Apfelweisse
Klosterbrauerei Andechs

 

As stated, this is a Radler variation.

A full review isn't really required. This is half apfelschorle/ half weisse.

For a full review, check out the weisse beer review.

The combination works well and it's a well deserved treat after hiking of the mountain to Kloster Andechs. Goes downs smooth and quenches ones thirst.

This brew as noted by previous reviews is not a bottled product. This is Andechs take on the classic Radler mix or lemonade and beer. This is on tap at the Monastery as well as the Andechs On Dom in Munich. 50% apfelschorle ( sparkiling apple juice) and Weissbier, or the Helles if you ask.
Apple dominates the nose at first, then as the beer warms, more weizen character comes through, albeit subdued.
Flavors of wheat beer intermingle with the apple. Making a banana-wheaty apple brew. The alcohol is @ 3% so it is very easy to drink.While it is a bit sweet, and not my drink of choice, it is damn tasty and very refreshing on a hot day. I ride my bike to the monastery, and this is very refreshing after the journey.

Had on tap at the Klosterbrauerei Andechs, served in a 0.5L glass in the beer hall. I think this might have been a 50% weisse and 50% apple juice, but I can't tell for sure. It's just that it looked that way when poured (from two taps into the same glass). The beer was hazy orange with a thick frothy head, lace everywhere on the glass. The aroma was "spritzy" if that's a word, it kind of smelled efferevescent if that's possible. Apples were in the aroma of course, but offset by a peppery spiciness in the weisse. The flavor is apple tartness nicely balanced with yeasty hefeweizen flavor, making this seem sweet at times and sour at others during each drink. It was a very nice and intriguing balance of effects. The mouthfeel was thick, creamy, and bubbly. Drinkability is damn near perfect, it's too delicious to stop drinking.

My wife had this beer while I was gorging myself on the doppelbock at the Andechs monestary. I probably killed off a few brain cells that afternoon, but I remember enough about the Apfelweisse to do a review.
It didn't look much different from their weissbier hell. But when my wife asked me if I wanted to take a whiff and a drink I was staggered. The smell managed to incorporate the best parts of a wheat beer (sweet, flowery nose) and the best parts of a cider (sharp, sweet apple smell and taste). The way they did it was really nice, and I'd highly recommend sampling an apfelweisse before you go slamming down the big doppelbocks. I can't wait to get back to the monestary and try it again!

Sampled a 0.5 L glass at the Andechs monastery on-tap 9-26-2005.

This apple flavored weissbier (I could not get an answer as to how the apples are incorporated into the brewing) poured a cloudy, golden-yellow color with white foam that persisted and clung to the glass in clumps. The smell was citrus, wheat, and sour apples. The taste was wheat malt and yeast with sour apples and citrus with a touch of sweetness -- like a hefeweizen plus apples which overwhelmed any banana esters that might have been there. The mouthfeel was smooth and creamy with medium body and medium-light carbonation feel. There was a lot of citrus and apple tartness to the feel. The fruitiness and light sweetness lingered in the aftertaste. This was a very nice and refreshing beer for a warm fall day.

Take the already AMAZING Andechs Hefe and infuse it with sweet apples and you'll encounter this wonderful brew.
Not sure for how long they'll be offering this beer, but there were promo flyers around the grounds. I don't recall seeing it at the Andechs brewhall in Munich, though.
Pours a nice pale color, but slightly darker than the normal weiss.
Smell is a perfect combination of the weiss banana/clove/spice but with a clear apple overtone.
Flavors are a swirl of apple pie and sweetness.
I personally had several of these back to back just because I enjoyed it that much. Had I not had other plans for the afternoon (and I didn't want my path back to Munich to be hazy) I could've continued to drink this all day.
Dare I say it but this might be the best brew I've ever had!
I'm shocked more brewers don't go for apple brews. This and the New Glarus apple are the only two I've ever had...and I loved them both!

EDIT: I'll tweak this one slightly based on my last trip to Andechs. I think it's a little thinner now. I'm still not 100% sure if this is a fruit beer or a juice blend, but it's still amazing either way. One interesting thing is that because apples vary in flavor, so has this brew. The original one I had back in 2005 was a little more sweet, while the one I had in the summer of '07 was a little more tart.

2nd EDIT: On my 3rd and 4th visit, they definitely confirmed that this is a 40% apple juice, 60% weissbier mix. The first time it seemed pre-mixed in the keg, but now they have glasses with the apple juice in them that they're pouring the beer into. That said - I don't care. It's still a mix that works so well that it amazes me. The apple flavors and the natural fruitiness of the beer mesh perfectly. Think of this like an apple russ'n.