Schneider Weisse Hefe-Weizen - Weissbier-Brauerei Georg Schneider & Sohn, Kelheim
Style:
Hefeweizen
Serving Type:
Bottle
Alcohol by Volume:
5.4%
Aroma:
Banana, clove, wheat malt and all the other things that make Hefeweizens so good
Appearance:
Almost dark enough to be a Dunkelweizen. Orangish brown body is surprisingly clear, topped with a modest white head
Flavor:
Rather malty for a Hefeweizen. The usual Hefeweizen flavors are all present, this beer is sweet and a little tart, with a hint of sour. It all takes a back seat to the malt though
Mouthfeel:
Medium bodied, this beer is very palatable but a little lacking in the traditional flavor category
Schneider Weisse is one of the big name Bavarian Hefeweizen breweries. Hefeweizen is one of my all time favorite styles of beer, so getting this bottle of Bavarian Hefeweizen from one of the iconic breweries of the region means I have big expectations for it. I did a lot of drinking in Bavarian between 2006 and 2008 so I'm sure I've had at least one pint of Schneider Weisse... but I don't remember for certain. So, I'm treating this beer as my first Schneider Weisse. First impressions of this beer are a lot different than I was expecting....
Being a Bavarian Hefeweizen, I expected this beer to be an opaque yellow golden wheat with a fluffy head and to smell like bananas, cloves and coriander. What I found after pouring this beer into my Hefeweizen glass is that is is rather clear... quite brown... and has a fairly tame head. I would've remembered having this beer before, because I would have sent it back to the bar for not looking like a Hefeweizen.
The flavor is a bit different too. The first thing you'll nice when you bite into the Schneider Weisse is that it is loaded with malt... well, it's loaded compared to other Hefeweizens. That malt does take away from the banana and coriander you're expecting. Those flavors are still there but now they are competing with all that malt. Not what I was expecting from a Hefeweizen.
Actually, I keep calling this a Bavarian Hefeweizen like it means something. And, true, it is a bit of stereotype... but what is a real Bavarian Hefeweizen? It's a sweet, tart wheat beer... which this Schneider Weisse is... but it's a few other things, like malty. It's a great beer, but it isn't the Hefeweizen I was expecting... I feel like I may have enjoyed this beer more if it were labeled a Dunkelweizen or Festbier. That's what this beer tastes like to me, not a genuine Hefeweizen.
Why does that matter? Like most consumers, I go to my fridge looking for something I'm in the mood for. In this instance I was in the mood for a Hefeweizen, what I got was close... but not what I was looking for. Still, it's a great beer. I enjoyed the Schneider Weisse on it's merits but I wouldn't recommend it to someone looking for a signature Hefeweizen.
Comments
Schneider Weisse Original
The irony, of course, is that Schneider Weisse is as close to the original Hefeweizen as one can get nowadays, insofar as the history of Hefeweizen brewing is concerned.
Have you ever tried Kuchlbauer? They brew an excellent Hefeweizen and are just down the road from the Schneider folks, in Abensberg. Also nearby is the Kloster Weltenburg Brauerei. Their Dunkles is excellent. Further downstream, in Regensburg, you will find Kneitinger. Their Edelpils is, well, I've yet to drink a better beer. They also have a most excellent Bock--seasonally available, of course.
I do agree that the Bamberg area is most outstanding, too.
Prost!
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