Finally – beer brewed by Mike in 2015!!! I was craving a German styled Hefeweizen not too long ago. As a beer drinker, I am not a huge fan of this style all the time. However as a brewer, I love the simplicity of the basic recipe, the complexity that the yeast strain gives you, and the flexibility you can take to sort of make it your own by bending a few style rules.
I have made very simple versions of this style by following this basic hefeweizen recipe Most times, I brew following a grain bill of 50% wheat malt and 50% US 2-row. German pilsner may be more appropriate but that’s the first bending of the rules to make it something that suits my tastes and desires. I have used hops like Hallertau, Sterling, Liberty, and Willamette. This time, I had several ounces of whole leaf Tettnang to use up so that’s what went in.
I used 2 ounces of Tettnang for 60 minutes and I put in one final ounce at 20 minutes left in the boil. Overall, my calculated IBUs for this come in around 40-44 (using Tinseth). I think the BJCP guidelines has the style maxing out around 15 IBUs!!!
OOPS.
I guess that’s the second bending of the rules in my German Style Hefe.
I use always use the simple and classic WLP300 German Hefe yeast here. This yeast can give you plenty of clove or banana or a combo of the two depending on things like ferulic acid rests and fermentation temps. I normally don’t mess with my mash temps, shoot for a single 149 degrees F infusion. From there, a simple fermentation period starting low, around 62-65 degrees F, helps keep the clove and the banana in check for my palate. I let it rise as it starts chugging, but this time based on ambient temps it sort of held at 68 degrees F for a few days. After about 8-10 days, I threw the heating belt on it and let it ride to 72 degrees F to be sure it finished out as dry as it could go. The total yeast character for this beer is fairly limited compared to what it could be. I guess that’s my third and final departure from the rules that define the truest interpretation of the Hefe Style.
This brew came out with a pleasant mild spiciness, minimal clove but there was some clove-y taste. The fruity esters are really restrained and largely hidden by the hops. The hops are over the top for the style but not for the beer in general. This one is pretty nicely balanced and the mild yeast character is playing real nice against the noble hop character I put to it.
Can’t wait for things to warm up a little bit again here. Once it does, I think this beer will really start to quench my thirst. Just like I was craving a month ago when I first thought it was time to brew a German Style Hefe.
BREW ON!
Cameron
I absolutely love brewing beers like this. There is something very interesting about brewing a beer that has a basic grain / hop bill, since it gives you a chance to hone in on all of your other skills (technique, sanitation, fermentation times / temps etc). Sometimes these are the skills that people assign secondary importance, which is a mistake! When I wrote my on the first couple of kolsch beers I brewed, these skills ended up having a major impact on the outcome of the beer. Great read, Dudes!
Mike T.
Shawn and Mike,
Your video was great. I could almost taste the brew. Please keep sharing
John
Thanks Mike T – It’s John, though.
John
Thanks Cameron – Good learnings there.