City: Charlotte, NC ABV: 5.4% The verdict: Here’s a hefe that seems to split the difference between the American and German interpretations of the style, and does so quite successfully. Unlike some of the German entries that didn’t score as well, this one doesn’t have the musty note that some of these beers get after a long trip to the U.S. and subsequent time sitting on store shelves under fluorescent lights. As a result, to keep things more or less fair, we settled on the following: American pale wheats and German hefeweizens are allowed. Sierra Nevada is one of my all-time favorite beer brands and their Kellerweis is an excellent wheat beer. UFO Raspberry Banana and clove are perfectly in harmony and balance on the nose, in a way that you couldn’t mistake for any other beer style. Refreshing on its own, it would probably be a great seafood accompaniment in a pairing. Not as malt-heavy as some.”, “Blurring the lines between IPA and wheat, this ‘New England Wheat’ is heavy with American hops on the nose. The wheat malt is in there somewhere, but this is 100% a hop showcase—once again, we’re fine with this as long as they’re choosing to market it as “American pale wheat” and not using the words “IPA” anywhere in the marketing copy. City: Portland, OR ABV: 4.9% The verdict: Okay, bear with us on this one: When is the last time you had really, really fresh Widmer Hefeweizen? Odell Easy Street Wheat As a result, it’s more complex on the nose; less purely citrusy and more a melange of tropical fruit and dank, resinous notes that make it easy to imagine why they named it “Overgrowth.” Like the Tiny Tross, bitterness is quite low and the mouthfeel is quite soft, but it still has more bitterness and structure than the smaller, 4.2% ABV beer. SanTan Mr. Pineapple Good People Bearded Lady The acidity is tightly controlled and accents subtle lime notes that exude the confidence and sophistication of a finely made cocktail. This one is small but mighty. Konig Ludwig Weissbier. JP’s Healani Pineapple Hefeweizen It’s a spectacular brew, and it’s our #1 wheat beer. 95 (£63.90/l) Paulaner Hefe Aventinus is an example of Weizen Doppelbock, stronger and darker version of Weizenbock, made by the G. Schneider & Sohn brewery in Kelheim. Wheat beer has been in the market for many centuries. - Beers were judged completely blind by how enjoyable they were as individual experiences and given scores of 1-100, which were then averaged. Light clovey character reminds you that this is still a hefe, but it’s off the beaten path as far as the German examples of this style are concerned. Very light overall.”, “Soft malt sweetness and a touch of grassy hops in the nose lead into a bright citrusy, high-key, effervescent sip with a carbonic bite that rolls into a touch of earthy bitterness in the finish. It’s an incredibly inviting aromatic bouquet that most breweries would kill to get on their session IPA, but on the palate you find a beer that is drier and a bit less juicy than expected. New Belgium Sunshine Whoops. All of this makes the question of blind tasting wheat beers a question of which beers one should include. On the sip, it’s a well-made raspberry wheat—clean, crisp, assertively fruit- forward. Very bready, and redolent in yeasty, bread crusty flavors, it’s supported by a squeeze of lemon citrus and the very light ghost of banana, with excellent balance. Get the best brewing tips, techniques, and recipes in your inbox. Sour beer styles such as Berliner weisse were not allowed. “Delivers on fruit while staying semi-dry.” All in all, it strikes a good balance between the overt fruitiness that its target demographic presumably desires, and the drinkability that comes with a dry finish. City: St. Louis, MO ABV: 4.1% The verdict: So yeah, it will quickly become apparent here at the end that St. Louis as a whole performed extremely well in the arena of wheat beers, but neither of the entries from Schlafly that performed so well are truly traditional in profile. The 6-pack abs of witbiers.”, “Softly sweet passion fruit on the nose is subtle but distinctive. This has long been the gold medal example of “hoppy American wheat” as a separate entity from American pale ale or session IPA, and to their credit, Three Floyds does rein in the hop rate on this beer compared to the likes of Alpha King or Zombie Dust. Dunkelweiss is a darker style of wheat beer and this example is one of my all-time favorites. More dry than expected, with a quality of pineapple that delivers on the promise. No “wheat IPAs.” Obviously no wheatwines, or imperial wheat ales. A touch of honey-like sweetness makes a pleasant counterpoint to bready malt, which reminds one of say, an English muffin at breakfast. And of course, wheat beers have been hugely affected by the rise of sour beer styles in America, as the vintage German beer style of Berliner weisse received a popular American makeover typified by strongly tart beers. For IPA lovers, they’re banished as boring.. Weihenstephaner Dunkelweizen. We always do our best to reach out to breweries we’re aware of that make exemplary versions of particular styles, but things always do slip through the cracks. 21st Amendment Hell or High Watermelon Maybe a touch sweet in a critical estimation, but the character of the flavor won us over.”, “The intense orange color tells you exactly what this beer intends to be. It’s not hefe-like in the least. 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