Weihenstephaner Kristall Weissbier.

Weihenstephaner Kristall Weissbier. Crystal Clear. 

5.4 % ABV, 18 IBU. Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan, Freising, Bayern Germany.

And now we reach the last bottle from the glassware pack, and it's a beer I first took notes on way back on 6/22/2003, nearly eighteen years ago. Let's see what I said then: 

Pint bottle.

Appearance: crystal-clear pale yellow color, with a large, looming chalk-white capper of foam.

Aroma: fresh and airy, a trifle citric and sour, but mostly lacking in vital weissbier aroma characteristics.

Nice, light, crisp, tangy texture/ mouthfeel, very light-bodied, good malty flavor, practically no hops that I can taste. Good flavor.

Have to admit a prejudice, though: I just can't get behind filtered wheat beers, especially when they come from an excellent producer such as Weihenstephaner. That yeast texture is so refreshing and rewarding in the best examples of the style, when I taste a non-HEFE weissbier, I can only think of what I'm missing.

There's a bubblegum taste, too, just to the left of the vanilla/clove combo we find in great (and not-so-great) Bavarian weissbiers.

In this heat, though, it'll do, but it will be largely forgotten, especially as I down it quickly in order to get at the Weihenstephaner Dunkel Weisse in the fridge!

So, that's what I said then. It was wrong to judge a beer harshly for being a great example of it's style, whether I prefer that style or not. (I say that about this, yet I'll still trash PBR, Coors, and Corona.) I still would rather reach for an unfiltered version. Ain't nothing wrong with this, though

In our golden-yellow crystal-clear wheat beer the fresh citrus flavour harmonises very well with spicy banana notes. The fine sparkling gives it a tangy and animated appearance. Throughout summer and winter, it’s a prickling experience. It goes well with fish, seafood, white meat or it can be enjoyed as an aperitif. Brewed according to our centuries-old brewing tradition on the Weihenstephan hill.