Hofbräu Wiesnbier
Hofbräuhaus München

New personal favourite. Seriously regret not ordering more considering this is impossible to find locally and had to be delivered from Germany. I'm going to compare everything about this beer to my now-second-favourite beer, Hofbräu Oktoberfestbier. I like the packaging even more on this one. The colour is much darker for starters, an amber bordering on orange-red. Beautiful. Two finger foamy white head of fine bubbles. Gigantic, rich, complex malt profile on the nose. The nutty- and brown bread malts from the Oktoberfestbier make a return, with a stronger presence of sweet caramel malts, plus a bright, spicy but subtle hint of hops. The taste follows the aroma exactly. Sweeter than the Oktoberfest, but also more brightly hopped, leaving the perfect harmony intact. Medium-heavy bodied where the Oktoberfest was medium, and this one is a little oilier/stickier, but still goes down very smoothly. Too smoothly, considering its perfectly blended and nearly undectable 6.2% ABV. Delicious. Magical. Perfect. All the gushing I did about HB's Oktoberfestbier applies here as well, in some areas moreso. The harmonious balance remains intact, but the opposite ends are further apart, if you can imagine that. The malts are richer and sweeter, but the hops are brighter and drier. The Golden Ratio reigns strong. This stuff is liquid gold.

Hofbräuhaus München “Hofbräuhaus Wiesnbier”
,5L brown glass bottle coded “Mindestens haltbar bis: 19.05.2022 7:12”. Sampled on 29.09.2021

This is exactly what I expect from a Wiesnbier, and I’ve really come to enjoy this style much more than the fuller and more filling Märzen that used to be served, and still is, at Oktoberfest. It’s golden with a white head that holds well and leaves fine lacing about the glass. The aroma is malty and bready, as it should be, but not too sweet, and with just a suggestion of some herbal hops. The flavor follows. It’s nicely balanced, and far more drinkable on a mass scale than the heavier and more bitter Oktoberfest Märzens. It’s medium-full in body and crisp with a fine-bubbled carbonation. In the end it’s quite enjoyable and satiating while still remaining quite drinkable.
Review #7,469