Stiegl Hefeweizen
Stieglbrauerei zu Salzburg GmbH

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Had this one on tap at a Biergarten in the Austrian Alps, maybe it was the alpine atmospere, but I loved this beer.

Poured the typical cloudy yellow but with a exceptionally thick, retaining, white head. Quality lacing and yeast chunks. Wheat grain and banana flavors, yet a little subdued with a nice balance of the slightest hop spice. The flavors are more like wheat, somewhat cracker-like and less like banana. This is a rare find in this style and makes for a distinguished drink.

A tasty, yet light Weißbier. Like the smell, the flavors are there and nicely balanced but subdued and weak at the same time. Some mild alcohol sweetness comes up in the finish that makes up for a lot.

Nice and sticky in the mouth with a thick and gentle finish. A little less heavy in the stomach than other Weißbier(almost but not quite like Erdinger), making this a pretty class session beer.

There's an Austrian Purity Law? That's what it says on the label. Anyway, on to the beer:

Although a slow foamer from the bottle, the beer as it is poured into my glass looks good. A big billowy head rests on top the beer, which is dark yellowish brown...darker than the usual hefe. Nice head retention, but no lacing. Very spicy in the aroma at first. Also spicy are the hops which I smell. Light dabs of lemon and yeast finish it off.

The yeast doesn't do much work for this beer. It tastes more one dimension than I imagined, but even worse, it's a little weak to style. There's some lemon sweetness from the malt, and very weak, watery banana. Very faint nutmeg rides around also. It's also a little thin in the mouth, aka a touch watery. A hint of banana lingers in the aftertaste.

It's passable, but Bavaria doesn't need to freak out over this Austrian beer. Give it a pass.

Appearance: Cloudy with a thick white head..good retention. Head receded with a nice cap after a little.

Aroma: Yeast is predominant. The banana is there as well, albeit rather subtle. Its mild, there aren't any clove scents to be found in this one.

Taste: Yeasty. Its banana flavor is there a little, but for the most part, this is focusing on one thing: wheat. It gets that done well. Banana is subtle, and there is little bitterness as this finishes. The flavors could be more complex, but at any rate, the yeast flavors are really good.

Mouthfeel: Crisp finish, good carbonation. Doesn't have any coating characteristic like some other hefeweizens I've had, but its still good. Light bodied

Drinkability: Tastes good (even if it is a little simpler), is crisp, light and refreshing. Does well in this one for sure

Overall, a pretty good hefe, even without the complex flavors. Recommended still.

I popped open the pint bottle and poured into a tall flared glass. It poured a cloudy golden color and had a thick white head. Every sip I took was pleasant. Strong carbonation and subtle fruity taste in each sip. Can't quite pin down what fruits I'm tasting though. I recommend this beer. Quite good for a Hefeweizen. I've had a few better Hefs, but have also had a lot worse Hefs. Definatly give this a try.

Appearance - pours an extremely cloudy, dirty but bright yellow. 4+ fingers of foam kick up immediately and hang around quite a bit before subsiding enough to squeeze some more beer in. Finally it is in and the head extends about an inch over the top of the glass like a meringue.

Aroma - intensely yeasty, bready, doughy, get it? Some banana aroma working in there as it settles a bit. Lacking the clove and spice though.

Taste - light malt aspect, much much yeast. Does very well on that side of the profile but not so much on the spice/banana/clove side. Just a hint of something non-yeasty now and then and a light bit of lemon, but nothing definitive. Finishes with an edge of sweetness on the swallow. Tasty, just not very complex.

Mouthfeel - lighter than avg, good crispness, just coating enough without over-doing it.

Drinkability - a fine summer hefe if you want something quaffable that's easy to knock back.

Served on tap into the traditional style tall flared glass, at a Stiegl Brewery bar, with good dense head that lasted well. Aroma very good, fruity, cloves, bananas, hint of vanilla, slightly sweet. Great taste, hint of sweetness, but well balanced by the the dryish finish, one not overpowering the other. Good finish, clean and crisp but the flavours lingering longer than some wheat beers. Enjoyed it very much, easy to drink. Not an outstanding example of the style, but very good non the less. Not sure how it compares to that in the bottle, but on tap very pleasant.


John W
B'ham UK March 2006