Beer Snark: Franziskaner Weissbier Review: An Old Standard in Wheat Beering

It is officially unofficially summer, which means two things: I hate the Miami Heat and the calendar says it is time to drink wheat beer.

Franziskaner Weissbier - Classic German Wheat

Franziskaner Weissbier is an old wheat beer standby. Dating back to 1397, it might be even older than wheat itself, though someone should double check that on Wikipedia. Franziskaner, now owned by Anheuser-Busch/InBev, makes two versions of their wheat beer: this one, called Hefe-Weisse Hell, and a darker version called Hefe-Weisse Dunkel. Those are their words not mine, although something may be lost in translation. The bottle of the label says "Naturtrüb," which is German for "clumpy nastiness in bottom." For God's sake, swirl before you pour!

Once I poured the Franziskaner into a glass, the profusion of bubbles immediately struck me. A clean, white head erupted at the top of the golden-orange beer and lingered nicely. The aroma of the Franziskaner was fairly standard wheat beer with a hint of citrus and yeast. The yeast came through strongly on the tongue too, along with citrus, and fair amount of sour. The Weissbier had a good mouth feel for a wheat beer.

Franziskaner is an old standard among wheat beers. Though there is nothing particularly noteworthy about it, at least after it makes the long journey from Bavaria to the local Trader Joe's. If nothing else, I recommend it as an alternative to Blue Moon or Pyramid.

-Ryan

Style: Hefeweizen
ABV: 5.0%
Availability: Nationwide

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