how come Hefes don't need a secondary

I've read on this forum that Hefeweizens(and other wheat beers) do not need a secondary. What is the reason for this? and while they may not NEED one, like a lot of other beers, will they be harmed by using one? or even improved?

Just curious(plus I love Hefeweizens),

Thanks.

It wont help the beer... hefes are better if you drink them young, really young, with a lot of yeast in suspension... if you secondary, you are robbing the style of those two critical points.

If it's clear it's no longer a Hefe, but a Kristalweizen. Hefe means the yeast is still in it.

The Pol said:

It wont help the beer... hefes are better if you drink them young, really young, with a lot of yeast in suspension... if you secondary, you are robbing the style of those two critical points.

Click to expand...

What he said!

Hefe yeast is low flocculating so it will stay in suspension much longer than average yeast. So, if for some reason you wanted the yeast to clear out, doing so through a secondary would mean extended aging that defeats the young flavor aspect of the style. Kristalweizens are achieved through filtering to clear as opposed to aging. Weihenstephaner's Kristalweizen is probably the beer that got me thinking about homebrewing. I got an $80 case of it for my birthday last year

Then I definitely need to make a Hefe.

Although it sounds like Kristalweizen isn't bad either....

Maybe I'll make both. I'm really beginning to realize why this hobby is so addicting.

Thanks for the info!