Kaufbeuren Hefeweizen Anno 25

Brewed by Aktienbrauerei Kaufbeuren
Style: German Hefeweizen
Kaufbeuren, Schwaben/Bayern, Germany

previously tested on BTO 03/2007: trüb, viel Schaum. Fast pfeffrige Würzigkeit auf der Zunge spürbar, interessant. Hefig, leicht säuerlich, kaum malzig, kaum herb, eher zurückhaltend im Geschmack.

Aktienbrauerei’s significant presence at the local liquor emporium prompted me to purchase a whole swathe of their beers, and the second to be sampled was this, the Hefeweizen Anno 25. The bubbly and thick white head protrudes about an inch and a half from the body; the liquid a cloudy, tan body, looking a little dirty. The aroma is certainly cleaner and friendlier. Heavily pronounced smells of apple juice are tinged with cinnamon and a drop of pineapple juice to give a pungently sweet (but not sour) smell that I’m really enjoying. It is much sweeter than I’m used to from Hefe-weizens, but find it attractive. Upon the first sip I’m struck by the Hefeweizen’s characteristic softness, but also find the beer to sit a little flat. I’m having difficulty reconciling the watery qualities, the flat palate and the fuzziness of the texture, but indeed, all three seem to co-existence in a beer tasting paradox. A pumpkin fluorish nestles nicely in this odd palate, both the cooked and raw kind, with a shining sweetness gleaming in the aftertaste. For me, the general feel is that this is too watery, which when matched with these flavors and tastes feels discordant.

Bottle (Dank an Jonas !): Cloudy, golden to orangey coloured, bigger, slowly collapsing white fluffy head; light to moderate fruity-sourish nose (like cider) with a light wheaty phenolic background; moderate sweetish-sourish flavour, quite light bodied, soft MF; short sweetish-lemony finish. O.K. ............

(bottle) Cloudy, murky golden colour with a medium-sized, non-persistent frothy white head. Yeasty and moderately sweet wheat-malty aroma with a distinctive apple-fruity note, accompanied by apricot and banana. Medium-sweet flavour, light to medium bodied with a rather soft carbonation. Yeasty and wheat-malty, fruit-accented taste with notes of ripe red apples and banana; medium-dry, sweet and minimal bitter finish with restrained phenolic spices. Good and likeable Hefeweizen (09.07.08).

Bottle. Milky yellow, creamy head. Apple aroma, almost like a Apfelweisse. Light to medium body, fresh apple and banana flavor, light spice, relatively quick finish. Good on a hot summer night.

.5L bottle from Hollingshead Deli; Nose of bananas, cloves, but not real estery; very liughtly hazy pale brown with a large, light tan head; flavor is peppery, grainy, with background light apple fruitiness. Not a great hefe!

Good, but just short of being great. Pretty textbook in my opinion. Clove and bubblegum nose, with just a hint of spicy mustard seed. Grainy toasted cereal maltiness, almost chewy, a little too much effervescence, but still highly drinkable, just out of order in a couple of areas.

From a bottle purchased at John’s Marketplace--Poured a murky mustard yellow haze with a small frothy white head that lasted. Yeasty banana-clove profile with more of a bubblegum presence than many German hefes. Gritty, earthy, and pleasantly aromatic. Lots of fruitiness and phenols present in this gem of a beer. Loved it!