Widmer Hefeweizen
Widmer Brothers Brewing Company

Plain and simple, this is not a hefeweizen, it's an American wheat beer. Bodies that define style categories (e.g., the BJCP) agree. As someone who didn't know that when purchasing, suffice to say I was disappointed by what I actually got. The aroma is minimal. On the palate, wheat character is present, but the usual hefe notes like banana and clove are totally absent, supplanted instead by hop bitterness and some background citrus. Even by the standards of the category to which this beer should belong, it's unbalanced and forgettable.

The perfect "average" hefe, in my book. Balanced everything makes it a beer that can be had at any time or occasion. Looks premium in a tulip glass, smells spicy, tastes rich AND refreshing though maybe a tad metallic and dry, feels downright energizing. Doesn't floor you so you can have one of your even-better favorites as a complement.

I don't understand the hate here. If you are devoted hefewiezen snob, then this beer is not for you. It is fruity. You gotta turn the bottle back and forth to dissolve the wheat at the bottom. It will turn cloudy. This is when to pour half the bottle, spin it a few times, pour the rest, squeeze a slice of lemon then drop it in. Head pours to 3/4 of an inch and disappears almost immediately so it needs to be drank pretty quickly. Can't savour this for a half an hour it loses its carbonation fast. However when poured in a tall glass it will stand the test of time a little longer. Not ready for prime time in a pint glass. It is satisfying on a nice summer day. Goes down easy. Citrusy all the way through. Best on tap for sure but if poured from a bottle properly very satisfying. For me, It's a go to for those occasions.

 

 

Big yellow 19.2oz can labeled "Hefe" and "The Original American Hefeweizen" and pkgd on Apr08 22. Somehow this was the only American hefeweizen in my grocery store. Served in a UFO weizen glass. Big, orange amber and extremely hazy, with a nice white foam. Not as golden as I'd like for a wheat beer, but ok.

Aroma doesn't offer much, not clove, not banana, not yeast, not citrus. Flavor is wheaty but neutral. There's only enough noble hop flavor to balance out the malt, and the unmalted grain flavor just barely comes through. Still, it's nice enough, and the mouthfeel is deliciously creamy and not at all over-carbed.

Give me El Jefe. Give me UFO. Give me Sam Summer on draught. Widmer's Hefe is the most ubiquitous hefeweizen around here, and Widmer's most famous beer under that name. And it's drinkable, but it doesn't deserve the shelf space.

 

Rerate, 355 ml bottle, ABV 4.9%, as Widmer Brothers Hefe, from Vinmonopolet Verksgt., Stavanger. Slightly hazy golden, low and shortlived white head. Still a boring beer, but not quite as bad as claimed in my first comments. Noticeable hops. I’m upping it one point.

Original rating: Sample from bottle at Vectura tasting. Slightly hazy golden colour. Bland aroma and flavour, with only the faintest traces of typical hefeweizen characteristics. Calling this a "Hefeweizen" is unforgiveable, if they had called it an "American Wheat" they would at least have had a point. (But who cares for American Wheats anyway?) Yes, it is wet and cold, and might slake your thirst if you’re desperate, but that are all the good things you can say about it.

 

smell is what i expected of a hefe. tastes a little worse than others i’ve had. not a horrible beer but not the best to hefeweizen i’ve had. probably wouldn’t try again

 

Scrappy notes from 2006.
First tried on a Widmir Brewery tour then from 12 ounce bottles from Albertson's market.
Has a cloudy gold look with a pretty big white head. Smelling wheat, malts and yeast. Tasting wheat and a bit of zippy citrus with light bitterness. Fantastic taste that is very lightly sweet. It's light on the palate with some staying power and extremely easy to drink. An excellent Germanic American Hefeweizen example.

 

Poured from 12oz bottle into a tall, straight-sided glass. I can't believe that after all these years, I still haven't reviewed Widmer Hefeweizen! It's a legend!

Appearance: cloudy golden hue with two fingers of frothy ivory foam atop. I think it looks quite good indeed.

Smell: wheaty and malty with a discernible noble hop character to the aroma. Not earth-shattering, but not a bad smelling American take on a hefeweizen.

Taste: wheaty; a little bit sweet, but not at all cloying. There's plenty of bitterness here. It's definitely not a classic German hefeweizen, but it has a nice flavor and just enough bitterness to remain balanced and drinkable.

Mouthfeel: medium-light body with a nice carbonation and a rather creamy mouthfeel.

Overall: I don't get the hate. Yes, they're distributed by A-B and have become a behemoth of the industry in their own right. But this is a tasty beer, and a pioneering beer of American craft. Good stuff!

 

 

A decent wheat beer.

As someone very close to the German culture, this will be the first American style hefe I have tried. I am largely familiar with the style itself. Poured from a glass bottle.. wow, packaged 9/26/19- hope it aged well.

L: Hardly a head foams, white and fizzes out instantly. Murky and cloudy about 50%. Noticeably flimsy at 4.9abv and a deep gold, about 8 srm. A very delicate amber.

S: A bubblegum nose with hints of banana and clove swirled in. A background of baked bread present throughout.

T: A citrus shock I did not foresee, absent on the nose, quickly mellowed out by a subtly sweet malt. No significant spices or outstanding flavors, all together long-lasting and balanced, however.

F: No carbonation, thick in the mouth and unfiltered, feeling the particulates on the tongue. Not mouthcoating, as it all washed down easily.

I would say WIdmer makes a good introduction to Hefe, and the best option if there are limited selection. They claim to brew the first "American Hefe," which is great, but the core foundations of any Hefe can be improved upon. For example, The balance of flavors and forward bubblegum was on point, but the mouthfeel could be clingier, heartier. I was pleasantly surprised by the citrus that was not caught on the nose. If one wants to get a cheap German style for an Oktoberfest party, stellar option. If one wants to explore the style in more depth, reroute your resources toward Franziskaner or Ayinger.

This beer from Oregon is a Hefeweizen that pleases me because unlike the German Hefeweizen beers it lacks that yeasty aftertaste.
The fruity and spritzi character is very refreshing. The very best experience is actually when drinking it from a keg and not from the bottle. Used to consume it in various bars in WA State and enjoyed it very much from tap.

No, no, no. Not what you expect from a hefeweizen, or from a beer in general.