Ale Street News Online

An unusually hot afternoon in early May was the perfect day for the ASN tasting panel to evaluate a bunch of Hefeweizens.

There were 16 beers in all to be judged, a good number to be sure, but our crack team of tasters was undaunted. We convened at the Waterfront Ale House in Brooklyn, where our host and team member Sam Barbieri graciously made a large front table available for us. As always, beers were blind tasted and no information about them was made available until the tasting was concluded.

The top rated beer of this tasting was Franziskaner Hefe-Weiss, from Germany, with 5%. The color was hazy straw/yellow, with a large persistent mousse-like head. A fine, spicy lemony aroma along with the classic banana and clove, neither one dominating. "Green apple, papaya, unripe banana, clove, allspice, fruit bread. Great mouthfeel, very good beer." "Nice flavor, slight tartness, good wheat character. Light, but complex." "Beautiful aroma, and the taste lives up to it."

Ayinger Brau-Weiss (5.1%) from Germany received second place. Pale straw in color with some haze and a tight, creamy long-lasting head. Aromas of banana, clove, lemon, pepper, and bread. "Bubble gum, banana, and pineapple flavors. Light bodied, with long, fruity finish." "Very refreshing and drinkable. Good complexity."

Stoudts Weizen (4.9%, PA) was awarded third place, the only American beer to place. Pale yellow straw, hazy, with persistent rocky head. "Light aroma, banana and clove well balanced. Great carbonation, very lively on palate." "Clove, allspice, banana bread. Very heavy clove flavor, lemon and coriander also. Long, spicy finish. Would be great with spicy food or salad."

Butternuts Heinnieweisse (NY): Medium gold color, some haze. Some panelists found clove aromas, others banana. "Refreshingly tart flavor, with mellow clove phenol. More banana as it warms, with a touch of grain." "Tart, cooked apples and pears, slight sour finish. Nice beer, could have a little more complexity."

Atlanta Brewing Co. Summer Brew (GA): Very pale straw color, with some haze. Aromas of clove, banana, and citrus fruits. "Sweet apple, banana, followed by sour tartness. Very short finish." "Citrus, lemongrass, allspice. Medium body, peppery, citrus esters. Very drinkable, nice bitterness in finish."

Drakes Hefe-Weizen (4.9% CA): Pale straw color, hazy with tight head. "Yeasty/flowery aroma, some bitter apricots in flavor." "Hoppy, sweet citrus, bready nose. Soft mouthfeel, medium bitterness, sharp for style."

Madison River Yellow Humpy Hefeweizen (4.5%, MT): Pale straw cloudy color. Ripe banana, cinnamon, clove, raisin bread aromas. "Very drinkable, nice flavor retention." "Very light body, not as much wheat character as expected. Still very drinkable."

Sierra Nevada Ruthless Hefeweizen (5%, CA): Pale yellow color, some haze, nice rocky head. "A fine, light aroma, some banana, very light clove, light hop. Very light body, some lingering tartness, very clean, some hop bitterness in finish." "Good mouthfeel, clean and refreshing, might be too much hop for style."

Sly Fox Royal Weiss (5.4%, PA): Deep gold hue, hazy, good head and head retention. Slight hop aroma along with restrained banana and clove. "Nice wheat character, restrained but present. Light body, good flavor, finish a bit astringent." "Clove and sweet spice bread. Little acidity, hoppy finish. Hops a bit much for style."

Left Hand Haystack Wheat (4.9%, CO): Cloudy medium gold color, mousse-like head with good retention. Aromas of tropical fruit — mango, banana, pineapple, and allspice. Lemony and tart. "Nice flavor, slight tartness, good wheat character. On the light side, but nice drinking." "Nice hefe character, with clean finish."

Mahr’s Weiss (5%, Germany): Very pale straw, the palest beer of the tasting. Thick, long lasting head. Clove, apple, and lemon nose. "Lighter example, but clean, refreshing. Spritzy on palate." "Muted flavors. Sharp tartness up front that underlies all the other flavors. Clove as it warms. Carbonation is high. Light and muted, but refreshing."

After retasting some of the beers and choosing the winners, we shared some appetizers and discussed the results. As in our last tasting, oxidation was again a problem with some of the entries, with some clearly out of date, and others simply undated. Those beers are not listed here in fairness to the breweries.

No one was surprised that German breweries took the top two honors, although more than one panelist expressed surprise that the first place beer came in a green 12 oz. bottle and not a brown half liter. We remarked upon the quality of the American entries also, and were split about evenly about whether the increased hop character in some was a good thing.