Try?
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.
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.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
(G)=Growler
