type: Wheat Beer
origin: Germany
ABV: 5.4%
location: biergarten
served: 500ml bottle to glass
'The World's Oldest Brewery', the label proudly states. You'd need to assume they've been doing something right since ad 1040 - although how close to the original recipe this beer is, I can't rightly judge.
That said, it does have the air of a 'traditional' product, one that doesn't feel it needs to appeal to a certain demographic, or change with the times to meet 21st century tastes, and fit in with a modern, Wi-fi, iPad, blogosphere, 24-hour-rolling-news-coverage, text-in-to-vote-for-your-favourite-singer, zeitgeist, dynamic paradigm. Whatever the hell that is.
In fact, it's quite the opposite.
It's a wheat beer, and it does what a wheat beer is supposed to do; it's refreshing, and a perfect complement drink for relaxing in a beer garden. It's quite a complex beer, but it goes well with food, especially with the relatively low carbonation. It's not here to fit in with your hectic lifestyle; it's here to let you take time out and relax for a while.
The traditional 'Hefeweizen' style is in full effect with Weihenstephan - it's not filtered, so all the yeast makes the beer very cloudy. The taste improves after the first few mouthfuls, I found, and the intricacies gradually make themselves known to the drinker as time passes.
Smell: a rich aroma, yeasty, and wheaty and how a wheat beer should smell. 3/4
Colour: very cloudy, as previously noted, but clean, and the overall look isn't far off a pale orange juice. 3/4
Taste: Not a lot of hops involved, so the bitterness is quite low, and the taste from them is quite subtle. It is, of course, a bit of a 'wet dog' flavour, but it's one of those beers where that works, in a strange way, blending well with th other flavours, and not overpowering any of them. The other flavours include nuttiness, a sweet, herbal mix, and of course lashings of wheat - it's not far off Wheetabix, in fact. A surprising Banana after-taste finishes it off. 3/4
Overall: not for everyone, but an excellent beer to go with sausages, banter and sunshine for those looking for a bit of a change from lagers and ales. A strong 9/12
more info: www.brauerei-weihenstephan.de
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