Beer Review: Franziskaner Weissbier

Spatan-Franziskaner Brewery Franziskaner Hefe-Weissbier

Time for a true German original. Spell-check really loves this name. For this style of beer I don't mind the green bottle as much because wheat beers usually aren't heavy in the hop department. Lowering the hop levels limits the amount of skunking potential. This hefe pours a very cloudy pale straw color with a very solid head. Lighter in color than most blonde wheat beers. Not much in the way of lacing but the head does last for a long time. Aroma is pure clove.

The flavor is classic hefeweizen. A bit heavy on the clove flavor but still very drinkable. I could have used some more banana or even more of the tart wheat malt flavor. Very refreshing brew. It's hard for me to describe but when I swallow this a really nice malt flavor comes to my mind. Makes me want to have another sip. Complexity is lacking but this is easily on par with some of the "benchmark" American craft beer producers.

Overall, this is a very average hefeweizen. Definitely drinkable and not bad but it lacks a solid unique quality. I would not be able to pick this out of a lineup. I would wager that this tastes much better in Germany. Anytime a food product has to travel across an ocean it must lose some of it's freshness. Worth a shot if you are new to the style or love cloves. Otherwise, I would try to find a locally produced hefeweizen.

Final Score: 74% (Very Average. Drinkable but Not Complex.)