Live Oak Hefe Weizen

Brewed by Live Oak Brewing Company
Style: German Hefeweizen
Austin, Texas USA

cloudy amber. Fairly spicy, with a subdued banana note which is a pleasant change. Always better fresh, and when you should be at work. Bit thin in the mouth.

On a trip to Houston, I sampled a 5 oz draft serving of this beer as part of the Texas sampler at The Flying Saucer bar downtown. It was a solid hefeweizen, but in my opinion not deserving of the extremely high ratings it has received. The aroma was a bit wheaty and had some yeast notes, and featured grassy hops. Color was a cloudy-white golden with a good-sized white head. Smooth texture, without a lot of carbonation. The flavor was good and wheaty, a touch of sweetness, but mostly bitter and sour. A good beer, just not spectacular.

A great hefe. Superb on tap, only wish in came in the bottle. Very crisp for a hefe, but all the same good hints of honey and buckwheat.

Pours cloudy and golden. The aroma comes out to welcome you with esters all over along with faint yeast and bubble gum, a little cream butter as well. The taste is thick, rich, bready with a buttery sweetness. The flavors are mild with banana, white pepper and cloves present in the background, not overpowering. Subtlety is the watchword and fresh is best. Texture is smooth and velvety with a moderately heavy mouthfeel. Balance is what earns this brew a near-perfect score. I’ve had fresh hefeweizens with strong fruit and clove elements but this beer is so delicately made so as flavors come together in a symphony instead of individual components. Even as it warms, the flavors remained nuanced and complementary, never turning or tiring towards the inevitable warmer end. Nothing dominates, thus everything works. The palate never tires and I could drink this all day.

I’ll agree that the rating is pretty high, but when leveraged against other Texas breweries (sadly), this hefe-weizen really is a standout. Cloudy, medium bodied, refreshing. Good initial wheat flavor. Average finish--a little too dry perhaps.

I’m going to have to disagree with the high ratings of this beer. I drank many hefe’s while in San Antonio, and while this is decent, it isn’t great. Very smooth to drink, nice color, decent flavor, but it was lacking in body for me. Too thin, not enough flavor.

Draught at Cricket’s Grill, Waco
Hazy deep yellow color. Very simple Hefeweizen, dry, with some spicy character.

Tap in 2004. Cloudy yellow color. Orange, citrus, and corriander aroma. RIch with a long aftertaste spiced with orange. Rating from notes.