Summit Brewing Co.’s Hefeweizen Returns

I like the Hefeweizen.

 

Yeah...the wit is a fail in my book....definitely different than the old spice bomb Scandia but too sharp with the hops and alcohol notes and not enough typically wit characteristics....

 

Having drank it I wouldn't call the new 'hefe' bad, but I wouldn't call it a hefe either. Summit's older version of it was brewed with a neutral American yeast making it a American Pale Wheat Ale (at least to my taste). This version (again to my taste) is brewed with a hybrid American-Bavarian yeast strain. I would still classify it as an American Pale Wheat Ale. It has a fuller flavor than a lot of summer wheat beers on the market today, but it doesn't stand up to any true Hefe.

 

The Summer Ale and Keller Pils were both very good.

The Hefeweizen was alright, though not quite Hefeweizeny enough for my tastes. I love more prominent banana and clove notes. Schells always nails it.

I wasn't crazy about the Wit.

 

Just had two more of the hefe....not good...I got Summit high in my rankings of breweries but this and the wit will bring them down a notch.....I see a startup place like Utepils do a very nice hefe and then this from an established big hitter? I call it like I see it...no biases....not good Summit.

 

On my second Boundary Waters box and the Hefe is kinda blah. The Wit is better. Summer Ale and Keller Pils are the stars.

 

I have to agree. Really dissapointed in the Wit & Hefe. How does a brewery such as Summit mess these up?

 

Exactly. The Wit is sharp and bitter, with no typical Witbier characteristics. Major fail, here too.

 

What do you mean by "not good"? Is the beer flawed? Or, not true to style? Or, you just don't like it personally?

 

Not true to style...you could go as far as saying it is flawed as well....and yeah I did not like it personally as well. When stacked up against all the great/good/average hefe wiezens this falls well below average.

 

Not to pile on, but I couldn't agree more. I have had it both on tap at the brewery and in cans. Neither was good. And before MNAle tries to fact check, what I mean it's not even in the same ball park as other locally available hefe's such as Schell's and New Glarus. Much more comparable to Widman Hefe, Boulavard unfiltered wheat or GI 312. That is not a good thing.

I'm a big fan of the Keller Pils and Summit Summer, but no way I am buying any more boundry water boxes.

 

Bigtime agree on the Keller and Summer (highly underrated)...

 

Heaven forbid anyone ask for clarification...

 

I went back through the thread and here is my summary of the hefe...

OK, maybe it was first-taste over generous, or maybe the first night was that good, but then I got the 12 pack and tried the canned version ...

Back to reality, maybe. Then, your take:

I had another can of the hefe last night (I had been saving them for a side-by-side with Schell's).

Pretty much the same as my first take on the can. It does have the requisite flavors and hazy appearance, but the flavors and the aroma are much too subdued.

Based on my limited experience with hefes (Schell's and Weihenstephaner), it is definitely below average of those two.. well below.

IDK about compared with American-brewed hefe's from a larger sample size. I also agree I would not buy it as a separate beer.

However, I didn't pick any off-flavors that would indicate a brewing / quality issue. But, then, I don't have the most educated palate to detect those beyond the "I don't like that, whatever is is" level.

 

I typically reserve "rushing to judgement" when it comes to Summit.

They were the first Craft Brewery ("Micro" if one prefers) in Minnesota, not counting August Schell (which was at the time brewing much less beer than they do presently) and they still do a lot for the local beer and brewing industry.

Still, @ZAP noted that he thought it might be flawed, and after the sole can I've sampled so far I think he's on to something. I noticed a medicinal flavor that I'm not sure is supposed to be there, and in general found it to be an average American Wheat Ale.

But who knows -- Maybe Summit's following the Widmer model and going national with this? It wouldn't be a bad idea per se;

As more of the 1980s True Micro have become Craft Breweries with a national footprint (and been gobbled up by first Craft Brewers Alliance and later AB/InBev and the newly-reorganized ABInbev -- which includes the MillerCoors portfolio) it's possible that there will be wheat ale fans who desire a new, "non-corporate" brand to name as their go-to brand of choice?

This would fit that bill just fine.

@MNAle; The first of those is considered at or near the top for its style among brands brewed by U.S. breweries, and the second is considered by most experts (and even "experts") as the best commercial example of Hefeweissbier in the world. If Summit could have come close to the first (let alone the second) they'd have knocked it out of the park -- but they didn't.

Like I said, I hate to knock Summit for any reason. Summit Extra Pale Ale has been my go-to ale for many years, and the brewery has done so much for the local beer and brewing industry that it strikes me as "wrong" to opine poorly on even ONE of their beers.

But this one just fell short of what many of us were hoping for.

 

Despite all of the complaining in here, the average score for the Wit is pretty high, albeit with only 7 ratings/reviews. I liked it a lot, and I did notice the hops were a smidgen high, but it worked, and I'm not the style police.

 

Neither wowed me, but neither left me complaining either. Both were drinkable. To style, meh. Will my consumption of schells decrease, hell no.