Edelweiss Hefetrüb
Brau Union Österreich

5cottie from Canada (BC)

4.18/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

This beer was recommended to me by an Austrian friend, a bar manager and I’m inclined to agree with his opinion. The “best” Weissbier in the world. Inverted commas because I have not and I’m sure he has not tried them all!

If poured correctly, with sediment mixed in the bottle by swirling the last inch, it has a subtle aroma that gets my taste buds ready for the first taste. Served slightly below what the English call cellar temperature it forms a thick and creamy head and can be drunk through that head if it’s again poured correctly, thick, rich and creamy and around an inch deep. The body of the beer is a rich cloudy brown and it MUST be served in a 500ml glass, ideally a Weissbier glass (heavy narrow base, widening to a large rim). The taste in the mouth is substantial, again rich but neither sweet nor tart (for a beer that is!). It tastes slightly hoppy but a mild malt flavour comes through. The aftertaste is every bit as good too and lasts for a minute or two. Temperature is not crucial and unlike some sub standard beers is just as good served cool rather than frosty. the delightful favour of the beer will still come through even if the beer is consumed at room temperature. Try drinking warm coke if you want to see what coke REALLY tastes like! The effervescent is also subtle without that back of the mouth fizziness that come with all too many beers nowadays.

Feb 15, 2021

jonmikel from Spain

4.3/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Drunk at a Restaurant in the city center of Salzburg, in Austria.
It is a very very nice Weizen with a lot of body and taste. I would highly recommend it.

Jul 27, 2020

monkist from Hungary

3.98/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Before all you wheat beer lovers would go ahead and stone me to death for bashing this Edelweiss, I must make my disclaimer that I basically do NOT like wheat beers much. I only drink them when there is a good enough reason for doing so.
Now there wasn't but I had to try and evaluate this again after so many years. Looks good, smells okay (yeast and wheat in the back- and not foreground which is a pro for me) and the taste is also quite mild, lacking that great big sick yeast thing in there like a belgian.
So we are okay, it tastes alright, I mean consumable, has that ale-like mouthfeel plus the wheat and yeast that I can almost forget about for a few moments. I am sure though I could enjoy it even more if it wasn't a wheat beer that tastes a bit too German to me...
But whoever likes it, should drink it. It's good quality. I guess I had enough, was great, okay, now farewell.

May 10, 2018

mkh012 from Colorado

4.18/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours light orange with a healthy amount of sediment. A finger of white head.

The nose is banana, lemon, and grass.

The taste opens hefe-like with banana and bread - peppery hops mid-palate. Light, easy finish with a touch of lingering bitterness.

The mouthfeel is creamy. Maybe the strongpoint of the beer.

Overall, interesting. Grassy, crisp, fruity, and smooth.

Feb 10, 2017

stevoj from Idaho

2.88/5  rDev -26.7%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75

Bottle picked up at Wasana's (can't believe that place closed) Average weizen, decent all around, nothing in particular stands out. Good flavor and very drinkable.

Dec 24, 2015

HerrJohnSmith from Israel

4.22/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Yellowish color, nice foam and sweet/bitter taste of banana, caramel and some spice i can't recognize. Classy weissbeer that tastes similiar to other German wheat with a sweet punch. would drink again - lucky me for buying 2 bottles :)

Oct 09, 2015

UCLABrewN84 from California

3.3/5  rDev -16%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

Bottled 7/2014.

Pours a murky light yellow-orange with a foamy bone head that settles to wisps of film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace drip into the remaining beer on the drink down. Smell is of wheat, grain, caramel, banana, earth, spice, and slight skunk aromas. Taste is much the same with grain, dried fruit, caramel, earth, and spice flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of spice bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is an above average beer that is drinkable, but not a very good representation of the style in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle.

Jul 22, 2015

NeroFiddled from Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Hofbräu Kaltenausen "Edelweiss Weissbier Hefetrub"
,3l vom fass for €3,90 @ Zum Leupold, Wein, AT

After a very drunken night in Dublin, Ireland way back in 1993 I had a bottle of this and thought it was one of the worst beers I'd ever tasted. Fast forward to December 30, 2014 and Bavarian hefeweizen is one of my favorite styles!

I was surprised to find that on tap this was actually quite clear, but perhaps this keg had sat for some time, although at the famous Zum Leupold I'd doubt that. And maybe I'm wrong, maybe this is a more clear hefeweizen. Regardless of appearance it's a fairly straight-forward Bavarian-style hefeweizen with lots of banana and clove both in the aroma and the flavor (also some apple and pear); and it's sweetish but still dry. If there's a flaw it's that it's a little bit light in the body, but being from Austria I kind of expect that having sampled some of their other interpretations of the style. Overall, quite nice.

Jan 28, 2015

taxandbeerguy from Canada (ON)

4.3/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Served on-tap into a non description glass at a cafe while in France on vacation. Served petty cold with a lemon slice.

Appearance - pale golden color, a little less orange than many other hefeweizens but retains the hazy characteristics. Lots of tiny bubbles make a rapid ascension to the one finger of head which lasts for a good long while and leaves behind lots of stringy lacing.

Smell - aromatic yet light, some banana and maybe a trace of clove but much more floral than a lot of others in the style. The bready nature of a hefeweizen is exhibited less here, in place a wonderful bouquet of flowery goodness. A splash of lemon mixed in for good measure.

Taste - delicious, with the banana and clove and maybe a touch of bubblegum shining through but there's also a very sweet flowery finish to this beer, that makes is particularly good on a hot summer day in Paris. Lemon completes the tasting, although a little hard to tell if it's from the lemon slice added or if it's naturally in the beer. I tend to think a little of both.

Mouthfeel - well carbonated, yet extremely soft and light in the mouth, the only two other hefe's that have been able to pull that trick are Ayinger and Weihenstephan. A resounding crispness completes this aided by the lemon taste capping the taste.

Overall - a wonderful hefe that was glorious on tap and I truly wish was more accessible, even if a bottled version couldn't live up to the on-tap version I tried.

Jul 23, 2014

curasowa from New York

3.7/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Cloudy, golden color with a thin cap of of white head.

Aroma: Wheat malt, husky, banana and a bit of citrus zest. Checks all of the classic aroma boxes.

Taste: Nice mild malt profile that is almost creamy, then lots of spicy, prickly citrus notes. A little yeast towards the finish with some lingering spiciness.

The Rest: A solid, classic Hefe. Well balanced, pleasant and very drinkable.

Jun 14, 2014

TWM from North Carolina

3.04/5  rDev -22.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Not a bad wheat beer. Unfiltered, cloudy color; the high head reduced to a consistent skim of foam. Taste was richer and less sharp than most wheat beers- definitely appreciate that the sharp citrus overkill was avoided in this one; much smoother and pleasant than I expected. Sweet after-taste (vaguely fruity, perhaps banana or something). Hints of spice- I mainly got nutmeg, although I think some clove scent may have come through as well.

Overall, not a bad beer for the genre, and definitely a good Weizenbier choice for the non-wheat-beer-drinkers.

Dec 07, 2013

Ciocanelu from Romania

3.65/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

On tap. Just slightly hazy golden color with white head. Aroma is classic with nice banana and clove esters and fresh yeast. Taste follows with sweet wheat and banana, quite clean and floral. Body is quite light for the style and has a crisp carbonation. Overall it has nice weissbier flavors but it doesn’t look and feel like expected.

Nov 21, 2013

Bitterbill from Wyoming

4/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle code says L155A.406.25, a best by date. I'm guessing the L stands for year 2102 and 155 is the julian date, so this is quite old. Also, the cap says Hefetraub but the bottle label is what I see here. Confusing.

A- it pours a hazy straw yellow, big ole head of foam that leaves some nice lacing.

S- I smell wheat, cloves/other spices, not much else.

T- good notes of wheat, light on the cloves, hints of banana. The age of the bottle probably killed off the beer's vibrant flavours but....this is still a joy to drink.

M- medium bodied with plenty of carbonation.

O- drinking this makes me wonder what it's like fresh. As is, it is very tasty and quaffable.

Jul 26, 2013

metter98 from New York

3.73/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Bottle at Pannenkoekenrestaurant Oude Mueller, Utrecht, Netherlands

A: The beer is rather hazy yellow in color and has a high amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high white head that died down but consistently left a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface.
S: Light to moderate aromas of wheat and bananas are present in the nose.
T: Like the smell, the taste has flavors of wheat along with notes of bananas from the yeast.
M: It feels light-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is very easy to drink and as some refreshing properties. It is not a bad choice to enjoy sitting next to a canal on a warm day.

Apr 18, 2013

falloutsnow from Illinois

4.29/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From: Friar Tuck, Savoy, IL
Date: Best by 05/2013
Glass: Weihenstephan weizen glass

A complex, engaging, and inviting hefeweizen with interesting fruit esters and classic yeast, wheat malt, and clove flavors, this ranks highly in the pantheon of imported weizens. While I'm enjoying this on a cold spring day, I can see myself drinking one of these any time I'm desiring a good hefeweizen.

Pours a tall, 4cm head of creamy white foam, made up of small-sized bubbles, creamy a very soft, frothy appearance. Head has excellent retention, lasting several minutes as it fades to a 0.5cm cap atop the body. Lacing is present, but not particularly significant, leaving only a few lines and bubbles on the sides of the glass. Body is a deep, cold, golden orange color, very hazy (about 90% opaque) with light rendering a the body a paler gold yellow with faded orange center. Carbonation is visible in the body, many streams form along the sides of the glass and rise upward with some vigorousness.

Aroma is smooth but strong, of sweet wheat malt, vanilla, banana esters, and lighter clove and yeast. Very nice, inviting, and complex.

A very fruit-heavy hefeweizen with strong banana flavor and sweetness, a few other interesting fruit flavors in the back, with more subdued, but noticeable, vanilla, bready wheat, yeast, and clove. Front of palate experiences bready, wheat malt sweetness and yeast, with subdued clove, banana and coconut esters. Mid-palate tastes strong banana flavor with clove more subdued yeast, wheat malt, and clove. Back of the palate notes some interesting pineapple-coconut like esters (pina colada-like) along with the expected banana ester, clove, and faint band-aid. Aftertaste is fairly sweet, with slight tartness via an apple-cider like flavor with banana, yeast, and clove lingering in the background.

Beer is medium to medium-light in body, with carbonation of medium intensity, resulting in a slightly fizzy mouthfeel that quickly calms to a foamy middle and close. This is appropriate for the style, but a bit overaggressive at first. Each sip closes dry, with very little residual stickiness on the palate.

Mar 17, 2013

ChugMan from Washington

2.84/5  rDev -27.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2

A - Hazy gold/banana yellow. Decent but unremarkable head.
S - Banana bread, singed sugar & caramel, clove. Buttery. Fairly aromatic and pleasing, comforting even. Very interesting!
T - Definite clove, yeast. An odd off-tasting, burnt sugaryness. Tart, sour, lime-candy taste seems out of balance as it dominates the palate.
M - Somewhat puckering from its not-quite-citrusy sourness, a bit unpleasant. Bitter. Finishes fairly clean and very dry, but sourness lingers.
O - Disappointing. While there's no doubt my palate isn't the most refined, I don't see the appeal of this one and would be reluctant to try it again. Forgive me, my Austrian brothers.

Mar 04, 2013

OtherShoe2 from Massachusetts

3.7/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours cloudy yellow with a full white head, some lace.

Nutty yeast and sweet wheat in the nose. Some banana and tropical fruit.

Malt is nice, with yeast and sweet wheat coming forward. Some tropical fruit and raw grain. But this fades to a odd soapy note, with no bitterness and a very weak finish.

Lighter bodied, good carbonation.

Unbalanced, which is a shame. Good start, fades in the finish.

Jan 18, 2013

PHKrames from Illinois

4.45/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had from a bottle served in weizen glass

A-A cloudy yellow with a 2 finger head that lingers for a few minutes

S-Fruity and spices with possibly a hint of banana

T-This beer tastes almost like it smells. A hint of clove or spice to it with a fruity finish. And I still can think there is a banana element to this beer as well

M-Very smooth and crisp.

O-This is a fantastic wheat beer, almost the perfect wheat beer in my opinion. Perfectly balanced in every way. I don't know why this beer is not more popular and easier to access, but you can't go worng with enjoying one of these

Dec 20, 2012

JohnGalt1 from Idaho

3.53/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Austrian hefe?? Picked up at the COOP today for about $4... poured into my weiss glass... Good white head... slightly hazed very pale golden.

The nose is mainly banana esters with just a minor hint of clovey phenols.. decent bready maltiness.

Much more clove on the palate and it lingers through the finish.. banana is actually a little bit light... malts are light too... okay, but not great.

Body seems sorta flimsly... "beery" and certainly well carbonated.. I guess I just prefer a bit more residual heft on the tongue.

I will probably not buy this one again... but I think that my ideal hefe has more "Umph" in the aroma and flavor.

4/3.5/3.5/3.5/3.5

Dec 17, 2012

morimech from Minnesota

3.84/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

05 2013 printed on the label.

Pours a cloudy golden color with a monstrous head that did not want to settle and just hung at three fingers.

Wonderful aromatic weiss beer. All the usual hefeweizen aromas are present such as banana, bubblegum, cloves, and wheat all blended together perfectly.

The flavor is not as impressive but still a good tasting hefe. The yeast did not totally take over as the wheat malt plays the biggest part. Notes of banana and cloves.

Feels a little thin and watery. For all the action during the pour, the carbonation is quite low. Overall the texture was a disappointment.

A good old world hefe. Too bad the greatness did not go beyond the aroma into the flavor and other areas.

Aug 18, 2012

scvance from South Carolina

4.95/5  rDev +26%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured from a 750 mL bottle into a weissbier glass.

Wow. That's really the only word for it. Pours a wonderfully hazy gold color. Large long lasting and very creamy white head. The smell is incredible, lots of banana and clove aroma along with yeast. The taste is also wonderful, fruity and yeasty with a nice character that screams hefeweizen. One of my all time favorite beers, wish I could find it in the states.

Edit: If anyone does know where I can find this in the US, please tell me.

Aug 04, 2012

xylophonica from Australia

3.65/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Cloudy, golden wheat colour with a nice amber hue. Good 1-2 fingers of head which subsides gradually.

S - Strong sensation of sweet vanilla, banana and sugary candy-malt. Touch of dry wheat in the background works to balance the aromas.

T - Not as sweet as expected initially. Quite crisp on the palate with a somewhat bitter presence. The aftertaste offers much more of the flavours suggested by the aroma. Sweet on the lips but still bitter and with a hint of spice.

M - There's a malt layer here which is almost hidden but does slowly coat the mouth as it's consumed. Accordingly the drink softens on the palate after the first few initial mouthfuls. Not as smooth or sweet though as you might expect. Plenty of bitterness verging on sourness at times.

O - I believe this is the first Austrian wheat beer I've ever sampled. Compelling aromas up front but lacking in the smooth sophistication you'd expect from this style/part of the world. Reminiscent of the Weihenstephan Kristall but not quite as good.

Jul 14, 2012

StonedTrippin from Colorado

4/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

excellent and unique brew. pours very light sunny wheat colored with a 2 inch white head with some retention. smells floral like clover flowers or something similar, and also of a slightly zesty yeast. flavor is delicate and balanced, floral like the nose, but also a bit of honey sweetness and a very tart finish. its served with a lemon, but you really dont need it. leaves a nice mellow pollenated taste on the tongue. feel is spot on, super light in body and appropriately carbonated. its sessionable to the max, and is perfect on a hot summer day. different than a conventional hefe, this is worth seeking out. magic on tap.

Jun 26, 2012

hustlesworth from Ohio

3.39/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A- superfoam. White and dense with a wheat protein skin on top. Takes forever to settle. Little bits of lace. Body is a hazy lemon yellow with straight streams of bubbles.

S- mild clove, banana, and bubblegum with a "beery" aroma. Wheaty cracker sweetness.

T- Mild flavor as well, decent balance between sweet and tart fading into a white bread finish with some clove and banana.

MF- creamy wheat protein feel, carbonation is zippy at first but disappears on the swallow.

D- this one is ok but feels generic somehow. Maybe it's the water.

Apr 03, 2012

supermeniscus from Netherlands

3.81/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

Served on tap at Rootz bar in The Hague.
A - slightly hazy, straw yellow colour. Served in Edelweiss glass. Very appealing
S - Smells of citrus fruits but lacking some definitive Hefe qualities
T - a few things going on, Definite taste of lemon & lime and something like toffee in the aftertaste. Plenty of wheat too
M - very light mouthfeel, almost like it was watered down. Didn't really like it
O - it did get better as it went down, but there are too many Hefe's i would choose over this one.

Mar 10, 2012