Live Oak Hefe Weizen

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

On tap. Insanely cloudy, like watered-down orange juice. Sweet grassy smell, with orange and clove hints. Very full-bodied for a wheat. Balanced flavors of citrus, malt and yeast, and some grassy notes. Firm, dry finish - very even. And I generally don’t care much for hefes.

Really not a hefe fan, but had to try this based on the ravings of a few friends at the bar. Like the rest of the Live Oak line, well crafted and tasty. This is one of the few Hefes that I might seek out.

My favorite heffy by far. I’m not a big fan of spiced beers and regretably there’s a whole lot of wheat beers out there that cater to the "dump in the spice cabinet" crowd. This wheat just knocks my socks off. HUGE rocky head over a golden swamp of yeast beasties. Dry grapefruit rind finish that refreshes.

Hopefully as Live Oak expands distribution they’ll continue to spend as much time lovingly crafting this divine product. If it weren’t for the limited distribution around the Texas hill country I fully expect this would be touted as one of the best hefes in the country, if not the world. I’ve even had a pint off of a keg that had been shaken up, so it looked like I was about to drink a straight yeast culture, and even then this beer still walked all over the competition. It pours a beautiful golden straw hue, nice head. The perfect balance of citrus aromas greets the nose and the palate on first swallow, followed by a bit of spice with a hint of wheat. This is easily the most drinkable hefe I’ve ever had the pleasure to consume, even if there are bolder, more experimental hefes out there to compete in the knock-your-socks-off arena. This one is definitely a summer mainstay here in Austin. As others have stated, I hate to give this one a perfect five but it’s only fair since I can’t for the life of me figure out how this beer could be improved.

Strong, sweet banana blends well with the wheat apparent in the aroma with mild spiciness. Opaque milky yellow body with a strong and lasting, fine bubbled, dense, white head that laces. Strong, full-on banana flavour up front with fresh wheat and light clove spiciness. Creamy smooth texture to the medium light body with carbonation that is perhaps just a bit low for the style. Sampled at GABF 2005.

Vast creamy and rocky white head lasts forever over the murky, almost muddy golden veil. A tremendous yeast showdown, offering the doughiest flavours that belong on nothing but a pie, yet phenolic enough to be soapy and bandagey, cloves in abundance. On the other side of the spectrum, the malt sweetness is also important, vaguely reminding of honey, cotton candy. Huge bubble gum component, fluffy medium body. Oily texture, enough tartness to keep everyone happy. A splashy hefeweizen that showcases sheer yeast power.

Sampled @ GABF- Pours a hazy golden color, small white head. Aroma is banana, clove, citrus fruit, allspice, a bit of corriander. Flavor is lemons, citrusy and spicey, "wheaty" body. (think the cereal). Smooth finish. Nice brew.

GABF 2005
Aroma: citrus, honey, herbs, light coriander
Appearance: murky yellow, small white head
Flavor: light wheat, egg whites, spices, and little citrus
Palate: light, creamy, and fluffy