With warm
weather upon us here in Georgia, my beer drinking tastes of late have been
meandering more and more often in the direction of wheat beer. I have always
loved wheat brews with their tart, crackery character that makes them
refreshingly quenching and perfect summer libations. In the Atlanta area,
I’ve managed to find a virtual plethora of imported German wheat beers from
Tucher, Spaten, Paulaner, Schneider, Kapuziner, Oberdorfer, Ayinger,
Erdinger, and many others.
In addition to classic German versions, I like to sip a domestic hefeweizen
now and again too. One that compares very favorably to the above mentioned
brews is Milwaukee’s Sprecher Hefe Weiss. Recently while driving
through Kentucky I picked up several Sprecher brews, old favorites of mine
for a long time.
Sprecher prides itself as being the first microbrewer in Milwaukee.
Wisconsin is a state with a large population of German descendants, and not
surprisingly Sprecher brews up a good assortment of German style brews,
including the Weiss, several styles of pale lager, bock, and a highly
regarded Schwarzbier. Styles from many other nations are brewed here too:
ale, stout, imperial stout, abbey triple, and more. Founder Randy Sprecher
has a dedication to quality, craft brewed beer that shines through in every
bottle of beer that emerges from his brewery.
Most Sprecher brews are sold in four packs of sixteen ounce bottles. I have
found them all to be delicious, authentic versions of their respective
styles. They can be found in the following states:
Iowa
Illinois
Kentucky
Michigan
Minnesota
New Jersey
Ohio
Wisconsin
Sprecher Hefe Weiss is bottled with yeast to add to its flavor,
complexity, carbonation and shelf life. If you’re wondering what that not so
pleasant looking stuff is at the bottom of the bottle, it’s the yeast. Don’t
worry; you didn’t get a bad beer. The yeast is actually good for you, being
packed with vitamin B, and in fact if you go to your local pharmacy you’ll
find you can purchase tablets of brewers yeast as a supplement. I prefer to
get my vitamin B from a bottle, however, and the best way to do that is to
pour about two-thirds of your wheat beer into your glass, then swirl the
remainder around to rouse the yeast and decant.
Here’s how Sprecher describes its Weiss:
This coarse filtered wheat ale is fermented with a German yeast culture
for a refreshingly light spiciness and hints of citrus fruit. A cloudy
appearance and an immense creamy head are characteristic of this lightly
hopped Bavarian brew.
Best served at 45 degrees F.
Here’s how I describe it:
Sprecher Hefe Weiss pours to a cloudy yellow golden color with a thick rocky
cauliflower head formation and a spicy, appetizing nose. The palate is tart
and crackery with plenty of traditional Bavarian clove and banana notes. The
finish displays more tartness and gives the beer an extremely thirst
quenching trait. This is a marvelous example of German styled hefeweizen,
available year-round, and I recommend it highly.
Try it on a warm summer afternoon in place of lemonade. It’s average to
moderate alcohol content of 4.5% by volume will allow you to drink one or
two without becoming too intoxicated. I like it best from a traditional
Bavarian Weiss beer glass that somewhat resembles a baseball bat in shape.
You can try it with a slice of lemon as I occasionally enjoy wheat beer,
though I generally take mine unadulterated. A good match with basic German
fare like pork and kraut or knockwurst and potato salad. In reality, its
tartness makes it a good match for most dishes.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For
reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.