I think because many of the German beers tend to mellow flavored, whereas many if not most beer connoisseurs-geeks-enthusiasts prefer beers with more intense flavors. As for the thread question, Ive had their Kristalweissbier, Korbinian, Vitus, and Hefewiessbier, all of which were very good. I havent had any of these in a while and am long overdue for some again.
If I'm looking for a solid pint and I can't make up my mind the hefe always wins. The Korbinian is a fantastic beer with all sorts of potential for pairing and cooking with- I have an awesome chili recipe that I use it in and have done pot roast with a reduction that calls for it as well. Fantastic price, great beer, but it gets forgotten next to the hop bombs and Belgians on the shelf.
Excellent brews at a fair price point, it's no wonder they are the oldest brewery in the world.. I do find it curious that in the States it is labeled as Weihenstephaner but elsewhere (Israel from my direct experience) it is simply sold as Weihenstephan
Generally I'd say they're pretty terrific. World class without a doubt and certainly one of the best overall breweries in the world. Their weissbier might be the best in the world. At the very least, it's top 3 for sure. Their dark weiss is excellent, too. The helles is okay, but not their strongest offering. The pils is good, though. It shows up here and there in the US, which is a relatively recent development. Korbinian is one of the top doppelbocks anywhere. It's probably my #2, although it has some characteristics that even my fave (Andechs) doesn't do as well. Vitus is pretty unique in that it isn't insanely strong and that it takes the normal weiss flavors and boosts them up slightly. I prefer dark weizenbocks, but Vitus is my exception. You can't really go wrong with anything they make...at least as long as it's fresh. Feel free to grab old Korbinian bottles (it'll hold up fine), but pay attention to their others.
Weihenstephan is the brewery name and it's on the back side of the label of the bottles I have. Possessive noun(? my English grammar wasn't the best) using Weihenstephaner, me thinks.
I like their Hefe, but only when it's way past the expired date. Removes the banana flavor, so that it is able to be enjoyed.
The brewery is Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan. Weihenstephan is the old abbey town in Germany, Weihenstephaner is the adjective form ("of Weihenstephan"). Just like Wien (Vienna) and Wienerschnitzel. Prost! EDIT: And their beers are traditional and quite delicious. For wheat beers though, I prefer the Schneider brewery. Drinking fresh Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier in Germany is pretty tough to beat, however!
I have only had 7 of their beers and all except one have been good to excellent for style. Only one i disliked was their Festbier.
An extract from my recent post in the Germany forum: A fresh & not beat up Weihenstephan Hefeweizen is a beer of beauty! An old or beat up (in transport) Weihenstephan Hefeweizen is a major disappointment. Cheers!
I don't understand what everyone is talking about Weihenstephaner beers suck and I have organized my own personal reclamation corporation to take in and recycle of any Weihenstephaner beers anyone may need to dispose. Send them my way and I'll be sure that they are handled in the proper manner. (Please disregard this BA review, I think I'd been drinking at the time. )
Well, I have to believe that lumping the 3 types of beer drinkers together may be overboard, but I'll admit to having been all of the above -- yet, as a "connoisseur" I have to say that I understand the wide range of beer style and appreciate the mellow to monster choices we have in beers. So to the Weihenstephaner line, from Korbinian to the original Weizen, let the geeks who prefer the "intense" flavors look elsewhere, I tend to always find something to please my thirst from the oldest brewery in the world.
Everything ive had from them has been world class. I picked up vitus cause it was new at my local bottle shop and was floored by it, then i got Korbinian and it was even better! No need to check any reviews from this brewery, i automatically grab anything from.
I think Im a beer enthusiast. I dont know nearly enough to be considered a geek, and I dont think Im classy enough to be called a connoisseur. Not with my drunken foolishness haha
Absolutely. Respectfully, I see little point for debate here. This is a brewery by which others are judged.
Hold on, is someone implying that Korbinian isn't intense? Hmm, guess I'd better go dump that case in the cellar...
No -- wait: The Weihenstephaner Reclamation Corp. is open for your service! And to the question, I think that there are many a BA member who might think a DIPA by some west coast micro is the definition of "intense" more than a lowly Doppelbock. Not that I agree with that misconception...
Enjoying their pilsner right now. I have a weakness for a good pilsner, and this fits the criteria nicely. But it's not as mindblowing as their hefeweizen, not by a long shot.
Their Hefeweiss is the best wheat beer money can buy, especially for $10 a six pack. The Korbinian and Vitus are also fantastic.
I think multiple American breweries (I have no idea if you can brew these styles well or not) need to first perfect these styles as the Germans have before anyone starts adding hops and imperializing (not a word I know) them.
There are many American brewers who brew good German brews, it's just not the most popular style among craft beer drinkers.
Most American breweries cannot rival German lagers and wheat beers apart from a few. Most American brewers have nailed IPAs, barrel-aging, and imperial stouts....etc. but certainly not German styles. Check out the top 50 for German styles and they'll be dominated by German breweries. You'll be hard pressed to find more than a few breweries, if any, that can match Ayinger Oktoberfest or Weihenstephaner Hefeweizen/Original for example. But you can swing a dead cat and find a brewery that makes an excellent IPA. And you can't say it's for a lack of trying, especially in the wheat beer and Marzen department.
American IPA: Huuuuuuuuge range of allowances for the style. German Beers: IT MUST BE BREWED THIS WAY OR ELSE. Meh. I'd rather let each do their own thing.
“You'll be hard pressed to find more than a few breweries, if any, that can match Ayinger Oktoberfest or Weihenstephaner Hefeweizen/Original for example.” I am a big fan of Ayinger Oktoberfest and Weihenstephaner Hefeweizen (please read my first post on Weihenstephaner Hefeweizen). I am also a big fan of Sly Fox Oktoberfest, Ramstein Oktoberfest, the 2012 version of Shiner Oktoberfest, and a bunch of other US craft brewed Oktoberfest beers. I just got done drinking a Troegs DreamWeaver Wheat Beer (Hefeweizen). That beer was excellent; it won the Gold medal at the GABF. I am also a fan of Sly Fox Royal Weiss, Stoudt’s Heifer-in Wheat, Victory Sunrise Weiss, Sierra Nevada Kellerweis, and a bunch of others. I certainly give the German breweries their Kudos since I do love Ayinger Oktoberfest and Weihenstephaner Hefeweizen (and others) but there are numerous US craft breweries who make quality German Style Beers. Cheers! P.S. During the Christmas season I like drinking Doppelbocks: Great Divide Wolfgang Doppelbock, Troegs Troegentor, Victory St. Victorious, etc. Yum!
I certainly agree that there are a number of Pennsylvania breweries that make excellent German style beers. Having stated that I recognize the other breweries that make excellent German style beers: · Ramstein Brewery in NJ makes a number of tasty German style beers · Sierra Nevada make an excellent Hefeweizen and a tasty Pilsner · Spoetzl Brewery (Shiner) in Texas makes an excellent Schwartzbier (Bohemian Black Lager), Oktoberfest and a tasty Alt beer There are a number of other breweries I could mention (e.g., Trumer in California, etc.). Let’s all appreciate the imported German brewed beers (if we can get them fresh and not beat up via transport) and the US craft brewed versions. It’s all good! Merry Christmas to all!!
I think it's amazing you can buy a beer like Korbinian for 3-4 bucks. That is one great beer. I like all the others from Weihenstephen that I've tried, but the doppelbock is my favorite, and it's easily one of the best bang-for-the-buck big beers available.
I am deeply interested in doing everything I can to make it to Germany in 2040 for their Millenial Celebration (my naming). Such a great brewery - they just rarely get mentioned because their beer is so ubiquitous.
VIIIIIIITTTTUUUUUSSS Really love that beer from them. I'm constantly surprised at how many aren't aware of it and how damn good it is. Korbinian is up there too. Fresh Weihenstephaner Hefe is something everyone should have once.
I agree with everything you said, including the love for Dreamweaver and Sierra Nevada's offerings. Perhaps I shouldn't have said "if any" as some breweries do make some fine examples of German beers. And I'm sure multiple examples can be named, but this is straying from my point. For example.... For every Dreamweaver and Kellerweis there's multiple "American Pale Wheat Ales" that are abominations. My point being, German lagers and hefeweizens still need to be perfected on the whole amongst the ~2100 breweries in America. When I can stroll into my local liquor store and find dozens of American-made hefeweizens as tasty as Weihenstaphan's, then it's time to experiment with adding more hops or making it imperial. There are more than a few breweries that have went ahead and made awful imperial pilsners without perfecting the pilsner in the first place. Although I do love me some Troegs Sunshine Pils!
I'd call them one of my favorite breweries. The hefeweisse is great, and I go back and forth between that and a few others. The Original is the best Helles I have easy access to. Dunkelweizen is amazing. Vitus is great. Korbinian is great. Krystall is great.
