Whats A Good Wheat Beer To Try?

[h00ligan]

I haven't ever tried wheat beer before, but It seems to be popular for HB'ers.

Before I put a batch on, I might grab a six pack from the bottle-o and give it a try.

Any suggestions on some good local stuff?

 

[Adamt]

Good... local... commercial... wheat beer? Huh?

Get some Schofferhoffer or Weihenstephaner Hefeweizen for very good examples of german wheat beer. All wheat beers are as fresh as possible, so try and get them from a big bottlo that turns a lot over.

 

[Sammus]

The two recommended above a great examples, but I emphasize the freshness part, 9/10 of either of these beers that I've had are pretty ordinary. Wheat beer is something that must be had fresh. I was lucky enough to have a local bottlo order in some fresh weihenstephan dunkelweizen and I got a 4 pack of them. mmm awesome stuff...

Where are you from? Try a local brewpub, they often have a good example of the style...

 

[Trent]

Hooligan
There are HEAPS of wheat styles, - you have belgian witbier, german weizens (dunkel/hefe/berliner), American Wheat, Australian wheat, lambic (okay, maybe that is stretching it a bit as far as wheat beers go!). My suggestion would be grab yaself a 6 pack of Hoegaarden, which is the belgian wit style (slightly tart, with orange and coriander notes) and maybe grab some fresh German hefeweizen, or dunkelweizen (berliner you will only get off Les - or redOak). German wheat/weizen have a bready charatcter, with banana and clove notes, sometimes bubblegum EDIT - Also fairly sweet, due to very low bitterness) American wheat, you wont find in Oz unless you brew it yourself (and dont even THINK about entering it in the state comps at the moment - not a style they recognise), American wheats are fairly easy drinking, like all wheats, and have a dry finish, and a fiar bit of american hop character, and pick yerself up some redback for an Aussie wheat.
Wheats are best consumed in the first 4 weeks or so after bottling/kegging, unless you have a lambic, or a weizenbock, or a weizen eisbock. That actually reminds me, if you can find some Aventinus WeizenEisbock, THAt is a good beer that you can try an emulate :lol: Amazing beer, but you will do REALLY well if you can copy it.
Check out www.bjcp.org/study to check out the style guidelines, and read em, think about what you would like, fill in your location in your profile, and someone may be able to point you to a local bottleshop that has good examples of the wheat beers you are after.
Best of luck
Trent

 

[Hargie]

...Erdinger and Franziskaner....

 

[0M39A]

konig ludwig is a baverian hefeweizen that ive enjoyed that hasnt been mentioned yet.

moo brew hefeweizen is amazing if you can get it, but i doubt you would find it fresh outside of hobart.

 

[goatherder]

I tasted Snowy Mountains Brewery Hefeweizen yesterday. Pretty nice, it's a good chance of being fresh if you can track it down.

Alternatively, try the imports. They are all good, freshness dependant. Maisel's is a standout.

You'll be better off just making one. Don't worry, it will turn out awesome.

 

[Hubby]

Great suggestions above ... if you go for something "local", just don't be too quick to get some "Hargreaves Hill Hefeweizen" (ie from a place near Yarra Glen, Vic). I sampled one on the weekend and was definitely underwhelmed :icon_vomit: . In essence, it is very mild and watery with hardly any head, and the colour was similar to the colour of the Yarra River on a good day :blink: . It might toot someone's flute, but it's not what I expected from a bottle labelled hefeweizen.

 

[tangent]

but i doubt you would find it fresh outside of hobart.

Wheatie in Adelaide had about 10 kegs of it, very fresh
Now they have the dark ale on tap. Still bloody nice but not a hefeweizen.

 

[pint of lager]

Mudgee brewery do a wheat.

There was a keg of it at the presentation night for the Bathurst Homebrew show a week ago. It was the first keg to empty and went in about 1/2 an hour.

Mudgee brewery also bottle their brews including the wheat. Have also tried their bottle stocks and it is a very nice example of a wheat.

 

[Screwtop]

All great comments above h00ligan,

Maybe for a wheat newb Schofferhoffer is easy to find and drink. Try a German Weizen dry with clove arome and flavour, a Bavarian with Banana and Bubblegum, try them both in Krystal (clear) and mit hefe (with yeast or cloudy). Also a Belgian Wit (white or pale) a clean tart beer with citrus flavour/aroma from peel and corriander seed. Try some of these before deciding what you like and what to make as the yeast, ingredients and process is different in each case. After trying some of the great examples available I'm sure you'll agree, thank god for summer and gallons of wheat beer served in big glasses with a big white head. What's the temp, sun is out, might pour one and go and sit by the pool right now.

 

[tangent]

something struck me as odd the other day

here's a pic of 2 schfferhofer bottles

the left one is a new one. thicker better bottles, the right one is their old thin crappy bottle.

now the "latest" batch of them in the shops are all dated fresh, but are in the old style bottles, and the one I had most recently certainly didn't taste fresh. it tasted like a leftover from last year, none of the estery pizzaz :angry:

 

[Hutch]

Great suggestions above ... if you go for something "local", just don't be too quick to get some "Hargreaves Hill Hefeweizen" (ie from a place near Yarra Glen, Vic). I sampled one on the weekend and was definitely underwhelmed :icon_vomit: . In essence, it is very mild and watery with hardly any head, and the colour was similar to the colour of the Yarra River on a good day :blink: . It might toot someone's flute, but it's not what I expected from a bottle labelled hefeweizen.

I'm with you Hubby (in fact I've not been impressed with ANY brews from Hargreaves Hill). Their Hefeweizen was thin and overly tart, with very little clove or banana to give it some character.
As far as other Vic micros, I've really enjoyed the Red Hill Wheat beer.

 

[Deja_vu]

I read that traditionally,when serving these wheat beers, often they're rolled to mix up the yeast. Do you guys 'roll' your homebrew bottles atleast for weizens/wits?

 

[Muggus]

something struck me as odd the other day

here's a pic of 2 schfferhofer bottles
View attachment 15053
the left one is a new one. thicker better bottles, the right one is their old thin crappy bottle.

now the "latest" batch of them in the shops are all dated fresh, but are in the old style bottles, and the one I had most recently certainly didn't taste fresh. it tasted like a leftover from last year, none of the estery pizzaz :angry:

Woah I haven't noticed that! I buy the odd case of Schofferhoffer and have alot of the smaller thinner bottles in circulation for homebrews, but they all seem the same to me. Maybe I haven't purchased a new batch yet. It did however go up in price last I bought a case from $70 to $80.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

something struck me as odd the other day

here's a pic of 2 schfferhofer bottles
View attachment 15053
the left one is a new one. thicker better bottles, the right one is their old thin crappy bottle.

now the "latest" batch of them in the shops are all dated fresh, but are in the old style bottles, and the one I had most recently certainly didn't taste fresh. it tasted like a leftover from last year, none of the estery pizzaz :angry:

I would buy them just for the bottles on the left...Look like the Hansa Pils 600ml bottles

 

[Screwtop]

I read that traditionally,when serving these wheat beers, often they're rolled to mix up the yeast. Do you guys 'roll' your homebrew bottles atleast for weizens/wits?

Like most things - It Depends!

For a German Weizen AG made using the correct mash schedule and yeast the yeast will stay in suspension a long time. Have one here that has been in the keg about 4 weeks and is still pouring cloudy. Some brewers like crystal wheats and will use fining/filtering to get that result. Some wheat yeasts floc out and settle on the bottom, so, if bottling and if you like to serve wheaties cloudy then roll. Otherwise pour steadily for a crystal.

 

[geoffi]

I read that traditionally,when serving these wheat beers, often they're rolled to mix up the yeast. Do you guys 'roll' your homebrew bottles atleast for weizens/wits?

The way I've seen is to pour about 4/5 into the glass, then give the last bit a swish from side to side then add it, topping up the big foamy head and allowing the yeast to float down through the glass. Makes a good show.

 

[Zwickel]

The way I've seen is to pour about 4/5 into the glass, then give the last bit a swish from side to side then add it, topping up the big foamy head and allowing the yeast to float down through the glass. Makes a good show.

yeah, thats the way wheat beer lovers are pouring the Hefeweizen

hefeweizen hmmm...yum...

 

[Jye]

The way I've seen is to pour about 4/5 into the glass, then give the last bit a swish from side to side then add it, topping up the big foamy head and allowing the yeast to float down through the glass. Makes a good show.

If you want a good show try pouring like .