Widmer Brothers Hefeweizen

May 14th, 2012 by Scott in Disneyland Resort Beer Reviews, Walt Disney World Beer Reviews

Today begins American Craft Beer Week, a week-long celebration of the smaller, independent brewers in the United States. Restaurants, bars, and breweries all over the country will be having special events this week to celebrate.

Since 1984, the Widmer Brothers have been brewing craft beer in Portland, Oregon. Two years later, the brothers released their Hefeweizen. Widmer refers to it as “the one that started it all”. Widmer was brewing a Weizenbier along with an Altbier when they first started the brewery; the Dublin Pub asked for a third brew but Widmer lacked the capacity to brew a third beer. To solve this dilemma Widmer didn’t filter the Weizenbeer, thus creating what Widmer says is the first American-style hefeweizen.

As for the beer itself? It’s good. In the glass it’s a cloudy golden color with a decently sized white head. Widmer suggests pouring about two-thirds of the beer into the glass, then swirling the remaining beer in the bottle. This mixes up anything that may have settled in the bottom of the bottle. Finally, pour the rest of the beer into the glass. Alternatively, Jason has suggested rolling a wheat beer bottle along a flat surface before opening to achieve a similar result. Lots of wheat in the nose, and the taste is similar, along with a bit of bitter hops and a slight citrus taste. It’s light, crisp, refreshing, and would be very nice for a warm summer day.

At Walt Disney World Widmer Hefeweizen made an appearance at the 2011 Food and Wine Festival’s Craft Beer Collection; perhaps it will return for 2012. It can also be found at Territory Lounge in Wilderness Lodge and the ESPN Club on the BoardWalk.