Style Overview - Hefeweizen

A big part of me really wanted to do a beer review tonight but I'm recovering from a sore throat and stuffy nose so I thought it unfair to do a review if I can't do it right. Instead, I'm giving a style overview of a well-known and much loved style: the Hefeweizen. While you may alternately hear this referred to as a weizen, weisse, weissbier, etc., the style I'm talking about refers to the golden, fruity, and phenolic wheat ales that originated in southern Germany originally as a summertime beer but which are now produced year-round by many brewers. It is also important to note the difference between the Hefeweizen and the very similar Kristalweizen. The only difference is that the Hefeweizen is unfiltered and the suspended yeast sediment lends a heavy haze whereas a Kristalweizen is filtered and should present brilliantly clear. Kristalweizens aren't tremendously common, however, so most of the time ordering a German wheat ale means you're getting a Hefeweizen.

As I mentioned, Hefeweizens originated in Bavaria in southern Germany.The word "hefeweizen" literally means "yeast wheat", a beer with yeast. Hefeweizens are one of a handful of ales produced in a country that defined the lager tradition (indeed, the word lager is German and means "storage"). Don't worry, I'll talk about the differences between ales and lagers in another post. For now, suffice it to say that almost all beers fall into one of those two major subcategories and that Germany is lager-crazy. One difference that bears mentioning in this post as it pertains to the character of a Hefeweizen is this: yeasts used to produce lagers generally have little flavor and the yeast leans on the hops and barley to do the heavy lifting in the flavor department of most lagers. This is in contrast to ale yeasts that are quite expressive and produce a number of natural chemical byproducts that contribute greatly to the ale's aroma and flavor. A Hefeweizen's signature is defined by the flavors produced by its yeast.

One of those byproducts that result from the yeast during the fermentation process are what are called phenols. Phenols can present in a variety of beers and are even present in other alcohols (Some of my favorite scotches are exceedingly phenolic). Problem is, phenols can sometimes contribute unpleasant flavors. I've heard phenols described as band-aids, hospital flavor, metallic, medicinal, salty, all manner of undesirable tastes. Lucky for us, phenols can also produce really tasty flavor compounds and that is precisely what they do in a Hefeweizen. The phenolic compounds in a Hefeweizen tint the beer with a very noticeable and supremely enjoyable aroma and taste of clove. Seriously, smell a hefeweizen and then smell a whole clove. Dead match.

A second fermentation byproduct that derives from ale yeasts are known as esters. Esters are pretty cool little flavor compounds. Esters, often together with phenols, define many a Belgian style (and boy do I love my Belgians). Esters contribute a fruity sweetness and the exact profile of fruitiness varies depending on the strain of yeast and the beer itself. As pertains to a hefeweizen, esters give off an unmistakable aroma and flavor of bananas. That's right, bananas. Some folks also describe the estery flavors of hefeweizens as tasting like bubblegum, sometimes both. Regardless, the resulting balance between clove spiciness and fruity sweetness makes for one very tasty, overtly approachable, easy drinking backyard summertime beer.

Hops are present in hefeweizens, as they are in 99.99% of all beers out there, but here they exist in small quantities only present enough to provide a touch of balance to the sweetness of the beer. There is no discernible hop character. The malt bill is at least 50% but sometimes up to 70% wheat malt, with the remainder being the clean and inoffensive Pilsner malt. Therefore, since the malt profile is not tremendously strong nor does the hop profile blow your socks off, the hefeweizen is all about the yeast. The one thing the malt does contribute to is the body, also known as the mouthfeel or overall texture of the style. Beers with a high wheat content will exhibit a fluffy, almost aerated mouthfeel while the wheat will also contribute to the beer's haziness and produce a massive, nearly out-of-control white head that is an important characteristic of the style. The color of the beer itself ranges from straw yellow to dark gold. Body is light to medium, alcohol by volume ranges from 4.4 to 5.6% (or thereabouts).

The hefeweizen is typically served in a tall slender glass like this:

This is what is called, suitably enough, a weizen glass. These glasses might also pull double duty in bars and restaurants for serving tall orders of draft pilsners and the like. American drinking habits have dictated that the hefeweizen is at times served with an orange slice, though some men might find it difficult to live down drinking a beer with fruit among their friends. While I don't have these macho notions, I still drink hefeweizens without an orange. Way I see it, if the brewer wanted me to have some fruit, he'd have put it in the beer. I want to taste what the brewer intended me to have. Make up your own mind. Remember, beer

is supposed to be fun!

I'll be honest - I have a patriotic streak when it comes to beer. I think American brewers are among the most talented, creative, and innovative brewers out there. Their ingenuity sparked a craft beer revolution over the last 40 years and has now created craft beer revolutions in other countries. I'm sick and tired of uninformed beer drinkers trashing a beer simply because its American or automatically extolling the virtues of any foreign beer. Judge a beer on its own merits, people! That being said, I do think the Germans still have the market cornered when it comes to classic Hefeweizens. While many American breweries produce an offshoot of the style known as an American Wheat Ale, a true and high quality Hefeweizen isn't as common as you might think stateside. In fact, many brewers who claim a Hefeweizen are in fact brewing American Wheat Ales. The one solid example of an American hefeweizen that I can think of off the top of my head is Sierra Nevada's Kellerweis. Very tasty beer, but I haven't seen it around in a while so it might be down for the count. For me, the quintessential authentic Hefeweizen is the Weihenstephaner Hefe weissbier. A true classic. Ayinger's Brau-Weisse as well as Paulaner's Hefe-Weissbier and Schneider's Weisse are also great examples. I'm lucky to live near the Hofbrauhaus in Newport, KY that brews the beer it sells on premise and part of their regular lineup is a great weizen. While I'm not overly impressed by it in bottle form, there's something about getting it fresh from the brewery and sitting on a long wooden bench that's magical.

In the end, I hope this post (and others like it) are more than overly verbose and dry explanations of things you might not care about. I hope they embolden you to try new things and drink great beer. I hope it helps you establish that connection with the beer in your hand because then it's not just drinking a beer - it's an experience you'll remember. If all these nerdy hopes and dreams aren't your thing, at least you can show off to your friends next time you crack open some hefeweizens on a hot summer night. Cheers!