Dryhopped Hefeweizen????

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shot0rum247

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Has anyone ever dryhopped their hefeweizens and liked it? I just brewed a traditional hefe fermented on oak chips, not very hoppy or anything. I have .5 oz of saaz laying around and would like to use it, what do you guys think?
 
Completely out of style but could be good. I like hoppy beers and I like hefe, but have kept them separate thus far because when I want a hef I want a hef and when I want an IPA.......you get the idea. I shook my head when I saw the thread title and I still am but who knows. Oak is also traditionally used for beers that were traditionally aged and this style is definately not a beer that is supposed to be aged. You're defying convention so looking for people that have tried this many things with a hefe will take some time and you may not get any experience at all. But that's what it's all about. Please, please post up when it's finished! Good or bad it's a learning experience for us all.
 
True indeed, unless I hear otherwise I think I may just do one variation (the oak chips) and hold off on the dry hopping. I'll let you all know how it turns out.
 
Don't do it, man. Step away from the hops. The worst thing I ever did to one of my Hefes is throw in the remaining .5 ounce of Liberty at flame out. It totally fought my yeast for the foreground. Now its just a stinky, cloudy, Pale Ale.
 
Don't do it, man. Step away from the hops. The worst thing I ever did to one of my Hefes is throw in the remaining .5 ounce of Liberty at flame out. It totally fought my yeast for the foreground. Now its just a stinky, cloudy, Pale Ale.

+1. Hefeweizens are all about the delicate flavour and aroma of the yeast character (especially the banana and clove phenolics) and the soft, bready character of the wheat and malt. If you dry hop it, the hop flavour and aroma will just fight with the beer and muddy everything.

Having said that, I highly advocate the suggestion to dry hop half. Then you can find out for yourself whether it is a good thing or not.

:mug:
 
Brooklyn Brewery and Schneider teamed up to make a Hopfen Weissen. It is basically a wheat beer with an IPA hop schedule. Each brewery brewed it and there were some differences in the two. When drinking, the first taste was like an IPA, and then as the hops fade and you wait for the maltiness to show, instead the wheat notes pop up. It kinda messes with your head, first thinking it is just a straight up IPA, only to have it finish very different.
 
I have never tried it, but I would think that an American style wheat (with American wheat yeast) would work better with more IBU's and dryhop than one fermented with a traditional Wiezen yeast. Less competition with the yeast flavors.

One commercial example I can think of that is really nice is Southern Tier's HopSun (Summer release). It is dry hopped. Very refreshing in the summer! Here's a link, but not much info:

southern tier brewing company
 
Don't do it, man. Step away from the hops. The worst thing I ever did to one of my Hefes is throw in the remaining .5 ounce of Liberty at flame out. It totally fought my yeast for the foreground. Now its just a stinky, cloudy, Pale Ale.


Yeah I threw in some late addition hops on my american wheat and it sticks out through what I was hoping would be fruity yeast flavors.
 
Thanks for the feedback guys and I think you are right. With the oak chips in it already (although not a lot) the extra dryhopp would probably compete too much and turn my hefe into a pale ale-like wheat beer. Thanks all.
 
One of my worries is that I used a traditional European yeast so the flavors will definitely have some of the banana/clove. I'm fermenting at 60*C under regulation so they will be a little more subtle; it could still be a lot to compete with. Especially with dryhopping I'll be changing the flavor more-so than the IBUs...floral/banana/clove...could be interesting.
 
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