Beer of the Weekend #22: Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier
The beer this weekend is Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier brewed by Brauerei Weihenstephan of Freising, Germany.
Yep — it’s another variety from the German brewery with the impossibly long name. German’s are big on long words. Apparently the language has an unlimited capacity and tolerance for compounding nouns. I remember watching a German Bundesliga game where one of the advertising boards along the far touchline was for a local Volkswagen dealership with a name that ran half the length of the field. According to Wikipedia, the longest word published in the German language was: Donaudampfschiffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebs-werkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft, which translates to “Association for subordinate officials of the head office management of the Danube steamboat electrical services.” Okay… Given this little lesson in German, I’m sure Weihenstephan is not the longest brewery or beer name.
Last week I introduced my wheat beer glass to BotW. The larger, individually sold bottles I’ve bought the last two weeks have been able to fill it to the .51L line (or is it .5l?), where the glass would traditionally be filled to (the head not included). I didn’t mention anything about it then because I was too tired and lazy. Apparently, the wheat glass design allows for a greater production of foam, which I can attest to. A good pour will produce three fingers of head at the top, which will dissipate slowly.
Serving type: Six 16.9-ounce bottles.
Appearance: Cloudy golden yellow. Very effervescent. Three fingers of thick foam lingered on the top.
Smell: It has that sweet, barnyard smell of a German lager, which was a little surprising. Fruity, too, with a bit of spice. It has me thinking cloves and hay.
Taste: Wheat and a smooth yeasty-ness. The fruit did not fully reveal itself in the aroma, but my taste buds caught the zest of strawberries. The description on the BevMo! website mentioned hops. They’re there on the back of the tongue, but serve as an extra in the play of flavor.
Drinkability: Another good anytime beer, though it may not go well with cereal. (Note: I have never used beer to eat a bowl of cereal, but I think it may be more common than people think.)
Fun facts about Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier:
-Serving temp.: 45-54°F.
-Alcohol content: 5.4 percent ABV.
-Food pairings, according to BeerAdvocate, include German cuisine (duh), cheese, and meat, especially poultry, fish, and shellfish.
-The name Weihenstephan is, in fact, a compounding of two words, which translates to “Sacred Stephen.”
The Quiet Man’s grade: It’s not a good as Paulaner or Tucher (though I need to have their hefe weiss), but Weihenstephaner Hefe is still a good hefe. B+.
BotW will most likely be on hiatus next week. I’m going back to the heartland for my friend’s wedding, so I won’t have access to a real computer to upload my photos. I will, though, be drinking well. Yay, Dirty John’s.
Yep — it’s another variety from the German brewery with the impossibly long name. German’s are big on long words. Apparently the language has an unlimited capacity and tolerance for compounding nouns. I remember watching a German Bundesliga game where one of the advertising boards along the far touchline was for a local Volkswagen dealership with a name that ran half the length of the field. According to Wikipedia, the longest word published in the German language was: Donaudampfschiffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebs-werkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft, which translates to “Association for subordinate officials of the head office management of the Danube steamboat electrical services.” Okay… Given this little lesson in German, I’m sure Weihenstephan is not the longest brewery or beer name.
Last week I introduced my wheat beer glass to BotW. The larger, individually sold bottles I’ve bought the last two weeks have been able to fill it to the .51L line (or is it .5l?), where the glass would traditionally be filled to (the head not included). I didn’t mention anything about it then because I was too tired and lazy. Apparently, the wheat glass design allows for a greater production of foam, which I can attest to. A good pour will produce three fingers of head at the top, which will dissipate slowly.
Serving type: Six 16.9-ounce bottles.
Appearance: Cloudy golden yellow. Very effervescent. Three fingers of thick foam lingered on the top.
Smell: It has that sweet, barnyard smell of a German lager, which was a little surprising. Fruity, too, with a bit of spice. It has me thinking cloves and hay.
Taste: Wheat and a smooth yeasty-ness. The fruit did not fully reveal itself in the aroma, but my taste buds caught the zest of strawberries. The description on the BevMo! website mentioned hops. They’re there on the back of the tongue, but serve as an extra in the play of flavor.
Drinkability: Another good anytime beer, though it may not go well with cereal. (Note: I have never used beer to eat a bowl of cereal, but I think it may be more common than people think.)
Fun facts about Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier:
-Serving temp.: 45-54°F.
-Alcohol content: 5.4 percent ABV.
-Food pairings, according to BeerAdvocate, include German cuisine (duh), cheese, and meat, especially poultry, fish, and shellfish.
-The name Weihenstephan is, in fact, a compounding of two words, which translates to “Sacred Stephen.”
The Quiet Man’s grade: It’s not a good as Paulaner or Tucher (though I need to have their hefe weiss), but Weihenstephaner Hefe is still a good hefe. B+.
BotW will most likely be on hiatus next week. I’m going back to the heartland for my friend’s wedding, so I won’t have access to a real computer to upload my photos. I will, though, be drinking well. Yay, Dirty John’s.
Comments
Post a Comment