267. Slumbrew Happy Sol

Summer is a great time to try hefeweizens as they are light, fruity and refreshing. Slumbrew is fairly new to Maine so I decided to pick up this beer as well as their IPA on one of my many visits to Bier Cellar in Portland. 


Appearance is slightly darker than other hefes but still has a nice cloudy look with very minimal white head that disappeared almost immediately leaving no lacing on the glass. Smell is mostly orange with some bread but unlike many other beers of this style there is little no banana. 


Taste has lots of citrus, some honey (which is actually quite good) and other spices. Beer is clean, crisp and quite refreshing, very easy to drink and something you should try if you enjoy this style.
Pros: Complex taste
Cons: No head
Alcohol Content: 5.5% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 18
Rating: 
Brewers Website: Slumbrew

Brewers Description: A refreshingly tart and crisp hefeweizen brewed with local MA wildflower honey, orange peel and coriander, and fermented with the juice from over 1,000 blood oranges. It’s a cloudy, yet effervescent beer, with lingering banana and citrus notes balanced against a healthy wheat backbone and hoppy finish from Mt. Hood and Crystal hops.

248. Marshall Wharf Weisse Grip Hefeweizen

Had back to back growlers of Hefeweizen from Black Bear and this one from Marshall Wharf. Same style of beer but significantly different tastes. 


This one is a bit darker than most and had a nice head. Aroma has plenty of cloves and some wheat. Taste was good but; lots of clove, very little banana smooth and easy to drink. Very enjoyable and different than other Hefeweizens I have tried. Really enjoying the beers from Marshall Wharf and looking forward to their 16 oz cans coming this Summer. 

Pros: Unique

Cons:  

Alcohol Content: 5.5% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating:

Brewers Website: Marshall Wharf

Brewers Description: We use a great Munich style Hefeweizen yeast for this beer. Bananas, clove and of course the yeast. Brewed in late Spring and Summer only.

247. Black Bear Brewery Liquid Sunshine

Met with Tim at Black Bear Brewing last week and got a chance to check out the new 8 tap keg cooler for the tap room he is opening at the brewery. The taproom will have some of your favorites from Black Bear as well as some one off options that will only be available at the brewery. Looking forward to seeing the finished area from this experienced Maine brewer.


While there I picked up 2 growlers of Liquid Sunshine which is Black Bear's Hefeweizen. I dropped one off to my brother-in-law and took the other home for the week. Beer pours a nice pale yellow with solid white head. Aroma has plenty of clove and banana which draws you into the beer. Taste follows with lots of crisp fruity taste. Very easy to drink and refreshing on a warm summer day. One of the better hefes I have reviewed and something most any beer drinker would enjoy. If you find yourself in the Bangor, Maine area take the extra time to visit Black Bear Brewery in Orono, chat with Tim, try some beer and buy a growler. 
Pros: Light and refreshing

Cons: Only available at the brewery in a growler 

Alcohol Content: 5.3% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 11
Rating:  
Brewers Website: Black Bear Brewery

Brewers Description: Liquid Sunshine is a Bavarian style Hefewiezen. This beer has the traditional clove aroma with a touch of lemon peel, but there are no spices added. The unique flavor comes from a traditional yeast selection which has been used in Germany for centuries.

240. Magic Hat Circus Boy

I enjoy beer from Magic Hat as they always seem to put a slight twist on a style to make it their own. Magic Hat also some of the best bottle artwork and a great website. 


Circus Boy is Magic Hat's Hefeweizen and pours a very clear pale orange. Their site states this beer is unfiltered but almost everything must have settled out of it. I prefer a nice cloudy Hefe like Widmer's version (here). Very slight white head that disappears very quickly. Aroma is fairly typical of the style; lemon, wheat and a bit of banana. Taste is sweet with some spice and lemon. Very pleasant and refreshing although it may be a bit over carbonated.
Pros: Solid taste and easy to drink

Cons: Very clear for a hefeweizen

Alcohol Content: 4.5% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 15

Rating:  

Brewers Website: Magic Hat

Brewers Description: Unfiltered and unfettered, Circus Boy is a unique and refreshing American-style Hefeweizen. Is he a who? Or a what? Or perhaps some of both? Be amazed by the flavorful haze of this wonderful wheat beer.

147. Mission St. Hefeweizen

Picked this one up on my first trip to Trader Joe's in Portland. If you have never been the beer selection is good but the store itself was a bit overwhelming. I was ready to leave as soon as I walked through the door but made my way to the back of the store and picked up this beer as well as 2 others. This was a cheap Hefeweizen ($2.29 for the bomber) so I really was not expecting much but I have to say it was worth it. Color is a slightly hazy orange color maybe a little less cloudy than I would expect for a hefeweizen and a bit darker, minimal head that disappears quickly. Smells of citrus, a bit of yeast and tastes follows the smell. Easy to drink and a fairly refreshing beer.
Pros: Easy to drink, cheap

Cons: 

Alcohol Content: 4.7% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating: 
Brewers Website:  Steinhaus Brewing

Brewers Description: Cannot find online

134. Penobscot Bay Meadow Road Wheat

I am always up for a good hefeweizen as it is one of my favorite styles of beer. Seems each brewer has a slightly different take on the style but I like the cloudy pale yellow coloring and the low alcohol volume usually makes it easy to drink. I prefer this style of beer during the warm summer months but came across this one at The Vault in Lewiston so I decided to give it a try. It pours a cloudy pale yellow (lighter than the picture here appears) with a huge head that sticks around leaving great lacing on the glass. Makes the first few drinks difficult because of the excessive foam. Aroma is fruity with some clove and banana and the taste is OK with lots of carbonation in the mouth. I usually do not notice the carbonation of the beer when drinking it and on this one it stands out. Not my favorite hefeweizen but one that would go down easy on a hot summer afternoon. 
Pros: Aroma, Color

Cons: Excessive carbonation

Alcohol Content: ??% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating:  
Brewers Website: Penobscot Bay Brewery

Brewers Description: Meadow Road Wheat is true to the Hefeweizen tradition of being unfiltered. It uses only malted wheat, lager malt, a top-fermenting Bavarian yeast, and is lightly topped with Tettnang. It has a beautiful medium-golden yeasty haze with a bright palate. The nose has notes of clove and honeysuckle coming through a background of banana.

Pour smoothly into a tilted, rinsed glass, pausing when there's about a quarter of the bottle left, swirl the bottle to lift any sediment, and then finish pouring into the glass. This should produce a nice fragrant head.

55. Flying Dog In-Heat Wheat Hefeweizen

This beer has plenty of flavor and is different than anything I have reviewed to date. Color is great and pours with a nice head that dissipates quickly, cloudy finish found with most hefeweizens. Drink is smooth with very little bitterness and low alcohol content. The flavor to me seems a bit off and it may be the combination of banana and cloves that make this happen. Finishes clean and I believe it would be a good beer on a hot summer day. As you can tell from the photo I happened up this one on a rainy fall day. Not a bad beer but plenty of other options that are better including my favorite Hefe - Widmer Bros

Pros: Color, easy to drink

Cons: Banana / clove tastes are overpowering 

Alcohol Content: 4.7% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 12
Rating: 

Brewers Website: Flying Dog
Brewers Description: This German-Style Hefe is great with complementing (fruitness) or contrasting (seafood spices like Old Bay) flavors. Flavor notes: Huge banana and clove notes. Pairs with: Seafood, chicken, tomato or carrot soup: tangy cheeses like Feta, Swiss, and Chevre: fruit salads.

44. Widmer Brothers Hefeweizen

I remember the first time I had this beer at a restaurant in Portsmouth NH after a day of golf. On that day it was one of the best beers I had ever tried and different than anything I had before. This was the first Hefeweizen and still is the best in my mind. When compared with the others I have reviewed this has a much more cloudy appearance as an unfiltered beer should have. Overall the aroma is great - taste is smooth and it is very easy to drink more than one. I was fortunate to find a 12-pack in a local grocery store and I would be surprised if they made it through the weekend. Be sure to drink this from a glass, add a slice of lemon and I am sure you will enjoy. Check out this video on how to properly pour a Hefeweizen (video link)- because it is unfiltered it is important to drink from a glass and swirl to get anything that settled to the bottom of the bottle. 

Pros: Easy to drink - great cloudy look and aroma

Cons:  Hard to find in Maine

Alcohol Content: 4.9% ABV
Calories: 156
IBU (Bitterness): 30
Rating: 

Brewers Website: Widmer Brothers

Brewers Description: Meet the beer that started it all. Our naturally cloudy flagship brew starts with the highest quality wheat. It's bold, clean flavor and pronounced citrus and floral aromas are what define American style hefeweizen. So pour yourself a cool, cloudy glass, finish with a lemon and enjoy the original. 

6. Sebago Brewing Hefeweizen

I was a bit disappointed in this beer as I am a big fan of Hefeweizen. I was expecting a 4 star beer and got something less. Has a bit of an aftertaste and Sebago Brewing's website lists this as an unfiltered beer however it does not have the cloudy look that Hefeweizen usually does. It is easy to drink and certainly a quality beer but I was hoping for more.
Pros: Easy to drink, light and flavorful
Cons: A bit of an after taste
Alcohol Content: 4.2 ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 4.75

Rating:  - better than average
Brewers Website: Sebago Brewing
Brewers Description: Our Hefeweizen is a cloudy (seemed very clear to me), light straw in color with a fruity aroma, light body, with a thick white head and clean finish. Our Hefeweizen is a golden unfiltered wheat beer with it’s origins from Bavaria. We ferment it with a traditional German yeast strain which produces a unique spicy fruitiness and wonderful carbonation.  Malted red wheat gives it a light crisp body and dense white head.  Please sit back and enjoy our summertime seasonal beer!