Tucher Helles Hefe Weizen

Now this is a true Bavarian Hefe Weizen, complete with the banana and cloves esters that are the trademark of an authentic Hefe. These flavors come from the yeast itself, and they're somewhat unique to this style. As you can see, it also has the huge fluffy white head and cloudy appearance that is also traditional for this style. Tucher is a German Brewery, in case you hadn't guessed. This made for an excellent summer brew.

Bischoff Falkensteiner Ur-Weisse

A short time ago I reviewed Bischoff's Falkensteiner Ur-Schwarze, and found it somewhat lacking. Tonight I tried another bottle of Bischoff - this time it's their Ur-Weisse. It poured a pale golden color with a big white head. The head was more impressive than the one on the Schwarze. The nose on this variety was closer to what I would expect from a wheat beer - some citrus notes, and some banana too. The flavor also had evidence of bananas and clove from the Bavarian hefeweizen yeast. This bottle was more true to the style than the Schwarze was. It still wasn't up to par when compared to my favorite - Weihenstephan, but it was better. It was refreshing and enjoyable with my chicken.

Saranac Hefeweizen

Saranac's Hefeweizen is a seasonal offering from F.X. Matt - part of their "12 Beers of Summer" collection. I was interested in comparing this to the Flying Dog Hefeweizen I reviewed a couple of months ago. Saranac's version poured a clear gold color, with a small white head. A true Bavarian Hefeweizen is usually cloudy, with a BIG fluffy head. As for taste, I was pleased to find the traditional banana-clove flavor that comes from Bavarian Hefeweizen yeast. This is definitely not an American style wheat beer. Saranac would have nailed it perfectly if there had been a nice big head to crown their Hefeweizen. I think the Flying Dog was closer to the style, but even so, this was a nice beer.

Flying Dog In-Heat Wheat Hefe-Weizen Ale

Today I enjoyed another beer from the Flying Dog variety pack that my wife bought for my 50th birthday party. It's their Hefeweizen Ale - In-Heat Wheat. I didn't read the label before I tasted it, and was pleasantly surprised. I was expecting an American style wheat beer, but this is actually a Bavarian style Hefeweizen. In fact, this was the most authentic Hefeweizen I have tasted that wasn't from Germany. It had the classic bananas and clove flavor from the yeast and a huge white head that left a lot of lacing as the level went down. If I had read the label, I would have realized this was a German style beer. The label berates drinkers who "wing a lemon slice in it", since "Germans don't drink it that way". I prefer German-style wheat beers over the American style, so I was not guilty of this type of affront. This is definitely a winner from Flying Dog - no lemons or oranges needed!

Tucher Dunkles hefe Weizen

This Hefe Weizen Dunkle is brewed by the German brewer Tucher. It poured a cloudy medium brown color with a large off-white head. The head lasted for a long time, and left some nice lacing on the glass. This beer had the banana and clove flavor that is typical of a Bavarian Hefeweizen. These flavors are generated by the specific type of yeast used in these brews. Because it is a dunkel, it also had some caramel and chocolate notes as well. This beer was a little sweeter than the standard hefeweizen, probably due to the fact that it's a dunkel. It had a smooth medium texture and very little hop finish. This was a very enjoyable beer.

Konig Ludwig Weissbier

This Bavarian Hefeweizen, or Weissbier was brewed at the Konig Ludwig Schlossbrauerei in Kaltenberg, Bavaria, Germany. Bavarian Weissbiers are unique in character, due to the yeast that they use. It gives the beer a flavor of banana and cloves, which is very distinctive. This beer poured with a huge head, that lasted a good long time. That glass in the photo is a 22 oz glass, with less than 10 oz of beer in it. I had to wait for the head to subside to get the rest of the beer in the glass. This is a very light and refreshing beer, which is typical of wheat beers. It is also cloudy due to the yeast in the bottle. This is a very true-to-style Bavarian Hefeweizen.

Paulaner Hefe-Weizen

Tonight, I had another good brew from Paulaner. This is a very classic example of a Bavarian Hefe-weizen. Since Hefe means "yeast", it poured a cloudy golden color, with the huge head that is typical of a good Hefe-Weizen. The cloudiness is from the yeast that has not been filtered from the beer. The flavor is fruity, with the essence of bananas and cloves that I have come to expect from a Bavarian style Hefe. These flavors are produced by the yeast. I think this wheat compares very favorably to another favorite Hefe-Weizen. the one produced by Weihenstephan.