Schell's Hefeweizen

Summer may be winding down, but it's still here. The recent extremely hot and humid weather helped me to decide which beer to use for this session: Schell's Hefeweizen.

This beer is one of Schell's 2 summer seasonals. It is a traditional Bavarian-style hefeweizen made with 60% wheat malt, 40% barley malt, and an authentic German wheat beer yeast strain. In years past, it has taken home 2 medals from the Great American Beer Festival: a silver and a gold.

I pour the 12 ounce bottle into my weizen glass. The transfer generates a nice 2 finger white head which gradually fades into a light, thin layer. The body is golden-yellow in color and cloudy with yeast.

Fruity aromas greet my nose right away. Honey, banana, and cloves combine with just a bit of a sour scent. The smells are not quite as strong as some German imports, but are more powerful than many American hefes.

The taste of bready malt mixes with a pleasant banana character and brings to mind fresh baked banana bread. There is also a touch of lemony tartness present that keeps it from getting too sweet. A polite bitterness visits at the finish to help round out the flavor.

The medium-light viscosity of the liquid allows it to go down my throat smooth and clean. A light carbonation tickles my tongue without becoming prickly or sharp. There is no lacing present as I drink.

This is a great American example of a well known German style. It is clean and easy drinking with wonderful fruity qualities that help to make it quite refreshing. Next time you are feeling miserable in the heat, think about giving this brew a try. It will definitely help to refresh you without getting you too buzzed due to its 4.4% ABV. This a well made summer session beer.