With Kentucky going through a pretty crazy heat wave right now, I though it would be appropriate to review a Summer refresher.  As I peered through my stock of beers I saw this Weihenstephaner and figured it could do the job.

The Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier is produced by the Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan brewery located in Freising, Germany.

From the website, brauerei-weihenstephan.de, I found this description of the beer.

Nothing refreshes more than this naturally cloudy weissbeer with its wonderfully rich yeasty taste.  Goes very well with light meals, which are not too strongly-flavoured – veal sausage in particular.    

Sounds good.  Let’s try it.

This beer has an ABV of 5.4% and comes in a 12 oz. bottle. 

From the pour this beer appeared a cloudy yellow to gold, orange color with some bright (light) yellow highlights around the bottom of the glass.  A huge, snow white, fluffy head was formed from a medium pour that looked soapy and rocky.  After several aggressive swirls, it started to look like home-made vanilla ice cream.  It had superb retention and it left some great lacing behind. 

The nose brought forth some very strong notes of banana along with forthcoming yeasty and wheat fragrances.  I also go a light lemon hint with spices of coriander, pepper and cloves.  The aroma remained constant throughout the drink even as it warmed.  Very nice I thought, even though banana is not my favorite aspect of beer aromas. 

I found the taste to be very similar to the aroma with more of the aforementioned banana, yeast and breadiness.  The spice of pepper seemed to be upfront a smidgen more while the cloves and coriander held tight as a supporting act.  I didn’t find any of the lemon that I did in the aroma and all in all I found the taste to be a little more relaxed and restrained than the bouquet.  It was still worthy and good, yet just not as robust or balanced as well. 

The mouthfeel was medium to thin, very dry, smooth, crisp, snappy and refreshing.  A slight peppery burn tickled the tonsils and a nice dose of flavor was left behind long after I took the sip.

I found the Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier to be a very easily drinkable and very good beer.  A great thirst quencher for the Summer.  The appearance of the brew was very appealing and tempting.  This is, without a doubt, one of the better “Hefe’s” out there.  Definitely worth a try if you have not sampled it.  I’m sure I will pick it up again before Summer is over.  I’m not, generally, a wheat beer fan, however this one peaked my interest as much as any other.

What do you guys find to be the best “Hefe” or “Wheat” beer on the market today?  Leave a comment and let me know.

Thanks for reading everyone.

Cheers!!!

Score:  3.9 out of 5
Grade:  B+