Judge’s Review: 93 Rating – Weltenburger Helle Weisse by Weltenburger Kloster

Hefeweizen / Weissbier | Year-Round | Germany

By Michael Heniff

Judges Rating: 93
Aroma: 22
Appearance: 6
Flavor: 37
Mouthfeel: 10
Overall Impression: 18

Weltenburger Helle Weisse by Weltenburger Kloster is a Hefeweizen and is being evaluated as a Weissbier (category 10A in the 2021 BJCP Beer Style Guidelines). Weissbier is noted for its golden color, slight haze, wheaty flavor and prominent esters (typically banana) and clove-like phenolics. 
Helle Weisse pours dark golden in color, is very cloudy and sports a huge, fluffy, off-white head. The aroma is moderate wheaty malt with lighter bubblegum and banana esters and restrained clove-like phenolics. The flavor is of prominent wheat malt with lighter bubblegum esters and a hint of clove. The beer finishes lightly bitter with wheaty and bready malt over a hint of clove.
Helle Weisse is an excellent Hefeweizen. This beer hits all of the marks of the style: prominent wheat, esters, phenolics and cloudiness. What sets Helle Weisse above most Hefeweizens is its balance and quaffability. Many Hefeweizens have balance issues that turn away some connoisseurs by being overly sweet, too estery or too sharp of a phenolic flavor. Weltenburger Helle Weisse avoids those stylistic flaws and has become one of the few Hefeweizens that I really enjoy.