Maisel's Weisse Original
No ratings yet — be the first to log it.
Tasting Notes
The aroma leads with classic Bavarian hefeweizen character: ripe banana, clove, and a faint vanilla note from the yeast strain. On the palate, soft wheat malt underpins those same fruity and spicy esters, with a gentle carbonation that carries the flavor through a clean, lightly tart finish. The body is medium and slightly hazy, with no hop bitterness to speak of. It finishes dry enough to keep the sweetness from feeling heavy.
About the Brewery
Maisel is a family-owned brewery based in Bayreuth, Bavaria, Germany, founded in 1887. The brewery built its reputation on weissbier at a time when the style was falling out of fashion, and is widely credited with helping revive interest in Bavarian wheat beer through the mid-20th century. Their Bayreuth facility houses a notable brewing museum, and the Maisel family remains involved in operations today. The brewery focuses almost exclusively on wheat-forward styles.
Food Pairings
Weissbier's banana and clove notes work naturally alongside weisswurst and sweet mustard, where the spice in the beer mirrors the herb in the sausage. Soft pretzels with obatzda — the Bavarian cheese spread — pair well because the beer's gentle tartness cuts through the richness of the dairy. Lemon-dressed grilled chicken finds a clean counterpart in the wheat malt's softness, and fruit-based desserts like apple strudel echo the beer's ester-driven fruitiness without clashing.
Style Guide
Hefeweizen is a top-fermented Bavarian wheat beer brewed with at least 50 percent wheat malt and a proprietary yeast strain that produces distinctive isoamyl acetate (banana) and 4-vinyl guaiacol (clove) esters. The style originated in Bavaria and is governed there by strict regional tradition; the "hefe" prefix simply means the beer is unfiltered, leaving yeast in suspension. It differs from American wheat beers primarily in that ester and phenol character — American versions typically use neutral yeast and rely on hop or adjunct additions for flavor. ABV generally runs between 4.9 and 5.5 percent.