Widmer Hefeweizen
Widmer Brothers Brewing Company

3.74/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Pours a hazy light straw color. Smell has citrus and wheat,and banana. Taste was fruity with citrus b4 clove ,wheat and banana. Mouth feel was sweet hint of clove and bubblegum in the finish.

 191 characters

3.77/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

On tap at Duffy's Irish Pub

A: Pours hazy golden orange amber with a frothy off white head that settles to a light layer and laces very nicely.

S: Little spicy, clove, faint banana, nice wheat twang, slightly floral, faint citrus, bready malt, and a little sweetness.

T: Spicy, nice wheat twang, floral, hints of banana, faint bubble gum, bready malt, and a little sweetness.

M: Medium body, moderate carbonation, slightly creamy.

O: One of those classic gateway beers that still holds a special place in my heart. Not sure how I haven't logged it yet. Is it 100% authentic German? Probably not. But it's still a plenty enjoyable Americanized version of a hef. A bit underrated if I do say so.

 698 characters

2.86/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75

Just Ok. Got as a gift. Would not buy. Just not my kind of brew. Don't care for wheat beers, never did. Looks good in a tulip glass and the head stays around. Overall, I can drink it.

 184 characters

3.3/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

I agree with it being citrusy but it's not that bad of a hefeweizen, I have had worse. It's worth a try if you can't get a hold of any authentic German Hefeweizens in your neck of the woods. Cheers! B-

 201 characters

3.62/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

From the 12 oz bottle in a snifter. This solid hefeweizen pours a nice
amber tinged golden cloudy yellow with a nice head of white foam that
settles to a thick ring, thin light pool, and shows some nice sudsy lacing.
Nose of soft wheat, subtle banana esters, and subtle herbal hop notes.
Flavors follow the nose but exceed by presentation with nice soft wheat
flavors and light banana notes with subtle clove and cracker flavors that
are bound in place by a mildly bitter herbal hop flavor. Decent mouth feel;
medium body, medium light carbonation, and a lightly sweet wheat malt
and herbal hop note on the finish.

overall a decent brew that is a touch light for the style but still nice

Cheers

 703 characters

2.97/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

Nothing fancy, but great for an easily accessible Hefeweissen in the Northwest. It tides me over if the local shop hasn't restocked their Fransiskaner and Paulaner.

 164 characters

3.47/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Quite a light version of a classic hefe. That doesn't make it bad, just a pale version of a classic. Looks good, cloudy yellow and big huge very white head. Much more wheat in the aroma than any spice, clove or banana. Kinda' dry. "An Am. Hefe" kinda' sums it up. Easy drinking, for sure.

 297 characters

3.41/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

12 ounce bottle poured into pint glass

A: Pours a hazy dull orange color with a white head, no retention, slight lacing, looks under carbonated.

A: Subtle notes of wheat, hay, honey, banana, and spice, touch of citrus like oranges as well.

T: Like the nose, faint notes of wheat, citrus, spice, lemon, aftertaste is of lemon and wheat malt, very smooth and easy to drink.

M: Light bodied with a crisp finish, leaves a spice, citrus mouthfeel.

O: This is better than I expected but not as good as the few other hefeweizens I've tasted. This one has more citrus notes but I would not call it hoppy.

 602 characters

4.08/5  rDev +22.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Nice cloudy gold pour into a pint glass, with a great, robust aroma, full of wheat, malt and citrus. Nice head with noticeable lacing. Crisp, clean taste, with subtle citrus overtones, small bite in the after taste. A very nice wheat beer, good on a spring evening.

 265 characters

3.68/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 ounce bottle into weizen glass, bottled on 5/17/2016. Pours hazy golden/straw color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and fluffy white head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings down the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of lemon, banana, orange peel, peppercorn, clove, pear, apple, light bubblegum, wheat, cracker, lightly toasted bread, herbal, grass, and yeast earthiness. Nice aromas with good balance and complexity of fruity/spicy yeast, citrus/earthy hops, and moderate pale malt notes; with good strength. Taste of lemon, banana, orange peel, peppercorn, clove, pear, apple, light bubblegum, wheat, cracker, lightly toasted bread, herbal, grass, and yeast earthiness. Light herbal bitterness and yeast spiciness on the finish; with lingering notes of lemon, banana, orange peel, peppercorn, clove, wheat, cracker, lightly toasted bread, herbal, grass, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Nice complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, citrus/earthy hops, and moderate pale malt flavors; with a great malt/bitter/spiciness balance, and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light dryness from bitter/spiciness, lightly increasing through the glass. Medium carbonation and light-medium body; with a very smooth, moderately bready/grainy/creamy, and slightly sticky mouthfeel that is nice. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 4.9%. Overall this is a nice hefeweizen. All around good complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, citrus/earthy hops, and moderate pale malt flavors; very smooth and refreshing to drink. Very well balanced and nicely flavorful; never feeling bland/watery for the low ABV. Pretty classic feeling style flavors. A nicely enjoyable offering.

 1,826 characters

4.27/5  rDev +28.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.25

People on here calling this beer a hefeweizen are wrong. It is an American wheat ale aka and American hefeweizen. It is supposed to be different. Anyway it's a flavorful beer that is a cloudy yellow. I'll definitely order more.

 227 characters

3.25/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

355ml bottle poured into a weizen glass.

Cloudy pale gold straw color, the pour forms up one and a half finger of frothy white head that stays for a while with decent retention then dissipates to some bubble sheet on the surface. There is not much of lace to speak with.

The aroma is rather faint that is led by citrus, floral, as well as some clove spice, wheat grain, earthy, grassy, bready malt, and only ghost-like banana in kind of artificial not that real banana.

The taste is surprisingly not that fruity or bubblegum as it should be with only some citrus, lime, and clove spice. Hop with a bold touch of earthiness, grassiness, and bitterness while malt is also there with its breadiness and subtle sweet caramel.

Light body with some crisp and moderate lively carbonation, semi-smooth mouthfeel with some refreshing touch through the palate, finish is dry.

Forget about the German Hefe before trying this one, it is not that bad but nothing worth to repeat.

 971 characters

3.36/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

12 ounce glass poured to wine glass
average, yellowish, hazy, no foam
not too fragrant, grains, fruity
low bitterness, some sweetness, tart
medium carbonation, sudden drop then long follow through, long tart bitter aftertaste
Overall: Very good beer, balance, nothing exciting but nothing exceptional either
Drank: January 16, 2017 12:00 AM

 346 characters

3.45/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

L: Cloudy gold, with a soapy white head and streaky lacing.

S: White bread, lightly toasted, with hints of apple and lemon, and grass and earth.

T: Lightly toasted, white bready malt, apple, pear, lemon, and hints of grass and clove on the finish.

M: Medium-light, moderate carbonation, very drinkable.

O: A crisp, refreshing thirst quencher, but not the most flavorful hefeweizen. Taste closer to something like Shock Top.

 428 characters

3.23/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Served in a pint glass.

Appearance: Barely cloudy gold color. Heavy bubbles.[White] Head is roughly half a finger's length off the body. Drops quick with almost zero lacing.

Smell: Light hops and a bit of banana skin, very bland scent.

Taste: Light malts and pieces of banana skin. Lightly bitter and real easy to drink.

Mouth: Medium carbonation and average stickiness.

Overall: I want to like it but it's a tough brew to judge, somewhere in the middle of like and leave alone.

 488 characters

3.17/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

The beer is a darker straw color with a haze that I can still see the fast rising carbonation through. The head was thin and reminded me like a small layer of soap. Very faint, almost no aroma, a slight wheat smell but that is about it. The beer is medium bodied and I do get a nice bubble feel off the carbonation. The beer itself tastes i get a slight spice, not overly strong or distinguishable, not your typical clove or banana flavors. Then a get a sweet wheat flavor. Overall the beer is fine but not a very good hefeweizen

 535 characters

3.26/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Nice yellow hazy appearance replete with an almost full inch of white head. Aroma kicked down citrus, lemon and grapefruit.

Taste is almost surprisingly bitter and moreso tart. The wheat and lemon remain continuously perceptible. If you want more lemon than banana in the traditional hefe yeast strains, this might be up your alley. Definitely a hybrid of tradition and American ingenuity here.

This stuff is everywhere, well distributed, plenty popular, I wouldn't say it does anything bad.

 499 characters

2.75/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.25

Not a true hefeweizen. No banana/clove.
Color and mouth feel is right for style but the taste is missing the hallmarks of the style. Might be a below average wheat beer. Will not get again.

 191 characters

3.99/5  rDev +19.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Honestly overall I'd have to say I'm pleased with it. I fell in love with Franziskaner dunkel and this reminded me of it without the banana nutty flavor and a little hoppier. Great beer IMO right amount of alcohol and goes down very easy.

 238 characters

3.89/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4.25

Decent heff from Portland; the land of a million craft beers. Also the original american heff from one of the original craft breweries. Does not disappoint. Smooth citrusy with floral notes in the nose and finish -- decent alcohol content. Great!

 246 characters

3.32/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a Shaker pint glass, there is no "best by" date that I can find.

APPEARANCE: pours a dense, hazy, straw color with one-finger white head that slowly dissipated until a thin, unbroken layer of small bubbles remained, there is significant lacing on the glass and medium carbonation (I think?).

SMELL: very faint to the nose, bread and faint banana and lemon citrus note.

TASTE: initially sweet bread and lemon citrus, then faint banana, everything understated.

PALATE: medium body and carbonation.

OVERALL: this is an underwhelming example of a style I truly enjoy, it was a great looking beer but smell and taste were very faint, I would not buy this one again as there are better options available.

 742 characters

3.92/5  rDev +17.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Poured from 12oz bottle into standard pint glass. Bottle on June 28th 2016.

L: Hazy Banana Yellow. Finger width white head which has decent retention.

S: Yeast, Banana, Clove, Coriander, Wheat, Citrus hops.

T: Creamy tastes of clove, and yeast with a medium wheat presence of course, banana, possibly pepper? Citrus hops in the background.

F: Medium bodied and smooth, crisp carbonation. Refreshing.

O: A very good beer. Very. Good.

 451 characters

3.63/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

This beer is my first Hefeweizen so perhaps i'm not the best judge of a good one, but I very much enjoy this beer. Poured into a glass chalice, head dissipated slowly into about a half-finger. looks like a hefe ought to, and tastes exactly how I expected one would. Very bready with a nice smooth finish. Very drinkable, and at under 5% abv, a lightweight like myself could enjoy as much of it as I wanted to.

 409 characters

4.21/5  rDev +26.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A golden orange beer with a thick haze. The head is very thin.
The smell is very much like a wheat.
The taste is very smooth, with a wheat flavor with minor spices.
The beer is light and is smooth and is easy to swallow.

Overall, this been is smooth and delicious. It isn't really like your traditional Hefe, but it certainly has its own flavor that is just as pleasing.

 372 characters

3.43/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Curious, this one. Had it twice. Still can't place it. Maybe because it is almost creates a new style: the American Hefe.
Widmer's is the second most rated American-made Hefe (and sixth overall including the Germans), but you have to go down to the 17th hefe to find one with a lower rating than Widmer's.
I gave it points because I like the Widmer Bros rags-to-riches rendition for craft brewers; starting in the late 1970s as home-brewers who made a cash cow (their Hefe) who, as I understand it, made riches; having been bought by a larger company envious of their large following.

Listed on the "1001" beers, it obviously is an arguable inclusion. But Michael Jackson set the tone.
MJ's 1999 edition gave it 3 of 4 stars with this telling review "Widmers Hefe enjoyed great success with its (intentionally) densely sedimented Hefe which tastes somewhere between a beer and a fresh, sweetish grapefruit juice, but deserves points for that distinction."

 956 characters