Schell's - Hefeweizen

Well, I'm a little disappointed in myself today.  Dunz and I try to pride ourselves on buying locally brewed craft beer to support the hard working brewers across Minnesota and the Midwest.  We generally accomplish this goal too - when I'm out at the bar Ill order a Surly, Summit or Schell's when its on tap.  But what I failed to realize was the fact that we have completed neglected one of the oldest breweries in the nation and the oldest in MN - August Schell's - on The World of BeerCraft.  After figuring this out I realized this had to be changed.  I grabbed myself Schell's latest release and returned to my beer reviewing couch to get to work.

As I mentioned during my post about Summit's Hefeweizen, this style of beer is best consumed fresh.  Its part of the reason I love living in a state that supports locally brewed craft beer.  You get the opportunity to sample a number of fresh examples of the same style without having to travel any further than your favorite beer store.

Since we haven't reviewed any beers from Schell's in the past I'll provide a brief history of this local landmark.    August Schell (this guys beard was badass) was born in 1828 and migrated from Germany to the United States in 1848.  After traveling up the Mississippi for a few years he eventually traveled to Minnesota with his colony and merged with another colony in the area to create the town of New Ulm.  Shortly thereafter August realized that good German beer was hard to come by in Southern Minnesota and decided to build his own brewery in 1860 along the Cottonwood River.

The brewery flourished through the turn of the century, not without a few bumps of course, until 1919 when that pesky prohibition took a stranglehold on the brewing industry.  Luckily Schell's survived by producing 'near beer', soda pop and candies until prohibition was repealed.  It wasn't until the late 1980's that Schell's success was noticed on a national scale.  It was about this time when beer cans were introduced.  Schell's took this opportunity to create award winning designs on their cans to make their beer stand out from the rest.  It was also around this time that Schell's ventured out into crafting different styles of beer such as the Pilsner, Hefeweizen and Pale Ale.  In 2002, Schell's purchased the 109 year old Grain Belt beer, effectively saving it from extinction.  Today, Schell's continues its local dominance of the Minnesotan market through its passion for great tasting beer and the local community.

OK!  Now that you know everything you need to know about August Schell's, lets dive into the beer we came to review today.

Schell's Hefeweizen is a classic example of a Bavarian Wheat beer.  It has a distinctly cloudy, light orange color with a plume of fluffy white foam.  The aromas are refreshing with citrus, clove and banana at the forefront.  Sipping this beauty brings a clean, fruity and yeasty flavor profile alongside the clove and banana I found in the aroma.  Each taste ends clean and sweet.

Overall - A perfect beer to enjoy after working outside in the muggy heat.  Schell's balances their flavors nicely without overdoing anything.  Very refreshing and easy to drink.  This Hefeweizen is a must try for anyone who enjoys the style.