Widmer Brothers Hefeweizen

“Smells like fresh dough—yeasty, but pleasantly so. Wheat character comes through in the body with a soft spiciness that finishes dry without being watery. Very restrained bitterness on the finish highlights the malt, with minimal fermentation notes.”

“Bready aroma with very low esters or phenolics. Moderate tart lemon flavor settles into a medium grainy bread note. As with the aroma, the fruity esters are almost nonexistent. Low black pepper and tea-like notes linger into a quite dry finish with a hint of bread. Leans a little too bitter.”

**Aroma:** “Hops aromas of flowers, herbs, light pine, and resin. It’s hard to find the wheat. Fruity esters of melon and berry. Clean fermentation character and a very faint smoke phenol, but no big off-flavors.” **Flavor:** “Hops bitterness up front similar to a pale ale, with light sweetness. The hops are mostly pine with a little dankness and earth. There isn’t a lot of malt, and the wheat is more of an afterthought. A hint of smoke and astringency.” **Overall:** “Very floral, with some fun hops and a bitter edge, but not what I expect in a hefeweizen. It’s very unexpected for the style, coming across as more of an American wheat with attitude or a pale ale without the carbonation. I didn’t get any wheat, spiciness, or banana.”