Hefeweizen

[gclay]

How strong is the flavor supposed to be in a hefe? I had a hefe a while ago and the spice flavor was very muted, almost non-existant. I had a hefe tonight and the flavor blew me away. It was brewed this year according to the label, but WOW!!! Way too strong for me. Are all hefe's like that?

Gerald

 

[JuanKenobi]

Hefeweizen is best served young. Of course, there really isn't a correct answer to your question. It all depends on what you like. The banana/clove flavor is certainly necessary to be true to style, but the levels of either/both can vary widely. I personally love the banana aspect and prefer the clove at moderate levels.

 

[gclay]

I have to learn to search before I post. What I had in the past sounds more like an American wheat and not a true hefeweizen. It was pretty much as someone said "A Banana/Clove Bomb". Ahh well.

 

[Rev2010]

What I had in the past sounds more like an American wheat and not a true hefeweizen. It was pretty much as someone said "A Banana/Clove Bomb". Ahh well.

American wheats and hefe's are quite different in taste than German hefe's. Have a Widmer's and a Franziskaner and you will see they are worlds apart. I've found most American wheats to have more of a citrusy note to them... BUT... I've had many that were very true to the German style.

The problem really lays in how the company's represent their beer. Let's take the already mentioned Widmer's. They call their beer "America's Original Hefeweizen". I love Widmer's, but I'm sorry... Widmer's isn't close in taste to any German hefeweizen I've ever had. It can cause some confusion.


Rev.

 

[jaycount]

Some hefe's also incorporate a smoky/peppery aspect as well.

Paulaner... nom nom nom

 

[Weizenwerks]

Paulaner... nom nom nom

Love Paulaner. Hacker-Pschorr is also great. Anything from Weihenstaphaner is amazing too.

 

[gclay]

I'll have to try Widmer's and Franziskaner this weekend if I can find them.

 

[robaincltnc]

Anybody have a good extract recipe you can recommend that will do a good job representing Franziskaner? Love that beer! Thanks!

 

[markg388]

if you aren't into the banana/clove style of hef (like me), try out an Erdinger Hefeweizen. It's the one and only German hef I've had that uses a different kind of yeast and doesn't have that estery flavor profile.

 

[gclay]

I'll have to check it out. I wish I still had the bottles from all the beers I tried 5 years ago. I brewed one batch of beer back then and wanted to know what the different styles were like.