Hofbräu Münchner Weisse

Brewed by Staatliches Hofbräuhaus München
Style: German Hefeweizen
Munich, Germany

Other than not smelling good, this is a top notch German hefe. Good layering and smooth wheat taste.

soft frothy white head that doesnt stay very long. Hazy gold in color. Tastes a little bland, just to plain. It’s nothing at all what I expected, im a little dissapointed, after having this on tap at the Haufbrahaus in Newport(which by the way was one of the best german beers ive ever had). I cant really judge it on style, I just havent had enough of them. It smells great, strong wheaty smell, some banana scents also. Very light and creamy palate.Overall...just average german.

Personally, I refuse to rate beers on how close they come to an expected style (I’ll never be a BJCP judge), so I’m compelled to rate this just as a great beer, rather than how great a hefe it is. I was initially concerned about the green bottle, but based on the lack of oxidation flavors, my bottle seems to have been handled properly. The inviting aroma had light hints of the usual banana/clove esters, which translated well into the light flavors of the same, along with a nice, smooth mouthfeel. Both my wife and I enjoyed this beer immensely and I wish that I could get it for less than $3 a bottle, and closer than an hour’s drive away.

(500 ml bottle: $1.99 at BevMo in La Jolla, CA) So far, it’s the only German Hefeweizen I’ve seen in a green 12-ounce bottle, and that had me worried, but I also just found a brown 500 ml bottle, so I’ll try both but rate the 500 ml bottle. The nose is wheaty, but is also a bit grassy, which isn’t what I expect from this style. Alongside the grassiness is a modest banana aroma if I swirl the glass with mild intensity. Wheat and sweet banana are the most prevalent flavors, though neither are present in abundant amounts in this mildly flavorful brew. Slight amount of clove surfaces from time to time. Medium bodied, barely, and lacking sufficient complexity to make for an interesting palate. Cloudy, medium golden colored body has an off-white crown that pours to about a finger in height before settling out to about a quarter of an inch. It’s an okay Hefeweizen, but just not flavorful enough to be more than a mere pretender, and not a beer I’d buy again. Oh, and just for the record, the larger brown bottle was much better as the green bottle showed a fair amount of sourness.

Sampled from bottle. This is the weissbier to try if you don’t dig the strong banana/clove profile of many German wheats. HB’s hefe pours a cloudy, dark yellow-gold with an off-white head. Aroma is very mild with only notes of tart fruits. The flavor is visited by the common banana and clove, but is is very subtle. The beer is well-balanced with a nice wheat acidity. Light to medium-bodied, well-carbonated and very easy to drink.

Bottle. Hint of banana aroma. Colour is hazy, greyish dark copper. Small white head. Quite refreshing. Flavour is quite acidic compared to other hefes. Also thinner mouthfeel than expected. The acidity is quite nice.

A hazy-brownish/bronze with a large and fast white head. Yeasty aromas were sourdough with mild earthiness along with weak notes of honey and banana. Some toffee and a "staleness" emerge as it warms. A malt base provided more sweetness than I was expecting, almost caramel in quality. Smooth, dry and creamy with a bitter finish, although a bit on the thin side. I may be warming up to hefes...

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Bottle poured a cloudy yellow with a white head. Aromas of banana, yeast and a bit of spice. Palate is both smooth and crisp. Flavors of bread, bananas and a hint of spice.