.

The smell is strong, sweet and fruity. There is a soft fruit aroma of pears and apples, Also a bit of spice aroma like cinnamon.

The taste is nice, a traditional clove and banana flavor, with a little bitterness with it.

Mouthfeel is light and dry. There is a bit of a dry paper feel to it.

A very drinkable and authentic tasting hefe. I would have this again, and I'd love to try it on tap.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2007 23:21:08 | More by RJLarse

draheim

Washington

3.98/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottled (not bottling date) poured into a weizen glass.

Hazy yellow with a rich creamy head - good classic hefeweizen appearance.

Nose is banana, yeast, and spice. Really nice.

Taste is crisp and clean with a lot of banana, pepper and clove. A little more lemon too as I get closer to the yeasty bottom of the bottle.

Nice crisp mouthfeel with good carbonation.

Overall this is a pretty good local interpretation of a German classic.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2011 02:54:59 | More by draheim

cswhitehorse

Oregon

3.38/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Mr. Jefe pours a rather clear Hefe-weizen. There was not much carbonation as the head disappeared rather quickly.

The smell was good as I got a hint of bananas from the odor.

The beer had less body in regards to taste as it was light like a lager.

The mouthfeel was all around but was a little to feather like.

It went down nice especially on this hot day.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2007 02:26:28 | More by cswhitehorse

theopholis

California

3.43/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance- Reasonably cloudy gold/yellow with a decent, but not great white head. Head settles out VERY quickly, leaving no lace.

Aroma- Good, clean, failry sour aroma. Smells of fresh lemons. Not much in the way of banana or clove. Smells very tart. Hmmm...

Taste- Tastes fare more interesting than it smells. Fairly sour and tart with a bite at the back of the throat. Lots of green apple in the aft-taste. Hint of banana and clove. Not as much as some hefes. Kind of spicey for a hefe, but it's not unpleasant. Missing some things I expect in a hefe, but it's interesting enough to where I wouldn't mind trying another one.

Mouthfeel- Medium body for hefe, but not as chewy as you might expect. Good carbonation level. Nice CO2 bite.

Drinkability- Very refreshing. Still lacks something I expect in a hefe, including the clove and banana. But I would definately give this a whirl.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2007 02:41:50 | More by theopholis

beertaster13

Washington

4.1/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a very light yellow with white haziness. The head pours about a 1 inch thick creaminess, as the session progresses it turned into lacing at best. The smell is of light grain, the yeast is buttery and biscuity, hints of lemon cloves, a spring run through a forest. The taste has a specific belgian yeast characteristic that I love, citrus lingerings with a banana finish. The grains are noticable but not overbearing. Very nice with a salad or during lunch, light enough to keep you going. Very nice.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2005 04:09:41 | More by beertaster13

rayjay

Hawaii

2.23/5  rDev -38.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Purchased from BevMo in Sacramento ("Beverages...More than we can sell"?) Not too impressive, a dissapointment from a good brewery. Hazy, but oxidized looking, leaving no lace, and indeed the foam disappeared before too long. Boring and thin, undercarbonated, with no real flavor virtues that I look for in the style. No clove or banana, but I can't take points off for that because it's not a German wheat, it's American. Under-attenuated. Sweet and sticky, not over the top but just enough to make it unappealing. I don't know if it's an old bottle or not--no date on the bottle. Two of us had trouble finishing just one bottle. The mild hops are one of the only things we enjoyed. This would not be refreshing on a hot day, so I can't say this fits the style very well. Sorry Hales, better luck next time.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2007 04:11:28 | More by rayjay

Padron4KM

Arizona

2.6/5  rDev -28.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

22 oz bomber w/ no bottled on or best before date.


Hazy golden straw, smallish head for a hefe, only two fingers high and rapidly dissipating.

Aroma is mildly banana and very light clove.

Flavor is mostly lemony with a slight spice finish.

I bought this because el jefe is my nickname, that's what I get for going for the gimmick. Probably wouldn't buy again.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2007 05:15:24 | More by Padron4KM

czechsaaz

Washington

2.8/5  rDev -22.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Lots of tart wheat aroma with subtle spiciness. (not banana/clove, more like yeast/estery.) Smells a little like dried apricots. No hops in the aroma, which is right for most wheat beers. Deep gold color and cloudy. Big head fades quickly leaving a small white head.

Tart start, in fact tart is dominant. Not off or infected, but this can happen with a good amount of wheat in the grist. Pretty nice malty finish but again, tart throughout. Very little hop flavor. Not a whole lot of spice either.

I had this at the brewery a week or so ago and was WAY more impressed than the bottle version. I'm a bit surprised that I don't really care for this beer. Will take notes at the brewery and review again. Could be an old bottle as wheat beers must be consumed fresh imo.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2005 00:18:31 | More by czechsaaz

bosco7

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Slightly hazy pale golden color. Decent fluffy little head.

Smell is pretty inviting. Lots of lemon zest, pepper, clove, white grape, and some earthy aromas present.

Starts a bit sweet with lemon and banana flavors. Pepper and hop flavors are pronounced. Hop flavors are spicy. Tartness comes in towards the finish. Ends bitter. Tastes pretty good.

Mouthfeel is really light and a bit prickly.

This is a pretty good beer. I wouldn't call it a Hefeweizen but El Jefe sounds so cool. I think if this was a tad less bitter I could drink a whole lot more of it. Still a good brew.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2008 01:53:39 | More by bosco7

hreb

Washington

3.93/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle poured into pint glass. Pale yellow and fairly hazy. Medium thick white head forms nicely.

Traditional yeasty citrus-wheat aroma. Big bubbles float up through the beer.

Flavor is dead on for an American/German-style hefeweiss. Very lemony/citrusy. Good wheat flavor, not just for show, and fresh. Moderate bitterness. A good bit of clove. The only fault I can find with this beer is that the lemon flavor is a little strong...I wonder if there's something added.

I should note that my bottle had a bunch of sediment firmly in the bottom -- agitating it produced a much cloudier pour with no damage to the flavor, while reducing the carbonation nicely.

Having moved to Seattle from Boston this could totally challenge UFO as my every day drinking hefeweiss.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2012 03:27:28 | More by hreb

pinotboy007

Virginia

3.6/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Into a tall Paulaner glass: cloudy pale apple cider-like appearance with a modest but dense white cap and lacing.

S - Corriander, some banana, white pepper, and clove.

T - Pretty much as it smells, with the white pepper up front that fades to the spice, green apple and bannana hints. Finishes a bit sour.

M - Light carbonation and a bit creamy.

D - Nice drinkability - would be decent for warmer weather.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2009 21:21:04 | More by pinotboy007

Dotcubed

Arkansas

2.9/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 2

I got this in Colorado, no telling how old it might be.

Pours almost flat. very light bubbling from the bottom of the sam adam's glass. Good color, nice orange peel color. Smells sour, citrus, good impresion.

Unfortunately it's pretty much dead flat.

Nice taste, sweet, light with some gentle bitterness. I like it, except that there isn't any bubbles. Beer without bubbles is like mac & cheese without the mac. Cheese is good by itself but something important is missing.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2008 23:19:04 | More by Dotcubed

Ghenna

California

4.25/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

My wife brought this back from a trip to Seattle:
Pours a murky golden straw little in the way of a white head. Smells awesome- definite notes of banana and yeast; in a word, I would describe it as inviting and delicious.
Tastes also of bananas, with a little bit of bitter (though not hop bitter) at the end.
My only wish is that it were a little more carbonated, but this is an awesome brew. Many thanks to my wife for procuring it for me

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2010 04:43:09 | More by Ghenna

PhiloPsych

California

2.9/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

It was surprisingly clear for a Hefeweizen. The head was fizzy and dissipated quickly. The smell was quite yeasty and a bit alcoholic--reminded me a bit of La Fin du Monde. Taste was a bit odd. Some banana came through, most clearly in the aftertaste. It was not bad, but it was not good enough for me to really enjoy drinking it; so I had to mark it down for drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2007 07:51:47 | More by PhiloPsych

1234Jack

4.08/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Smell out of bottle is primarily malty with subtle hops.

Nice yeasty, unfiltered look. Head that settles but never dies, floats on top.

Nice milky first feel, malty but zesty citric taste, but not too overpowering or too sour. Not too bitter.

Smell out of glass is more lemony.

Even though it's winter time now, I can tell this would be a spectacular summertime beer.

Subtle apple, but smooth and no bad aftertastes.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2013 08:28:50 | More by 1234Jack

jclzony

Washington

3.15/5  rDev -13%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

22 ounce bottle. Pours a hazed light amber color with a buttery head that leaves a lacey ring. Aroma is aromatic and pleasant with a balance of banana and citrus. The appearance is somewhat hazy golden-colored body with a large. Fizzy with a slightly acidic tang that contains mild fruit flavors. Finishes with a dry taste and more hopped than a typical Hefe. A full bodied version of an American wheat with a mild banana and clove essence.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2007 22:37:07 | More by jclzony

weizendoc

California

2.05/5  rDev -43.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

22 oz bomber poured into a weisbierglas. Big frothy white head of at least 1.5 inches fills to the top. I don't really pick up much nose, maybe some hops.
First pull tastes faintly lemony or fruity in some way. Next I start smelling bathroom cleaner and, by goodness, I think I'm drinking the 'scrubbing bubbles'.
I poured out the remaining 2/3 of the bottle. This offering from Hale's falls far short of Widmer or Pyramid for sure. It's not even on the same scale as the Bavarians.
When I studied in Seattle in the early 1990's, Hale's Pale Ale was the first micro that I really, really liked. Bummer, El Jefe tastes like the boss of the janitors!

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2006 06:33:21 | More by weizendoc

ggddaaee1

Oklahoma

2.17/5  rDev -40.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 2

Serving: Poured from a 22 oz bottle into a pint glass.

Color: Dark yellow/orange with a medium haze.

Smell: Some citrus and banana.

Taste: Sour with a slight citrus. The after taste reminds of what my mouth felt like after eating Sour Straws as a kid.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2009 03:18:06 | More by ggddaaee1