Bavarian Hefeweizen | Conrad Seipp Brewing Company
Summer has finally arrived! Which means you’re gonna need some lighter beers to crush while being outside on patios, beaches, and trails. Something flavorful and low gravity that you can possibly enjoy multiples of and not get drunk or tipsy. Lagers and pilsners and pale ales are a given, but what about a hefeweizen? I honestly thought The Conrad Seipp Brewing Company had just one beer in them, but, with this Bavarian Hefeweizen release, that number sits at 3! (Four if you count the Chicago’s Very Own collaboration.)
Their website has much more detailed and in-depth information, but I’ll sum it up. The Conrad Seipp Brewing Company began in 1854, survived the Great Chicago Fire but couldn’t survive Prohibition, shutting its doors down right before the alcohol ban lifted in 1933. #thanksFDR Laurin Mack revived the brand in 2020 out of Metropolitan Brewing. Seipp’s Extra Pale pre-prohibiton pilsner showed up first. It’s a fine beer but one that didn’t wow me (Ryan loved it though). I had no knowledge of Laurin’s goal with reviving Seipp’s so I thought that would be the only beer they would release.
Glad they didn’t. The Columbia Bock showed up and blew me away. When a bock finishes fourth on a year end list filled with sours, barrel-aged things, and IPAs, you know it’s something. The Columbia Bock is now a yearly purchased for me and one that I hope transitions to cans very soon. And now comes their Bavarian Hefeweizen.
The Beer
Bavarian Hefeweizen pours a classic straw yellow or golden hefeweizen color. A solid finger of white head forms then reduces to a thin layer, which further reduces to a thin layer rimming the glass over time. It has that hazy quality to it, allowing light through but not being able to see anything on the other side. So yeah, a traditional hefeweizen. Were you expecting anything less?
Bavarian Hefeweizen hits you with some balanced yet familiar notes. Clove and banana hit the nose first, with clove being more dominant – slightly – than banana. A typical wheat or grain note follows, but again in moderation. The floral and grassy nose flavors surprised me the most. It’s on the end of the sniff and fairly prominent for a hefeweizen (well at least the ones I’ve had). But even that doesn’t really take over, maintaining a lovely aromatic balance.
The taste matches the aroma on this Bavarian Hefeweizen. A bit more clove than banana comes through but it stays in balance. Bitterness remains a factor here, as it ends with a fair amount of grassy and floral notes. I’d put it in the session IPA or pale ale realm of bitterness – not overbearing, but it’s there. Even a Juicy Fruit gum flavor comes through long after the sip adding a nice unexpected flavor to the proceedings.
While the beer sufficiently coats the tongue, Bavarian Hefeweizen moves very fast across the palate. Not much stays behind on the tongue (or in the can for that matter) and only some of that grassy bitterness and the Juicy Fruit hang around. The carbonation definitely supports an increased drinkability of the beer.
Verdict
Bavarian Hefeweizen is a well-made beer – that can’t be argued – but your preference for this beer might be personal. My wife loves hefeweizens, though she prefers banana to dominate the palate. But she also likes IPAs and hoppy things. While I think she would like the Bavarian Hefeweizen, I believe she would put this below those with more banana esters present. But you know you.
For myself, Bavarian Hefeweizen rules. While I also enjoy a big banana flavor, I appreciate the balance of it more. Plus I get some unadvertised bitterness that really makes this beer pop. Perfect for a hot summer day outside anywhere, Bavarian Hefeweizen does everything it can to make it a 4-pack crusher – finishing bitterness, high carb, and balanced flavors. Grab one for your next outdoor gathering and accept all the praise coming your way.
