Time for another review!!! Today, I’m going to be tasting a Hefe-Weizen brewed by the Private Weissbeirbrauerei G. Schneider & Sohn GmbH brewery located in Altstadt Kelheim, Germany.
From the website, schneider-weisse.de, I found a very nice description of this beer.
Liquid amber since 1872. With its amber-mahogany coloring and streaked with fine top-fermenting yeast, this beer has a fine, persistent head that adheres well to the glass. It is pleasantly spicy with a typical top-fermented smell. An aroma of clove and nutmeg apple tantalizes the nose. On the tongue it is fresh, clean, full-bodied, harmonious and well-balanced. It finishes lightly sparkling with a light and fine bitterness.
The brewery boasts that they are the “wheat beer specialists.” That’s a bold statement. Only one way to find out I guess.
Let’s taste it!!!
This drink was poured from a 16.9 oz. bottle and sported a 5.4% ABV.
With the pour, this beer produced a dark orange to light amber color with some “burnt” orange highlights around the very bottom of the glass. It was very hazy, but I could actually see bubbles rising to the top, which helped maintain a very bright white, fluffy, soapy, almost cotton ball type of head. It was filled with tons of small bubbles that had a long retention time and revealed some decent lacing.
The scent was a wonderful burst of banana and cloves. Fresh and yeasty. I detected an almost bubblegum type fragrance as I continued to stick my nose in. It smells very nice and well balanced.
I found an intense clove note in the taste. More so than in the aroma. A spicy fruitiness that recalls the banana with a very subtle hint of nuttiness. Again, some bubblegum smatterings give a bit of sweetness to tickle the tongue. A very well balanced and even brew that is not crazy, intense with the spices. I like it.
A medium/light to light mouthfeel that was smooth, crisp and very refreshing. It was only the slightest bit watery, but some nice carbonation helped support a favorable amount of flavor on the palate.
Hefe-Weizen’s are not particularly a favorite style of mine. A lot of examples seem to be overdone with spices that become somewhat off putting and distracting to me. With that being said, this brew was not indicative of that. I think this is quite possibly the best “Hefe” that I have tried thus far. Very good, solid and well balanced in all aspects. Very easy to drink and would be perfect for a warm Spring or Summer day. It is a tad sweet, so that may be a deterrent for some, although I think I could make a night of this without any problem.
Are Hefe-Weizen’s a favorite style of yours? If so, please vote in the poll to the right.
Also, please leave a comment if you have an opinion on this particular beer or any beer that I have reviewed. I would love to hear some feedback and get some ideas from readers.
Thanks for reading. I’m having a lot of fun doing this and I hope you enjoy the blog.
Score: 4.0 out of 5
Grade: B+