American Wheat Brew that Leaves you Feeling Half- Satisfied
Written: Dec 09 '04 (Updated Oct 17 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Easy to drink; Good foam level; Refreshing
Cons: Not enough clove or yeast- enhanced taste like you get with an authentic hefeweizen.
The Bottom Line: This is a passable beer, but there are better hefeweizen on the market if you can find them.
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| Bryan_Carey's Full Review: Samuel Adams Hefeweizen |
Boston Beer Company and its Samuel Adams line of beer products is one of America's pioneering craft brewers. The company was one of the first of its kind in the United States to gain a national following with a wide range of products sold in every state. Today, Boston Beer is still churning out new malt beverages with products that span the entire spectrum.
There are other craft brewers with a nationwide presence, but few of them make as many beer products as Sam Adams. One style that most craft brewers do not make is hefeweizen, but in this area, Sam Adams is an exception. The company now brews Sam Adams Hefeweizen for lovers of craft beer.
Basic Characteristics of This Beer:
Poured into a beer glass, this product is golden in color and cloudy, the way hefeweizen should be. The foam is white and fluffy, and the aroma of the beer is fruity, wheaty, and yeasty.
The flavor of this beer combines citrus fruits like lemon, lime, and orange, with the tastes of yeast, banana, and light wheat bread. Boston beer uses Bavarian Spalt hops and these hops contribute to the crispness in the finish and to a small amount of spice.
With an aftertaste of wheat, this beer is fairly pleasant to drink from start to finish. The alcohol is moderate, at 5.4 percent alcohol by volume.
Food Compatibility:
Let's see.....if I was going to drink this with food, it would probably be something fruity and/or light, like the beer itself, or something with a wheat or yeast taste. Salad would be one obvious choice. Another would be wheat biscuits. But I think the most common way people will drink this beer is all by itself, usually during the summer season, with or without a slice of lemon.
Final Thoughts:
Craft brewers are in great abundance in the USA now that we have entered the twenty- first century. America now has more breweries than any country in the world with more and more craft breweries added and subtracted from the ranks every single day. However, the vast majority of these national brewing operations do not have the resources to formulate a wide assortment of beer products. Usually, brewers will start with the basics, like a lager, pale ale, porter, stout, and a few others. They usually don't venture into product areas like hefeweizen.
Sam Adams makes more products than the majority of other companies so it's not that surprising that the boys from Boston would try their luck at brewing hefeweizen beer. And judging by the results, I can say that this effort passes the test of drinkability, but it leaves you wanting something more. I have sampled many of the best hefeweizen products the world has to offer, as well as some of the very worst, and I think this beer is good enough that most will like it, but not good enough to give it an enthusiastic recommendation.
Several reasons contribute to my reluctance to fully embrace Sam Adams Hefeweizen. First of all, I think the fruit taste is a little too heavy on the citrus side and I feel there isn't enough clove spiciness, banana esters, bubblegum, and other unique tastes that you get with some of the world's best hefeweizen. I do enjoy the crisp, clean finish of this beer and the foam level is good, but these qualities are not enough to make this beer a star performer.
I can accept this beer for what it is- an American version of a hefeweizen and not a more authentic German style one. This is about as far as I can go, however, with Sam Adams Hefeweizen beer. I can honestly say that it's ok. I can say that it's clean. I can say that it's acceptable. But I cannot call it a classic by any measure. It's an unexciting brew that could be better with a little more effort from the boys up there in Boston, Mass.
I congratulate Boston Beer for creating such a diverse lineup of beer. But sometimes, diversity can go too far. If it means neglecting the quality of some products, then I think it may be time to cut back on new product development and concentrate on improving the core products. Sam Adams Hefeweizen earns a grade of about a C+, making it a little worse than the company's other products, which tend to be at least at the B grade level. Some effective brewer tutoring is what this beer needs to move it up the ranks to a more respectable level of taste.
Be Sure to Click the Links Below to Read Reviews on Other Samuel Adams Products:
Samuel Adams Boston Lager
Samuel Adams Boston Ale
Samuel Adams Golden Pilsner
Samuel Adams Octoberfest
Samuel Adams Spring Ale
Samuel Adams Holiday Porter
Samuel Adams Summer Ale
Samuel Adams Scotch Ale
Samuel Adams Vienna Style Lager
Samuel Adams Black Lager
Samuel Adams Old Fezziwig
Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat
Samuel Adams Winter Lager
Samuel Adams Light
Samuel Adams Cranberry Lambic
Samuel Adams White Ale
Samuel Adams Brown Ale
Samuel Adams Cream Stout
Recommended:
Yes
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