Ok... so this is the first batch of weissbier that I have ever brewed and I have a dilemma... I am not sure if I did something wrong in the process that has created an unusual taste or if I just do not like the taste of this style of German wheat beer. Perhaps I am only familiar with American wheat beers, which by the way, I love! Does anyone have a suggestion of a weissbier that I could find on the shelf to which I could compare so that I might solve this mystery...?
What about this Weissbier??
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Egghead
Well-Known Member
Two of my favorites are Ayinger's Ur-Weisse and Weihenstephaner Weissbier. What flavors are you getting that seem off?
See... that's the thing..... not only am I not a very experienced brewer, able to pick out off flavors and know what they are... but apparently, I have no experience with what it is even supposes to taste like...
Egghead
Well-Known Member
German wheat yeasts have been known to throw banana and clove flavors. It really depends on yeast strain and fermentation temperature. Fermented cool, they're pretty clean tasting. At medium temperatures, the yeast produce esters that create banana flavors, and at higher temperatures, they produce phenols that add the clove flavor to your beer.
I think your initial idea of trying various commercial examples is a good one. Personally, I'm not very familiar with what cloves are supposed to taste like. I do know that I don't want to be smacked in the face with banana, but having a little banana in the background is rather pleasant. So try some different commercial hefeweizens and let your taste buds decide whether you like the style and whether your brew matches it.
I think your initial idea of trying various commercial examples is a good one. Personally, I'm not very familiar with what cloves are supposed to taste like. I do know that I don't want to be smacked in the face with banana, but having a little banana in the background is rather pleasant. So try some different commercial hefeweizens and let your taste buds decide whether you like the style and whether your brew matches it.
DunklesWeissbier
Well-Known Member
Try any of these:
Hacker Pschorr, Paulaner, Franziskaner, and my all time favorite König Ludwig Weissbier(if you can find it).
Also if you buy some German beer be sure to stir up the yeast when you pour them from the bottle or they don't taste right.
Hacker Pschorr, Paulaner, Franziskaner, and my all time favorite König Ludwig Weissbier(if you can find it).
Also if you buy some German beer be sure to stir up the yeast when you pour them from the bottle or they don't taste right.
Should I be doing this with my home brew??
DunklesWeissbier
Well-Known Member
I would say yes. If you bottle it.
Found this at germanbeerinstitute.com:
Weissbier Drinking Ritual
Because of its high degree of spritzy effervescence, Weissbier requires “special handling“ to ensure its proper enjoyment at the table or at the bar. It is best to store Weissbiers in a cool place before opening the bottle. The cool temperature prevents the beer from losing too much of its refreshing fizz when the bottle is opened. It is also best to keep the beer in a dark environment where the rays of the sun cannot reach it. This rule, incidentally, applies to all beer because sunlight is one of the greatest enemies of beer flavor. Prolonged exposure to sunlight can shorten a beer’s natural shelf-life dramatically, and even make it undrinkable.
Always store Hefeweizen standing up. This allows the yeast to settle at the bottom of the bottle. For a less yeast-turbid glass of Hefeweizen you can pour the entire bottle in one go, while leaving most of the sediment behind. If you prefer a more turbid glass of beer, you can empty the bottle only four-fifth of the way and then roll it flat on a horizontal surface to loosen the sediment. Then pour the intensely cloudy remaining one-fifth of the bottle in one fell swoop into your glass.
To accentuate the bouquet of the Weissbier, serve it in a tall, slender glass with plenty of room for the head—the best being a specially curved Weissbier glass. To prevent excessive foaming as you pour, rinse the glass in cold water but do not dry it. Then tilt the glass as you fill it. Also avoid greasy glasses, because they destroy a beer’s head. Though Weissbier is served with a lemon slice in many parts of the world, this is emphatically not a Bavarian custom. Bavarians believe that the lemon flavor obscures the true flavor of the Weissbier. They also believe that the Weissbier does not need assistance to taste satisfying and refreshing. On a more objective level, they also point out that the oils in the lemon juice have the same effect as a greasy glass, that is, they destroy the white creamy head that is so characteristic of a properly poured Weissbier and an indispensable part of the total Weissbier experience.
I love hefe's (they got me into the wonderful world of better/real beer) but, as I think you are finding out, Bavarian hefe's are nothing like American wheat beers.
US versions use the same "regular" ale yeasts that other beers use, they just have some wheat in grain bill in place of some barley.
True hefe's use specific yeast strains to get the bananas, cloves, etc.
You'll know if you like it after trying some of the examples listed above.
US versions use the same "regular" ale yeasts that other beers use, they just have some wheat in grain bill in place of some barley.
True hefe's use specific yeast strains to get the bananas, cloves, etc.
You'll know if you like it after trying some of the examples listed above.
+1 very helpful, thanx!
Truth. Oberon, brewed in the same town as my undergrad alma mater, was the inspiration... silly me. I have since noticed there are some dandy clone recipes so will probably give one of those a whirl soon. In the mean time, I am going to work on developing a taste for these two cases I have lingering in the basement.
DunklesWeissbier
Well-Known Member
Yes.
Weissbier (white beer) is the term used in Bavaria for wheat beer.
Hefeweizen (yeast wheat) is a term used outside of Bavaria.
headfullahops
Well-Known Member
I think most people would assume the two to mean the same style of beer if you used them in conversation (myself included). Although, in German weissbier translates "white beer" and hefeweizen translates "yeast wheat". I think it would be more correct to use weizenbier ("wheat beer") over weissbier (which puts me in mind of Belgian Wit). The idea with hefeweizen is that the beer is served fresh (not aged or lagered), unfiltered (cloudy with suspended yeast and proteins from wheat), and I'm certain that most German breweries add yeast to the packaging (bottles, kegs, etc.). So that's why they call it "yeast wheat".
Also, German weizens are brewed with a special strain of yeast that creates a specific phenolic (typically clove-y) and ester-y (typically banana-y) character during fermentation. My favorite (and the highest rated on BeerAdvocate.com) is the Weihenstephan Hefe Weissbier. American wheat beers, as mentioned before, are typically brewed with the house ale yeast strain for the respective brewery. This may be American or British in origin and does not create the phenols/esters that a German Hefe yeast would. Bell's yeast strikes me as more on the British side (I live in MI so I have had a LOT of Oberon!) being a little more ester-y/fruity than clean like a 1056 or 1272. Some fruit character may come from the hops that are used, though.
Cascadegan
Well-Known Member
DunklesWeissbier said:
I thought in the bavarian dialect weiss meant wheat
headfullahops
Well-Known Member
I know that they have a special alphabetic character that they use in their spelling of what looks like weissbier but the character is pronounced "tz" like "whitzen".
I don't think they are interchangeable, and much of what was posted above is on target. "Weissbier" is the general term used for German wheat beers (usually only for the Bavarian variety, and not e.g. Gose, Berlinner weisse, etc.). A Weissbier may be bottled and served "mit hefe," in which case it's also called a hefeweizen, or filtered, in which case it's a "Kristalweizen." Both are the same beer up until the bottling point. There are other varieties, too, but these are the most common. Dunkelweizen is a variety of weissbier, and I believe is generally served mit hefe. I can't remember seeing a Kristal version of a dunkelweizen, though I suppose it's possible.
So what I'm trying to say without rambling too much, is a "hefeweizen" is a variety of "weissbier," though there are other varieties. It is called so because it is served "mit hefe," meaning "with yeast."
I'm no expert on the Bavarian dialect, but the character you're looking for is 'ß'. You'll see it on labels of German weizenbiers, and different breweries seem to use different terms for their beers (weißbier, weizenbier, weißenbier, hefeweiße, etc.). If we get lucky, someone around here will be from or have lived in the area, and can chime in on the real differences in these terms.
Okay so.... it has been only 1 week since I originally posted my inquiry and something has happened. Either:
A. One week of additional aging has done wonders for its flavor... or
B. It has grown on me!
Frankly, it makes no difference to me which one is the true answer... my only conundrum now is... how on earth am I going to be able to save a few for visiting friends from the U.P. and Australia until the 4th of July???
A. One week of additional aging has done wonders for its flavor... or
B. It has grown on me!
Frankly, it makes no difference to me which one is the true answer... my only conundrum now is... how on earth am I going to be able to save a few for visiting friends from the U.P. and Australia until the 4th of July???
Just brew it again right now. It will be ready by the forth. Win win
It is second in line behind this Sammy Smith Oatmeal Stout clone. :cross:
DunklesWeissbier
Well-Known Member
Thats good to hear. My first beer (a Bavarian Wheat) had an off aftertaste and was getting better every week. When my second beer was ready to tap I unhooked the keg and it has been "ageing" in the back of my kegerator for about four weeks now. I'm hoping to have time to tap it again this weekend and see how much more it has improved.
Cascadegan
Well-Known Member
Wikipedia says that they are called weizen in the west and weiss in the south (bavaria) and its called weissbier because it is pale and cloudy giving a 'white' color
I stand corrected (or wikipedia is wrong)
Still would love to hear from someone knowledgable on bavaria
I stand corrected (or wikipedia is wrong)
Still would love to hear from someone knowledgable on bavaria
