Beer Review – JosephsBrau Hefeweizen

• Name: JosephsBrau Hefeweizen
• Brewery: Trader Joe’s
• Style: Hefeweizen
• Origin: California
• ABV: 5.3%

Oh Trader Joe’s, the mecca for upper-middle class citizens looking for off-brand, high quality edible products. While I had never shopped here before, I knew many people who seemingly lived and died by the products available at the Californian retailer. And honestly, I wouldn’t ever have thought to visit Trader Joe’s and evaluate its beer offerings until I read this. Intrigued by Trader Joe’s surprisingly deep roster of in-house brew, I decided to stop by and see what the fuss was about.

Before I get into the beer review, I want to say that shopping at Trader Joe’s was one of the best “beer missions” I’ve ever experienced. While stores like Total Wine and More, SPECS and H-E-B have limited numbers of beers you can choose from when building your own six pack, Trader Joe’s is open season. You can select any of the beers on their shelf – just pull one from a six pack and pay 1/6th of the price.

Also, the beer was very well priced. Where as a build-your-own often ends up in the $10-12 range, or more, here in South Texas, I walked out with 6 beers for $8.88.

The first beer of the six I tried was JosephsBrau Hefeweizen. JosephsBrau is one of the “store brand” brews found exclusively at Trader Joe’s. As a lover of witbiers, I had to start with this one.

When poured into a glass, this beer presented as orange and hazy, with its mild carbonation producing a medium head. Its aroma was typically wheat-y with a scent of cilantro and possibly some orange. It was shaping up to be very similar to a Blue Moon Belgian Wheat.

The flavor of this beer is excellent. It is very clean and well supported by a nice and smooth mouthfeel. Whereas many wheat beers have a certain “thickness” to them, this one is more lager-y in mouthfeel. While the flavor profile is fairly typical of a wheat beer, it is balanced very well. The slight notes of orange citrus do not translate to the palate, instead it is a nice mixture of wheat and cilantro.

Related: EOS Hefeweizen Review

The aftertaste is excellent. Due to the clean, crisp and smooth mouthfeel, the flavor peaks and then slowly dissipates. There is just enough bitterness present to create some complexity and let you know you are drinking a beer.

All in all, I feel like the Business Insider article was justified in placing this beer high on the list. While I have not yet tried the other 28 brews, JosephsBrau Hefeweizen is a very solid beer. It is similar enough, yet in a different space when compared to say a Paulaner or a Blanche de Bruxelles. It is a lot like a Blue Moon, just better (and cheaper).

TL;DR

JosephsBrau Hefeweizen is a very good beer. An unusually clean palate, mixed with well balanced wheat-beer flavors combine for a great all around experience. And, at $1.17 per bottle, you can’t go wrong. Pick it up and try it for yourself!

Rating: 8.5/10

Question of the Day

Have you tried any of the Trader Joe’s brand beers? Which was your favorite and why?

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Learn more about JosephsBrau Hefeweizen Untappd and Rate Beer.