Schneider Weisse Original

Brewed By: Weissbierbrauerei G. Schneider & Sohn in Kelheim, Germany

Purchased: Single bottle (bomber: 1 pint, .9 fl oz) from Friar Tucks in Urbana, IL; 2011

Style/ABV: German Hefeweizen, 5.4%

Today's beer is Schneider Weisse Original from Weissbierbrauerei G. Schneider & Sohn. It is probably the last Hefeweizen I will be reviewing this summer. But never say never. Ranked as the 13th best German Hefe on Ratebeer, and not far behind some pretty humbling brews, I can only say I am excited to dive in. For better or worse, I started this blog a bit late. This summer I have dabbled in quite a few Hefeweizens. I had the Two Brother's Ebels Weiss, two Hefeweizens from Trader Joe's, Hacker-Pschorr (Hefe) Weisse, Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier and Ayinger Bräu-Weisse. Earlier in the week I also knocked out the Paulaner. Of this eclectic and interesting group, I found the Ayinger to be the best. It is a divine brew, and the citrus that cuts through the barnyard funk, banana and clove makes it one of the most balanced and drinkable Hefes I have ever had. I enjoyed the Weihenstephaner, which is ranked 4th on Ratebeer and considered to be the best by many. I felt that while it was a good beer, it was not as balanced and had some flavors that were approaching cloying. It wasn't as refreshing or drinkable as I wanted it to be. It was still Above-Average, but the Ayinger and I hit it off like two drunk teenagers on prom night. 

At any rate, the bar is set high and I consider myself to be pretty familiar with the style by now. Weissbierbrauerei G. Schneider & Sohn have been challenging people with the pronunciation of their names since 1872. The website is in German, but has an English translation button on the bottom of the site. I'm lazy, so I'm going off the Wikipedia article. The brewery began as a Bavarian brewery that acquired the Weisses Brauhaus/Microbrewery in Munich. The owners then expanded the brewery to Kelheim and Straubing. After Munich was destroyed in the 1944 bombing (World War II, folks), all production was moved to Kelheim. This is a family run brewery with lots of tradition, and is currently owned by Georg Schneider VI (source).

The pour yields a golden-bronze-brown, well-carbonated beer. This beer is MURKY AS HELL. I know German Hefes are unfiltered, but this one has sediment from the yeast floating around, and has a cloudy brown center with scant traces of honey and orange leaking from the sides when held to light. There is a wonderful head, approaching several inches or fingers. The head has some nice champagne bubbles and is white in color. A lot of good funk on the nose of this, but also a nice tart aroma which suggest some citrus. I smell wheat, mild vanilla and clove, even milder banana, and a hard to pick out citrus: lemon?

In taste I would characterize the citrus profile as lemony and apple-juicey. There is a good amount of clove which balances wonderfully with the citrus. The taste is slightly acidic and tart. There is some vanilla-banana but its not a main character. This is more wheat, clove and citrus. This is actually somewhat juicy, and very refreshing (or mildly thin and watery if you're a cynic). There are also some hints of bubblegum that come and go. 

Rating: Average

Score: 75%

Orange in the light.

This must be the Weihenstephaner's evil citrusy twin. Where I found the Weihenstephaner to be sort of banana-vanilla-clove dense, this beer is citrus-dense. It's not a bad thing. It's very refreshing and juicy. I still am of the opinion that the bottle of Ayinger I had found the perfect balance between the banana-clove and the citrus-wheat.

I'm genuinely intrigued and would like to do a blind taste test to compare all the upper-rated German Hefes. To be honest, this is another solid brew that you wouldn't be doing wrong by trying. This one has a funky nose, a slightly tart and acidic body, and it has a fuller body than the last Hefe I reviewed, the Paulaner. On the front end is carbonation, clove and lemon-wheat; the middle blends the lemon with wheat and apple juice; the back end drops into a slightly grainy and dryer finish. This is a medium-light beer and is pretty effing drinkable.

I wouldn't seek this out if other Hefeweizens were available, but I might try it again for science. If you like citrus-forward Hefes as opposed to banana bombs you might prefer this.