Wheat Beer Question - to drink sediment or not?

[tdhickey]

Normally with a commercial wheat beer, they are best when you mix the sediment in either with a vertical pour right into a glass (and a slow stir to the top) or a hyper stir of the last oz or so to top off the beer in your pint glass.

I have one bottled now and was wondering if homebrew wheat beers would be any different. Anyone found that homebrew wheat beers are any different?

I am leaning towards mixing the sediment in like a typical commercial wheat beer.

 

[freisste]

I don't know your exact situation, but one thing to be careful of is the effect yeast has on your GI tract. It can *speed things up* if you know what I mean.

Try it on one, see if you like it. Too yeasty? Don't do it again. Perfect? You made the right choice.

 

[TopherM]

You definitely want to have the yeast and wheat protein in suspension. The way the Germans/Bavarians do it, is they pour about 2/3 of the bottle carefully, then shake up the last 1/3 and pour it from about 6" above the glass to get all of that goodness into suspension.

Most "traditional" German/Bavarian bars will even store their Wit/Weizen bottles upside down so they are forced to suspend the yeast/wheat protein when they turn the bottle right side up.

 

[JayMac]

I've been wondering the same thing actually. Would you accomplish this by transferring from the primary to bottle as usual?

 

[highgravitybacon]

It's nothing short of an art to get the perfect wheat beer haze. It's a combination of chill haze, yeast, and magic/skill. If you lean on the yeast too much, you end up with copious sediment in the bottles. The yeast always settles out given time. The chill haze is slower to depart, but eventually does. However, at about the time the chill haze starts to disappear, it seems like the beer is right on the verge of being unfresh tasting.

Looking back on the most disappointing beers I've made, they all were wheat beers. It's such challenging style for me. The flavors are fleeting, the haze difficult to master, the balance of flavors difficult to match.

But yes, the German style wheat beers in particular, seem fuller, creamier and most complete when you swirl to get the little bit of yeast in the glass.

 

[Knew2Brew]

My first beer was a Brewer's Best Wiezenbier kit. After bottles were chilled in a fridge the yeast would settle to the bottom and stick almost like a paste. The first one I had I poured slowly and 95% of the yeast stuck in the bottle. It was absolutely amazing and although I had 2+ cases to go, I didn't want any of them to taste different than the first so I went with that. Try one of each and listen to your stomach and tounge.....that's who your making this for anyway!

 

[billpaustin]

We didn't drink the bottom of the glass, while in Germany, but you could if you wanted. I'd say mix it up, and let it settle for a short time, then drink it.