Weihenstephaner Vitus

Beer: Weihenstephaner Vitus
Brewery Location: Freising, Germany
Beer Style: Weizenbock
ABV: 7.7%



Weizenbock is a more powerful and stronger weizen style wheat beer. They tend to be higher in alcohol and will tend to be darker in color than their other wheat beer brethren. Weihenstephaner makes some amazing beer across board, and they prove what a mega brewer can pump out to the public. I may not like a certain style of beer from them, but the underlying beer has been a great example of the style in every case that I've had a beer from them.

Vitus pours a hazy straw yellow color with a very large bright white head that had good retention for most of the beer. I expected for this beer to a bit darker. The nose smells of a good hefe with plenty of banana, cloves, and apples and pears. The flavor follows the nose to perfection, but it also adds in some bubblegum, lemons, and the classic wheat flavor comes in very nice as well. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with some gentle alcohol warming on the backend of things. This is very drinkable and drinks like their regular hefe with more alcohol and plenty of flavor.

If you are a fan of their Hefe you will be a big fan of this beer. This wasn't quite what I was expecting out of this beer, but I ended up really enjoying this beer. I can't remember what I paid for this beer, but for some reason 2.89$ sounds about right at the Crown on 31 and Shelby in Indianapolis. You can't trust stock picks right now, but I am going to put a heavy buy call on this beer. This is another great beer from one of the world's best brewers.

Cheers!
Matt

Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier

Beer: Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier
Brewery Location: Freising, Germany
Beer Style: Hefeweizen
ABV: 5.4%



It is just plain hot outside! My favorite summer beers are American wheat beers, IPA's, DIPA's, and my first summer love drinking experience started with German hefes. My beer progression started with drinking imports (Yes, I was that guy) and I went through a period where I drank nothing but beer from Germany. One of my stayovers from that period that I always come back to is this beer. The German hefe style is always something I gravitate to in the warmer months of the year. This beer is a really great price as well for the sized bottle you get. I think I paid like $2.39 for it or so. Compared to what I pay for bombers and singles this beer is a steal! The brewery also claims they are the oldest brewery in the world, and that they have been brewing beer for over a thousand years. I didn't take time to check that out, but I will take their word for it.

I hardly ever use my weizen glass, but I love how this beer pours exactly from the bottle to the very top of this glass. This beer pours a wonderful golden straw color that is quite hazy with a huge billowing white head on this beer. Perfect hefe scent on this beer with dominant scents of wheat, lemon, banana, and some clove. The flavor takes over with the wheat in the malt, banana, clove, bubblegum, and a touch of lemon. This has a very interesting flavor profile on it, and everything works very well together. The mouthfeel is very creamy and light and slightly effervescent. The alcohol is not noticeable at all in the mouthfeel. The drinkability is superb and about a fine as you will get for a summer beer.

This beer sets the standard for me when it comes to German hefes. This beer is a testament to what kind of product a huge brewery can send to the masses. This beer is available all over the world and is readily available in most US states. This beer is also brewed in the traditional German Rheinheitsgebot (at one time the oldest consumer protection law in the world, but it was repealed a few years back) and what a fantastic job with just four ingredients with no adjuncts or fillers. This beer is available on tap a few places around town, and my favorite place for a pint of this beer is at the Rathskeller in the Kellerbar. This is just a great beer all around.

Cheers!
Matt