German hefeweizen recipe

I can’t find the forum post where Gordon Strong dishes on Hefeweizen and not repitching hefe yeast…may have been on homebrew talk, HBD or BA…I’m getting bleary eyed from reading repetitive posts :sleeping:
Apparently the WWW has its limitations…sorry @brew_cat

I’ll take your word for it. Hopefully I’ll brew a here this spring

Hefeweizen yeast after one batch will lose some it’s aroma and esters producing priorities with repitching it into your second brew and can even lose viability. If your planing another brew with the yeast. The best option is to top crop the yeast and to pitch right away. Some of the breweries that brew with the yeast will often using another strain for bottling due to the yeast losing viability after fermentation. But top croping is the best option if your planning a second brew with hefeweizen yeast and want the same results as your first brew

So in potential thinnin’… That yeast needs to be in full krausen to be good… And if not… It starts to wane… I’ve got some from a long time ago brew that needs to be used in the summer… Would I then ramp up the starter and skim at high krausen to pitch? Not to include the remnants that have… died? Sneezles61
PS, damn this ESB is tasty!

Funny, the last time I brewed a Hefe I repitched. I found it… rather thin, and more neutral. I thought maybe my mash temps dropped too much resulting in a more fermentable wort. Now it has me wondering. :face_with_monocle:

I bottled NB’s Bavarian Hefeweizen a couple of days ago. Brewed this one with WY 3068. I dumped the yeast from the fermentor after reading the comments about the yeast becoming neutral. Will brew another one later this Spring with the yeast collected through the blow off tube at the start of the fermentation. The left over 6 ounces from the bottling bucket tasted as poor as the Hefe brewed with WB-06.

Maybe Hefe’s only taste good during hot weather. Maybe tasting this one after being too sick to eat solid food for over a week had something to do with it. All my previous brews over the last decade always had a wonderful clove flavor. Maybe I can find it again and have Hefe’s become on of my favorites again.

Sorry to hear of you being down Flars… Sure seems after a sickness all things don’t taste right for a few days… I have some heffewiezen yeast to use… It’ll only be a second generation… But I want to wait for the weather to warm up… We are going to be down close to 0 tonight… I have to prove to myself that under pitching and a warm enviroment is the key… Sneezles61

Yeah, feel good soon, Flars.

So my Hefe is finally carbed and ready for consumption. I’d deem it pretty decent for my first ever attempt at one although I’d say it may taste a little thin, needs some more body to it. Flavors are all there that I was looking for, just not quite as much substance as I’d like. Next year I will do a more careful job on the mash steps, my errors there likely led to the perceived issue. It finished out at 1.012 which may be a bit on the low side, but having never used WLP300 before, I’m not sure.

:beers:
Rad

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The FG is spot on with where I end up in my eleven batches thus far @ 1.010-1.013. As you said, the low mash temps likely contributed to the thin body, although that can be a problem with hefeweizens in general . WLP300 should be fine, I use 3068, and now no longer repitch as above. That brings about a more vibrant flavor profile in and of itself, but the melanoidin malt helped my most recent hefe afa body. I’m always tinkering with it and I will go to 4% next round.
I bottle hefeweizens, I’ve not tried to keg one as I like the bottle conditioning effect, and the ability to swirl the yeast into suspension for the perfect pour.

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I used 3% in this recipe as per your recommendations and did not do a starter for the yeast to do a slight underpitch. Also kept it cooler based on several posts on here recommendations for hefeweizen yeast. Notes for next spring when I try it again. :innocent:

*edited to add a picture, at least it looks right in the proper glass :innocent:

:beers:
Rad

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Following/reviving this thread due to Rad’s mention of hefe in another thread… My first attempt at a hefe was this summer. Brewed for a buddy who loves franziskaner hefe. He said mine was a “very good wheat beer”. Not sure where to take it from there. Mine was 65% wheat 30% pils and 5% dark munich. I think I’ll remove the munich and try the 3% melanoidin next time.

Brewed a belgian wit last Sunday. First time for that style as well. Never been a big fan of wheat beers but the one this summer wasn’t bad at all.

Rad I assume from the picture you kegged yours? It looks pretty clear. My buddy likes the whole “swirl up your yeast for the pour” from bottled Franziskaner. Any of you guys able to replicate that kind of experience in kegging?

Yes, this one was kegged, ideally it would be bottled and bottle conditioned rather than force carbed. That way you can incorporate the yeast in the pour better, but I’m lazy. :joy: As it’s on the schedule this year, I may opt for that if I’m feeling energetic, and or have too many others in rotation. I do enjoy a nice hefe throughout the summer on hot days.

:beers:
Rad

I’m just thinking…if you chill to pitching temp and then let it sit overnight to allow the cold break and trub to settle out, then move to a fermenter and pitch. Then late fermentation maybe when kreusen falls, rack to a keg. Should still have some yeast in suspension and then you could just shake the keg a bit before dispensing…what do you think?

So according to this thread, that batch finished out at 1.012. I bet I could rack to a keg when it’s around 1.018ish and let it finish in the keg, then add priming sugar to naturally carbonate it in the keg and get a similar result, I may have to ponder this some more as I head towards spring. I’ve got a Nugget Nectar clone and Zombie Frost (yeah, I really wanted to try cryo hops) on deck to brew over Christmas Break, but then I think I’ll plan to brew this again after that. Working to nail the temps better, and maybe mash a bit higher to keep the FG up a bit for some additional body. :thinking:

:beers:
Rad

Every time I brew a Hefe I keg condition it with priming sugar. It’s quite simple and doesn’t take up kegerator space.

So, just let it finish, rack carefully and keg condition with priming sugar? Sounds reasonable.

I just add my priming sugar solution to the keg, purge with CO2, keg as usual, set the lid, and allow it to sit.