# Hoppy Hefe?



## Droopy Brew (19/5/15)

I have just had a thought the other day for a beer I dont think is covered under any BPJC criteria (correct me if wrong).

Im thinking that a Hefe with plenty of body and banana esters might be quite nice with some American c hops rather than the traditional German hops. If balanced correctly the grapefruit, passion fruit and citrus flavours of some of these hops might blend nicely with the banana.
Obviously it would be a balancing act so the hops dont overpower the banana esters and I imagine an IBU of not much more than 20 would be the target.

So has anybody tried something along these lines? How did it turn out? Is anybody aware if this sort of brew is actually a listed style?


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## Liam_snorkel (19/5/15)

Mad Brewers did one a while back and it was AWESOME. there might be some clone attempt recipes floating around

Found the thread, happy reading!
http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/62533-mad-brewers-hoppy-hefe/page-7#entry914036


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## JDW81 (19/5/15)

Droopy Brew said:


> I have just had a thought the other day for a beer I dont think is covered under any BPJC criteria (correct me if wrong).
> 
> Im thinking that a Hefe with plenty of body and banana esters might be quite nice with some American c hops rather than the traditional German hops. If balanced correctly the grapefruit, passion fruit and citrus flavours of some of these hops might blend nicely with the banana.
> Obviously it would be a balancing act so the hops dont overpower the banana esters and I imagine an IBU of not much more than 20 would be the target.
> ...


Try this one from Jamil and BYO


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## Droopy Brew (20/5/15)

Thanks for those links. They have given some ideas but i think I might have an experiment and try something closer to a traditional wheat with 3068 or similar to get the banana and clove esters/phenols shining through and with enough fruity hops to compliment those flavours. It seems the 2 beers above are more APA/IPAs made with wheat. But it does appear as though it wont fit into a BJCP category.


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## manticle (20/5/15)

Might not be bjcp but hopfenweizen is a popular enough style.


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## Dan2 (20/5/15)

Mountain Goat did a Hopfenweizen.
Can't say it hit the mark for me, but with a little experimenting it could work.
Years ago I remember making a K&K (+dry hop) brew from the Coopers website called fruit salad. Not a weizen, but with coopers yeast you can get banana. That one was pretty nice


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## yankinoz (20/5/15)

From my instincts and the few hopfenweizewn I've had, I'd say your instincts about banana and citrusy hops is probably right, certainly worth a try, but I'd try to pick a yeast strain and mash schedule that would keep the cloves down. Grapefruit and cloves? Nor for me. If you agree, skip the ferulic rest. Just a guess. Adding glucose to the wort boosts banana if the yeast strain you use does not generate a lot.

One complaint I've seen about hefes is that banana and bubble gum fade fast on storage. That happened on my recent and first try at a hefe, and by taking out balancing flavours it made the clove a bit overpowering past a month from bottling. The IBUs were about 12. Maybe using more hops would slow the process down. If I do another hefe -- it's a style I did on request -- I'll try that.


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## goatus (20/5/15)

BJCP - 6D. American Wheat or Rye Beer

Can be hoppy, but they discourage the banana yeast flavours.

Im currently brewing one of these with the the new enigma hops and WLP320 American Hefeweizen Ale Yeast.


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## Droopy Brew (20/5/15)

Some good food for thought. It had occurred to me that the yeast esters do fade rather quickly with age- luckily for me a keg is unlikely to see the back side of 2 weeks after kegging :drinks:
The 3068 can produce huge banana just on ferment temp alone. I just kegged a hefe with 3068 fermented at 17C to get a balance and I think it is about right, a lot of banana on the nose but the clove comes through on the back of the palet. So fermenting at say 20C should provide a lot of banana punch to cut through some of the hops while minimising the clove phenols.

Dan, I have done a Coopers culture and tried to get the banana down by fermenting at 16C in order to get more pear. NUp still got loads of banana- and was a great beer too. IT ended up getting 2nd in the Coopers clone comp the club was running and by then (6 weeks later)the banana had mellowed so it was just detectable.


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## Dave70 (21/5/15)

This was 50 / 50 pils and wheat, Amarillo and 3638.
The hops stomped all over the wheaty flavors although they were still noticeable. Less hops and cooler ferment would have changed everything of course. 
Still delicious, fruity and refreshing. 

*Camera was somehow set to vivid. It didn't actually glow*.


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## Samuel Adams (21/5/15)

Have you tried Schneider Weisse Hopfenweisse ?
Beautiful blend of Bavarian yeast & cascade hops. 




Dave70 said:


> This was 50 / 50 pils and wheat, Amarillo and 3638.
> The hops stomped all over the wheaty flavors although they were still noticeable. Less hops and cooler ferment would have changed everything of course.
> Still delicious, fruity and refreshing.
> 
> *Camera was somehow set to vivid. It didn't actually glow*.


48% pils 48% wheat 4% enriched uranium !


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## Dave70 (21/5/15)

Samuel Adams said:


> Have you tried Schneider Weisse Hopfenweisse ?
> Beautiful blend of Bavarian yeast & cascade hops.
> 
> 
> 48% pils 48% wheat 4% enriched uranium !


No, but I'll be changing that soon as possible. 8.2% in an easy drinking wheat. Sounds like another siren song calling..


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## panzerd18 (21/5/15)

I can't handle too much clove phenols.


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## Droopy Brew (21/5/15)

No will have to track down the Schnieder. I have just kegged a schnieder clone (Thanks Les) and it is a top notch Wiezen and also the reason I came to thinking of this mix of fruity hops and fruity yeast.
I will see if I can get a bottle to give me a baseline.


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## Samuel Adams (21/5/15)

I love the Schneider range but distribution is limited. Only place I have got it is at the Brisbane German Club.
If you're ever there make sure you try the Aventinus too !!


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## Topher (21/5/15)

I dry hopped into the wrong keg and got a hefe with summer hops. Quite nice, summer is quite subtle and melony. Good fit.


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## time01 (17/6/15)

Any further luck with this droopy brew?


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## tarmael (31/8/16)

I tried my hand at a clone of the MB Hoppy Hefe a few years back, it was close to on point.

I didn't quite care for the 7.3% that the original had (IIRC) - 

Basically you're after:
45% base malt
45% wheat malt
10% caramel wheat (whatever non-base wheat you have, red wheat, carawheat it's all good)

Then hop with Citra and Motueka, dry hop with loads of the two.

Ferment as you would with Wyeast 3068


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## Matplat (12/9/16)

This sounds like a ******* brilliant idea.... added to the list.... roll on the summer beers!


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## shacked (12/9/16)

I did one last year, it was 50/50 pale and wheat with a little (2%) caramunich 1 to about 1.050.

I did magnum for bittering and then loaded up cascade and amarillo at 5, whirlpool and cube. Dry hopped with more cascade and amarillo.

Turned out pretty good, I used WLP320 (American Wheat) on the cool side (17C) and it was lighter on the clove, banana and other hefe yeast type characteristics.


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## Droopy Brew (12/9/16)

Yeah Shacked I think you made an American Wheat beer which should have no esters or phenols. I may be wrong but I dont think 320 has the same traits as a proper German weizen yeast.

Time01, no mate I just cant bring myself to drop hops into a perfectly good hefe yet- they are so good I would hate to ruin it.

As an experiment I might crack open a bottle and drop a few pellets in it just to see how the flavours might work.


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