Spring Break
A couple of 'weiss' guys
Tom Goodwin
Issue date: 3/23/09 Section: Focus
Imagine you're hot, sweating, thirsty and German. What do you drink to cleanse this killer urge to have your throat soothed and body cooled? If you said Saison (Belgian farmhouse ale), you're on the right track. The answer, of course (as some of you probably figured out from my ridiculous pun for a title), is hefeweisse! In German, this word literally means yeast-wheat, because the yeast plays such a critical part of this beer.
If you had to brew American beers for the rest of your life, you could get by with one yeast strain. Many breweries do this (Rogue for instance) because they have a house strain or a neutral variety of yeast. But for a hefeweissen, if you don't have the right yeast you are only making a beer with wheat in it.
Hefes are made of German pilsner malt and malted wheat, usually in equal measure. Wheat, malted or un-malted, contains very high percentages of protein. This protein will make the beer cloudy and create an amazing head. You've probably seen a weisse glass before; they are very tall and lead to a rounded top.
They are made this way to accommodate the ridiculous amount of foam, made even bigger due to the high carbonation.
You've also probably seen this glass with a slice of lemon or orange wedged into the rim. Please don't do this; not only is it inappropriate for the style, it kills the head, and no one likes bad head! The fruit slices are largely due to American marketing (- cough - Blue Moon - cough -) trying to make their beers look super rad!
To someone who has never tried it before, Hefeweisse is a bit strange tasting for a beer. Often loaded with tons of clove and banana-like aromas and flavors, this beer can be off-putting to people who aren't prepared for it. The key to a great hefeweisse is balance between these two tastes. They also have great wheat malt tastes (think bread) and a subtle hop aroma.
Medium bodied, low bitterness and moderate alcohol (4 to 5 percent by volume) are all characteristics. Tart, citrus flavors are possible from the yeast. The best way to describe it is lemon without the acidity. As I mentioned before, the yeast is critical! That's where all these wonderful flavors come from.
If you had to brew American beers for the rest of your life, you could get by with one yeast strain. Many breweries do this (Rogue for instance) because they have a house strain or a neutral variety of yeast. But for a hefeweissen, if you don't have the right yeast you are only making a beer with wheat in it.
Hefes are made of German pilsner malt and malted wheat, usually in equal measure. Wheat, malted or un-malted, contains very high percentages of protein. This protein will make the beer cloudy and create an amazing head. You've probably seen a weisse glass before; they are very tall and lead to a rounded top.
They are made this way to accommodate the ridiculous amount of foam, made even bigger due to the high carbonation.
You've also probably seen this glass with a slice of lemon or orange wedged into the rim. Please don't do this; not only is it inappropriate for the style, it kills the head, and no one likes bad head! The fruit slices are largely due to American marketing (- cough - Blue Moon - cough -) trying to make their beers look super rad!
To someone who has never tried it before, Hefeweisse is a bit strange tasting for a beer. Often loaded with tons of clove and banana-like aromas and flavors, this beer can be off-putting to people who aren't prepared for it. The key to a great hefeweisse is balance between these two tastes. They also have great wheat malt tastes (think bread) and a subtle hop aroma.
Medium bodied, low bitterness and moderate alcohol (4 to 5 percent by volume) are all characteristics. Tart, citrus flavors are possible from the yeast. The best way to describe it is lemon without the acidity. As I mentioned before, the yeast is critical! That's where all these wonderful flavors come from.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 3
Saleh
posted 3/23/09 @ 4:22 PM EST
That's what I'm talking about! Glorification of alcohol and ignorance of its dangers. It's unbelievable that people can be so oblivious of the disasters that happen on a daily basis because of alcohol! People who write articles like this, don't think for a second that they are contributing to the destruction of people's lives, including their own. (Continued…)
jeff
posted 3/23/09 @ 5:59 PM EST
Of course, ignore the neo-prohibiton post that is above me. I won't even bother trying to make my pro-beer argument.
My question here is whether Hefe's are actually better from kegs than bottles like you said in the article. (Continued…)
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