Types of wheat beer?

I just bottled my first IPA this evening, and now that my Ale Pail is freed up I'd like to brew up a wheat beer, but I'm not sure where to begin. I've enjoyed hefeweizen for years (Pyramid or Widmer), but I thought that it was a generic term for wheat beer rather than a specific style. Now I'm seeing witbier, dunkelweizen, weizen, weizenbock... what's the deal?

I'm looking on AHS and their dunkelweizen sounds interesting, I'm thinking of going for that one or the lemongrass hefe... is the dunkelweizen more traditional? Has anyone brewed this recipe and had good/bad results? Thanks

jrakich87 said:

I've enjoyed hefeweizen for years (Pyramid or Widmer), but I thought that it was a generic term for wheat beer rather than a specific style.

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You misspelled "German."
Hefe = yeast
weizen = wheat

Pyramid and Widmer "hefeweizens" are unfiltered American wheat beers, nothing like a Bavarian hef. Pick yourself up a Paulaner or Weihenstephaner to taste the difference. The yeast and fermentation character ban: and clove) is absolutely key to the style.

I have nothing against American wheat beer, in fact I have a sack of grist ready to go for a clear, hoppy, 40% wheat ale!

jrakich87 said:

I just bottled my first IPA this evening, and now that my Ale Pail is freed up I'd like to brew up a wheat beer, but I'm not sure where to begin. I've enjoyed hefeweizen for years (Pyramid or Widmer), but I thought that it was a generic term for wheat beer rather than a specific style. Now I'm seeing witbier, dunkelweizen, weizen, weizenbock... what's the deal?

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Check out the BJCP style guide:

BJCP 2008 Style Guidelines - Category 15
BJCP 2008 Style Guidelines - Category 16
BJCP 2008 Style Guidelines - Category 06

You have been drinking style 6-d. I find the guide helpful because it describes each style and lists some commercial examples you can go out and buy to try yourself.

My personal favorite is Belgian Witbier (Wit). St Bernardus is IMO the best example of the style I can find. I just kegged a batch last night and it's niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice.

Ed Worts Bavarian Hefe is good, he keeps the recipes simple and delicious

There is only one...the original is a Bavarian Hefe Weizen or weissbier. Weihenstephen was founded in 1040...the rest are just variations...

Wits came along much later with the introdution of the orange to Europe. I don't know for sure, but history will dictate either 1200s if Marco Polo brought some back from China (even back then everything came from China!!) or exploration in the 1500s.