Beer Review #2: Franziskaner Hefe-Weissbier

This is good (from what I remember) unfiltered wheat beer (or Hefeweizen/Hefeweissbier) from The Spaten-Franziskaner Brau brewery in Munich, Germany. This is a typically Bavarian style that usually presents a nice cloudy beer, due to a large proportion of malted wheat used instead of barley. This is then left unfiltered, so there's a good tasty yeast sediment in the beer that you'll want to stir up and pour right into the glass to top it off. This brewery also produces the popular Spaten Munchner Hell Lager.

German Hefe-Weizen at 5.0% ABV

Even serious aul monks like a bit of craic with the lads

L: Pours a good cloudy golden/yellow colour with a snow white 3-finger creamy head. This dissipates to a film after a short while. It's quite carbonated - the bubbles race up the side of the weizen glass - and it leaves a decent amount of lace. 7/10

S: Very citrusy this one. Grassy floral scents too, with a slight hint of that almost expected banana smell. Not too strong on the clove though, as I'd expect of the style. 8/10

T: Ah, there's the clove. It's strongly represented here at the front, and the finish is fruity with citrus fruits and banana both present. Not too complex, but it's a good refreshing taste. Also, the banana is really strong in the burrrrp. 7/10

M: I guess I'd say this is medium bodied, but that might be a stretch. It is *slightly* watery to finish. It does fizz on the tongue though, and overall it goes down very easy. Really drinkable but not satisfying for me. 6/10

The verdict: This is a solid wheat beer. It tastes good, it's refreshing, especially on a rare hot day, and it's usually a very good price. That being said, it probably won't blow you away. Then again, maybe I am too biased towards my beloved Paulaner... Anyways, give it a try if you're exploring wheat beers. It's better and cheaper than Erdinger. 7/10

The Drunken Destrier score: 70/100