Shiner Hefeweizen

Brewed by Spoetzl Brewery (Gambrinus Company)
Style: Wheat Ale
Shiner, Texas USA

I was at the food Giant in Morgantown WV while buying my daughter supplies for her house she is renting with her WVU schoolmates when I made a detour to the beer cooler. I could not resist making my own variety 6 pack from the 3 Shiner products they had there. Bottle. Poured a hazy yellow with a tall white head. The aroma had banana, lemon, and hints of orange. The flavor had banana, citrus, malts, and some spices. Smooth and enjoyable.

From 12oz Bottle. Pours a slightly hazy light banana yellow with a tall layer of soapy white head. Aromas of sourdough bread, lemon zest, ivory soap, wheat grass, and only the tiniest hint of banana. I must digress for a moment - my brain automatically classified this as a hefeweizen before tasting, so my first impression of the beer was that it smelled a lot more like an American Wheat than a hefeweizen. Seeing the classification now, its obvious to see why I thought that, and its also obvious that my previous observation could have been left out of this rate. However, I’m sure many other unsuspecting customers will have the same experience, so I’m leaving it in. Now that I’m a bit more enlightened, my impression of the beer changes a bit and makes me able to appreciate the freshness of the Americanized ingredients and not miss the strong, trademark banana and clove aromas of a hefe quite so much. Back to the rate. Light bodied, tingling mouthfeel. A hint of vanilla and cream of wheat breakfast cereal combine with a pleasant, grassy hops finish. Flavors of freshly baked cracked wheat bread, lemon grass, and dandelion flowers round out the refreshing palate.

Decent Hefe. Hoppier then I was expecting but had a decent flavor. Ok wheat flavor. Could really feel the hop oils.

Not much to this one. I drank it on a hot summer’s night in Atlanta, looking for a thrist-quenching Wheat beer. Poured to the anticipated cloudy straw color with whitish head that lingered, and okay lacing. However, I had to work to find much aroma, and what I did get was just a hint of wheat. Could not find any clove taste, little wheat, or anything else I would expect from a good wheat. Palate was okay compared to a BMC, but again, not much. All and all, this beer was a dissapointment for a Summer Wheat beer.

Almost flavorless. Slight hints of orange in the aroma. Long bitterish finish. Reminds me of a lager, and not a hefe. Sorry I have a 6 pack of it.

Another half-hearted attempt by Shiner. Has the unfiltered body that isn’t offensive, however, doesn’t deliver like a true Hefe. The taste starts with more, like it’s going to bring it, but it falls on its face. Just like the lager. Barely tastes like a Hefe. Don’t come here if you like wheats or Hefeweizens, etc... you’ll be dissapointed.

Poured into a tall pilsner glass to appreciate fully. The snow-white head is fairly large.... This brew is noticeably cloudy and a golden, orangish-yellow color. Smells of orange peel and lemons. Very citrousy, but you can pick up a hint of yeast. Tastes of oranges, sweet malt, and a hint of lemon. Sitting by the pool on a hot summer day, you could drink these easily all afternoon and be refreshed with every sip.

Well, this is my second, and not because I drank the first one.... I actually found a dead tick in the bottle when I poured it into the glass. So down the drain it went! Hesitantly, I cracked open this bottle in hopes of a better offering.... this one without Lyme Disease attached. Pours with a great head and decent retention. Cloudy straw yellow, indicative of style. The nose is yeasty, with some wheat and vegetable in there as well. Flavor is somewhat disappointing from hereon. A bit of biscuit, some sort of hint at citrus, but the clove that the brewery touts is so hidden that it can only be noted in the finish, and that’s with a fresh palate. Not complex enough for me. It goes down well enough during warm days, but isn’t quite as crisp as I was hoping, and the lingering biscuity-hop wasn’t as well-received as I thought it might be. No banana, no real clove, no real citrus... only wheat, yeast... honest mediocrity in every way.