St. Wilbur Weizen
Bayern Brewing, Inc. / Edelweiss Bistro

St. Wilbur WeizenSt. Wilbur Weizen
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From:
Bayern Brewing, Inc. / Edelweiss Bistro
 
Montana, United States
Style:
Hefeweizen
ABV:
5.6%
Score:
80
Avg:
3.45 | pDev: 15.65%
Reviews:
27
Ratings:
56
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 15, 2021
Added:
Aug 19, 2002
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  6
There’s nothing better than Bayern’s unfiltered Hefeweizen. This Bavarian Hefeweizen (“hefe” means yeast and “weizen” refers to wheat), combines pure wheat flavor with Bayern’s own strain of yeast. Bayern’s Hefeweizen is hopped moderately with Hallertauer Perle from Germany, has an alcohol content of 5.4% Alcohol by Volume (13.1% Plato o.g.) and is made using malted wheat, pale and caramel malt. The hefeweizen beer style was invented in Bavaria and Bayern Brewing’s version is one of the very few that is actually brewed as it is in Bavaria by a Bavarian Brewmaster. So if you are interested in this style of beer, try this one first and see how the other ones compare to the original.

St. Wilbur Weizen is brewed using the recipe of the old Brauerei zum Schiff brewery in Kaufbeuren, Germany, which is located 60 miles southwest of Munich and was established in 1540. Jürgen Knöller, the owner of Bayern Brewing, apprenticed in this brewery from 1978 to 1981 and brought this original recipe to Missoula in 1987.

In 2002, Jürgen decided to rename Bayern’s Hefeweizen “St Wilbur Weizen” after his beloved St. Bernard, Wilbur, who had been adopted from the Humane Society. Sympathetic with the issues of these large breed dogs, Bayern now donates a portion of sales of this beer style and all affiliated merchandise to the Saint Bernard Rescue Foundation.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by jesseejames:
Photo of jesseejames
Reviewed by jesseejames from Montana

3.5/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
This beer pours a nice hazy dark golden with lots of head that leaves a nice lacing in the glass. The aroma is of fruits and spices a nice refreshing smell. It tastes of more fruits and much more spices and is quite pleasant on the palate and finishes with a touch of bitterness to cut the sweetness. I think this is a nice beer to have on a hot day to quench your thirst.
Jul 15, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.75 by NickMunford from Wyoming

Jul 15, 2021
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

3.36/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Third review of this brewery's offerings, they seem to have one, if not both feet firmly planted in the Germanic traditions.

Pours a cloudy amber-dark yellow looking the part, 2/3" white head, nice and dense. The color is darker than style average. Rocks a substantial amount of trub at the bottom like its a $6 haze boi can. This is one of those sandwiches in a bottle. German yeast imparts all the aspects of the spice rack (clove, coriander etc. . . ) but without going over the top on any of them.

Taste had more bitterness than I was expecting, seemed like a noble hop like American sized hop rate. Or maybe there was something else providing a tinny bitterness, but hops are usually the culprit. Big mouth feel of wheat, while likely not over 50%, this one is definitely double digits and dare I say creeping around that 35% line possibly. Overall, its a style I don't jam with, but given that they pushed a less imposing yeast, it kinda worked for me. I like the dog on the label, .25 pts for appearance extra credit ;)
Feb 18, 2020
 
Rated: 3.25 by d5001986 from Wisconsin

Sep 22, 2018
Photo of ChrisCage
Reviewed by ChrisCage from Canada (AB)

3.64/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
A- This pours with an amazingly thick egg white colored puffy head.....seriously it is about three fingers thick and superb retention and there is a large amount of meringue like lacing sticking to the side! The beer is cloudy, yellow/gold in color and has plenty of good looking yeast suspended within. Due to this, the carbonation is hard to see....

S- Everything about the aroma is on the light side of things, but I do get some of the classic Hefe smell. Hints of clove, nutmeg, banana esters, wheat and barley kernels, along with some peppery spice and caramel malt sweetness....nothing that stands out.....could be more bold but it does the job I suppose.

T- The flavors are quite good, if not a little average.....I find the overall profile to be somewhat dry and grassy, with muted unmalted grains, some underlying clove and banana peel stiffness, and even some orchard fruits (peach/nectarine)....perhaps the tartness that I'm experiencing is some muddled citrus rind too. Theres a fairly long lasting floral & bittering hop presence....I started sampling this when it was straight out of the fridge but as it warms a couple of degrees I'm finding that the flavors are blossoming on the palate....still is light compared to what I would have expected but good!

M/O- Light/medium mouthfeel and the carbonation, while not to really be seen, is plentiful, smooth and slow to release on the palate. The alcohol may have a touch of zip to it, however, I find this to be highly drinkable and especially on a hot summer day, this would do the trick! It doesn't make a person think overly hard about it and I think it would pair well with bbq sausages and kraut on the side! Definitely worth a try and I hope that in the future the brewery would consider bulking it up a little bit more to compare closer to its' German counterparts!
Aug 04, 2018
 
Rated: 2 by COBEERHUNTER from Colorado

Jul 16, 2018
 
Rated: 3.29 by Taologic from Oregon

Sep 07, 2016
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Rated by Impetuous from Montana

3.81/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75
Fantastic mouth feel. Very crisp.
Light fruitiness
Some malt
Very
Very
Very
Sessionable
In the best possible way
Such a great summer beer
Aug 05, 2016
 
Rated: 3.73 by SamuelMiller from Montana

Jul 01, 2016
 
Rated: 3.77 by LXIXME from New Mexico

Jun 29, 2016
Photo of Libeertarian
Reviewed by Libeertarian from Montana

3.45/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
This pours an opaque golden amber with fine, filmy off-white head of lower retention. Yeast has sunken to the bottom and resides in several small piles. Some of it remains clinging to the side of the glass below the surface, and an even smaller amount even managed to end up on top of the head. None of the sought-after clove or banana notes on the nose, but still a classic Hefe smell. Wheat and brewers yeast, like sweet dough. Touch of lemon. Very lemony throughout, a bit bready as it lingers and fizzes up, with very mild clove almost taking over in the finish, but otherwise far less wheat or yeast character than in the smell, although I assume that will change if I happen to gulp up any of the chunks. I might just be brave enough to do so. I was! Tastes more like cloves than brewers yeast, but really nothing special. Body is light to medium, with medium level of softer sudsy carbonation. Smooth, and neither favoring crispness nor astringency.
Oct 25, 2015
Photo of Darkmagus82
Reviewed by Darkmagus82 from Texas

3.66/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Poured from bottle into a pint glass

Appearance- the beer pours a very lightly hazed lighter golden amber color with a billowy white head of three finger height. The head has a pretty nice level of retention, slowly fading over time to leave a lighter level of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.

Smell – The aroma of the brew is heaviest of a wheaty and yeasty smell mixed with a lighter showing of a light fruit smell of peach and a bit of pear. Along with these smells comes some lighter notes of spice and a little bit of coriander and some clove.

Taste – The taste begins with a rather nice flavor of a wheat bread taste that contains a rather decent sum of a sweeter fruit flavors of peach and apricot. As the taste advances the wheat peach and apricot all hold, while a little bit of a grassy and hay flavor start to develop more and more. Along with these tastes comes some flavors of a light yeast and a little bit of spice, which in the end, leave a rather fruity and sweet, but very pleasant, wheat bready taste to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is on the slightly thicker and chewier side for an only 5.4 % abv brew with a carbonation level that is on the lower side. For the style and the sweeter wheaty flavors the feel is really quite nice, with it creating a rather easy drinking and flavorful weizen.

Overall – This is one weizen I actually rather like, but one I would likely enjoy on the occasion that I am in the mood for something with a bit more fruity flavor (which I think I am in for right now.) It is sweeter and slightly more wheaty, with a lower spice profile, but even with that said, more purist style weizen drinkers, it is very approachable and tasty. So…. Give it a go!
Aug 28, 2015
 
Rated: 3.99 by sporklift87 from Colorado

Aug 07, 2015
 
Rated: 3.65 by Chris_Carl_Johnson from Wyoming

Apr 25, 2015
 
Rated: 3.17 by Keizerjl from Florida

Jan 11, 2015
Photo of Bunman3
Reviewed by Bunman3 from Canada (AB)

3.54/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
When you are in a ski town surrounded by deep snow, it is comforting to see a St. Bernard on the label of your beer. St. Wilbur makes a nice first impression. The nose is floral and citrus, the head disappears quickly and there is a bit of wheat chewiness. This would be best suited to a warm summer day, but enjoyed it regardless.
Jan 02, 2015
 
Rated: 4.5 by a77cj7 from South Dakota

Nov 18, 2014
 
Rated: 3.88 by ADKbeerguy from New York

Oct 27, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by thebigredone from Wisconsin

May 25, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by neckbeered from Montana

May 12, 2014
St. Wilbur Weizen from Bayern Brewing, Inc. / Edelweiss Bistro
Beer rating: 80 out of 100 with 56 ratings