Kirkland Signature Hefeweizen

Brewed by Gordon Biersch Brewing Company
Style: German Hefeweizen
Palo Alto, California USA

Not a terrible beer but also nothing to write home about. The price and fact they are glass bottles makes the pack good. Its got a decent aroma. Has almost a skunky smell to it but I don’t think thats the right word. Pretty standard looking hefe. Hazy with loads of carbonation. Not much head retention. Its a normal flavor with not many of the usual hefe hues. Suppose I’m a fan of the fruitier hefes. Good overall mouthfeel and a damned good carbonation level. Will definitely buy again in the future. As I said its a steal of a deal.

12oz bottle: appearance is clear golden light brown with slow fading off white head, aroma has some fruity hints you expect from a hefe but also mixed with a hint of stinky mass produced pale lager. Flavor was a little bit rough from the first sip but got better after, tastes like a good mix of wheat and pale malt with a little bit of caramel. This stuff is sold pretty cheap and is worth a try but not a great beer.

Beerish banana aroma and wheat grainy smell. Pours a cloudy light apricot color with a thick off white head and lots of action. Full creamy/buttery banana and slight caramel taste with lots of wheat and barley grain flavor. Light/medium bodied, buttery and slight resinous feel, with lively almost soft carbonation. Very drinkable not sure if I’m going to like the buttery (maybe hop) taste after a few.

This poured a color like butterscotch with a very aggressive white head and lots of lacing. The nose is very yeasty with a strong malt profile and a slight tinge of flowers. Very clean mouthfeel, which makes you want to swish it over your tongue. Flavor shows some banana, and it is good to the last drop. This is a very drinkable beer, and quite a buy if you could get a whole case of just this. But Costco only sells this by the mixed case, so you have to be willing to drink the other three - Amber, German Lager, and Pale Ale . This was by far my favorite of the four beers in the case.

Cloudy pale gold color pour with a big foamy head that lasted and laced throughout. Aroma of yeast, wheat, citrus and toasty malt. Flavor is mostly grain and yeast, with a bit of banana and a great citrus peel finish that i really enjoyed. Very refreshing brew. I would enjoy this one again.

Bottle: Pours a lightly hazy orange color. Light esters of banana and clove on the nose with a touch of citrus. Wheat and husky pale malt abound in the body. Creamy mouthfeel and a light snappy bitter bite in the tail. All-in-all not a bad german hefe, blows the doors off the american wheat beers.

I held off drinking this until I came to my 666th rating hoping to sample something truly putrid in recognition of the infamous number of the late emperor Nero all the while anticipating, much like Rome, the brewery this came out of should be burned to the ground. After sampling the other three in the Costco pack I was more that a little disappointed how decent this beer was. Good grainy wheat malt backbone. Somewhat yeasty with some soft banana hints. I figured that this would be the worst of the bunch but now believe it should not be sold in the same package as the other Costco branded swill.

12 oz. bottle from Costco (Tucson) - Pours a hazy golden color with a half finger thick white head that faded pretty quick. Very light lacing. Aroma is light herbal hops and citrus. Flavor is a toasted wheat malt and light citrus. Light to medium body. I get very little banana and clove from this beer. A drinkable beer, but this is NO German Hefe! It should be re-classed as an American Hefe.