Franziskaner Hefe-Weiss

I'd been meaning to try some Franziskaner for a long time, since I love me a good hefeweizen, but could never seem to get it near me.  Until my 30th birthday, that is.  My husband and I went out for dinner and drinks with a friend of ours (who happens to share my b-day), and the place we went actually had Franziskaner Hefe-Weiss on tap:

Vittles:

Hefeweizen

5% abv

Appearance: 10/10
It's so cloudy that I can only see through it at the bottom.  I love the golden-orange color, and there was still almost an inch of thick white foam.  The head had very good retention, as well.

Aroma: 23/25
I usually try to focus on the malt first, but the aromas that first hit my nose with this beer were the esters and phenols after the head eventually fell.  One of the things I love the most about a good hefeweizen is the combination of banana and clove, both in the nose and on the tongue.  These scents balance nicely with the sweet, bready aroma from the malt.  I want to say there's also a bit of a citrusy smell, but that could very well be from that damn orange slice instead of from the beer -- I really hate when I specifically say "no fruit garnish" and they put one on there anyway.

Taste: 39/40
The banana and clove flavors were moderately prominent for me, followed closely by the bready taste of the malt.  Citrus was again present, but I'm not sure if it's from the orange or from the beer.  I'll have to try this one again without the garnish.  (What the hell is fruit doing in my beer, anyway!?)  I also tasted a bit of spiciness and a very, very subtle Noble hop character, which nicely rounded out the flavor profile.

Mouthfeel: 9/10
It feels medium-full bodied, and I love the way you can feel the yeast when you roll this beer around in your mouth.  I also liked the liveliness the carbonation added.

Style: 5/5
This is exactly what a hefeweizen should be.  I suppose if you've been in the business for ~650 years, you've gotta be doing something right.

Drinkability: 9/10
This is an insanely drinkable beer, but at 5%, it's not necessarily a drink that someone like me (120 lb. female) should really have back-to-back, especially if it's served in .5L glasses.  If I could find a 3% abv version of this beer, I'd be set.

Overall: 95/100
I can't believe it took me so long to try this beer.  I'd heard good things, but it's not the kind of beer that's frequently served in my area (i.e., it's not BMC or their light counterparts), but apparently the bar where I found it now has it as a standard on tap, so I know I'll be going back there soon.

Cheers!