While being far from an expert on German Beer, I've for many years, been a fan of a Munich Weissbier or Hefeweizen. (Weissbier simply means 'white beer' while Hefe means 'yeast' and weizen means 'wheat')
So a hefeweizen is a yeasty,usually pale beer made with wheat and barley (as opposed to most German beers which are exclusively made with barley).
Weissbiers have been available in Ireland for quite a number of years now but the choice has been sadly limited and the brands have been chosen more for their status than their quality.
Hence Erdinger is widely available here and while I thank Erdinger for opening the minds of a many an Irish pint drinker to the possibilities of weissbier, I find it heavy and a little bland. It is, however, the best selling Weissbier in Europe but mass appeal has never been a sure sign of quality, in my book.
Schneiderweiss has been here for quite a while but this is a rather dark-coloured hefeweizen and while its quality cannot be questioned, it is not to everyone's taste and is not a typical example of the style. Oh, but their Aventinus is something special (very dark and over 8%abv)!
Franziscaner, Schöfferhofer, Pualanner and various other weissbiers have come and gone, relieving the tedium of Erdinger but now a truly great Munich Hefeweizen has arrived on our shores.
What is it?
Weihenstephaner
This beer does, for me, what a truly great weissbier should.
It is aromatic, fruity, full-bodied but at the same time quite light and refreshing.
It has all the classic hefeweizen, bananna, spice and citrus flavours but all in perfect balance.
This is a quaffable beast and at 5.4%abv, it's maybe one to treat with respect as it goes down with the ease of beer lighter in alcohol.
Look here
I've never had alot of meas in Kristal Weissbiers (filtered clear versions of hefeweizen) as, in my opinion, they tend a little towards lager but are not as refreshing. Weinhenstephaner Kristal, on the other hand, does carry alot of the aroma and flavour of its cloudy brother.
I had high hopes for their Weizenbock (a stronger version of the hefeweizen called Vitus) but this beer nerd found it a little harsh and wanted it a bit darker (each to their own).
I'd really like to taste their Dunkel (dark wheat beer) but haven't been able to find it yet.
(Note to the importers!!!!)
There are a couple of non alcoholic versions, one of which is 'isotonic' (a new one on me).
Both are very drinkable but, as with all non alcohol beers, there's a hole in the flavour palette that nothing but alcohol will fill. This is not just the taste of alcohol that's wanting but the alcohol also acts as a carrier for flavour compounds.
If you're tired of Erdinger or just want a change or simpmly want to taste what is arguably the best Hefeweizen in the world, I highly recommend Weinhenstephaner Hefeweizen (in moderation, of course).
If you can't find it, ask for it.
