Good for the houston summers and more
Originating in the cool climes of Germany and Flanders, thirst-quenching and flavorful wheat beers can help take the edge off our long, toasty Houston summers. The most commonly found versions are uniquely and assertively yellow topped with a prominent bright white head of foam, and are served with a slice of lemon affirming its refreshing qualities. The name comes from the fact that wheat beers complement the usual malted barley with a substantial proportion of wheat. The result is a slightly sweet, sometimes tart and extremely palatable beverage that pairs perfectly with heat and humidity. Though having more feminine appeal than most beers, these are also more alcoholic than the norm.
“Wheat beers” actually reference several styles, most with somewhat lengthy names in German, Flemish and sometimes French. The three broad categories of wheat beers can be classified by origin: Bavaria, Belgian and Berlin. There is also now an American style of wheat beer. The most popular and imitated wheat beers worldwide are the Weizenbiers of Bavaria in southern Germany. These have very fruity taste, and can feature notes of apples, bananas and even cloves and bubble-gum. There are several variations: Hefe-, Kristall, Dunkel, and the strong, Weizenbock. The most popular and generally most distinctively flavorful are the hefe-weizens, which feature yeast spent from the fermentation that remains suspended, giving the beers a cloudy appearance.
As the Bavarian hefe-weizen is my favorite style of wheat beer and these are widely available at area retailers and in local bars, I thought I would do taste comparison among eight that are found at Spec’s. These are rated using the four-star scales used by late beer and spirits writer Michael Jackson, and listed by preference.
(Please excuse the wine-style tasting notes, as I was just in Italy specifically to taste wine and visit producers).
*** Ayinger Brau-Weisse – Muted aroma, mouth-filling, well-rounded flavor, not sweet, beautifully balanced, extremely enjoyable
**½ Schneider Wiesse Hefe-Weizen – Dark brown color differed from the other beers, slight caramel notes on the nose, some sweetness, balanced, though a slight off taste
** ½ Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier – Rich, not overly citrus aroma nor taste, excellent
**½ Paulaner Hefe-Weizen – Fairly big citrus aroma, tasted balanced, proto-typical hefe-weizen flavor, very enjoyable
**½ Franziskaner Weissbier – Nice citrus aroma, smooth taste, the fruitiest of the lot, slight hints of coriander, drier finish than might be expected given the prominent citrus aromas and flavors; this was the favorite of one of the friends I with whom I was tasting
**½ Erdinger Hefe-Weizen – Slight aromas of oranges, fairly mouth-filling, not overly wheat-like, not sweet, but pleasant fruitiness including banana notes
** Julius Echter Hefe-Weiss – An aroma of grapefruit , not really on the palate, light, vibrant, dry; expires July 2012 so possibly not as fresh as the others
*½ Pinkus Hefe-Weizen – A complex, if slight nose and odd aromas, light, slight aftertaste of bananas, notes of spice and lavender, much different than the others, least likeable by far
Most of the beers were in good shape; at least none were noticeably stale. But, if extremely fresh, I would bump each up a ½ to a full star, with the possible exception of Pinkus. I was fortunate that I was recently in Munich – well, the Munich airport – and got the chance to taste several Bavarian wheat beers that were extremely fresh. The beers there were slightly crisper and enjoyable if not necessarily better than the ones included for the tasted. That beers in Munich were rather obscure brands (Schlossbrauerei Stein, Hirschbräu and Flötzinger) certainly had something to do with it. One of was organic, which like the Pinkus, was easily the worst of the lot.
Originally published on June 24, 2012.
“Wheat beers” actually reference several styles, most with somewhat lengthy names in German, Flemish and sometimes French. The three broad categories of wheat beers can be classified by origin: Bavaria, Belgian and Berlin. There is also now an American style of wheat beer. The most popular and imitated wheat beers worldwide are the Weizenbiers of Bavaria in southern Germany. These have very fruity taste, and can feature notes of apples, bananas and even cloves and bubble-gum. There are several variations: Hefe-, Kristall, Dunkel, and the strong, Weizenbock. The most popular and generally most distinctively flavorful are the hefe-weizens, which feature yeast spent from the fermentation that remains suspended, giving the beers a cloudy appearance.
As the Bavarian hefe-weizen is my favorite style of wheat beer and these are widely available at area retailers and in local bars, I thought I would do taste comparison among eight that are found at Spec’s. These are rated using the four-star scales used by late beer and spirits writer Michael Jackson, and listed by preference.
(Please excuse the wine-style tasting notes, as I was just in Italy specifically to taste wine and visit producers).
*** Ayinger Brau-Weisse – Muted aroma, mouth-filling, well-rounded flavor, not sweet, beautifully balanced, extremely enjoyable
**½ Schneider Wiesse Hefe-Weizen – Dark brown color differed from the other beers, slight caramel notes on the nose, some sweetness, balanced, though a slight off taste
** ½ Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier – Rich, not overly citrus aroma nor taste, excellent
**½ Paulaner Hefe-Weizen – Fairly big citrus aroma, tasted balanced, proto-typical hefe-weizen flavor, very enjoyable
**½ Franziskaner Weissbier – Nice citrus aroma, smooth taste, the fruitiest of the lot, slight hints of coriander, drier finish than might be expected given the prominent citrus aromas and flavors; this was the favorite of one of the friends I with whom I was tasting
**½ Erdinger Hefe-Weizen – Slight aromas of oranges, fairly mouth-filling, not overly wheat-like, not sweet, but pleasant fruitiness including banana notes
** Julius Echter Hefe-Weiss – An aroma of grapefruit , not really on the palate, light, vibrant, dry; expires July 2012 so possibly not as fresh as the others
*½ Pinkus Hefe-Weizen – A complex, if slight nose and odd aromas, light, slight aftertaste of bananas, notes of spice and lavender, much different than the others, least likeable by far
Most of the beers were in good shape; at least none were noticeably stale. But, if extremely fresh, I would bump each up a ½ to a full star, with the possible exception of Pinkus. I was fortunate that I was recently in Munich – well, the Munich airport – and got the chance to taste several Bavarian wheat beers that were extremely fresh. The beers there were slightly crisper and enjoyable if not necessarily better than the ones included for the tasted. That beers in Munich were rather obscure brands (Schlossbrauerei Stein, Hirschbräu and Flötzinger) certainly had something to do with it. One of was organic, which like the Pinkus, was easily the worst of the lot.
Originally published on June 24, 2012.
