Exemplary! Hits every mark for the style, and it’s darn tasty too. 4/5 stars.
It’s Throwback Thursday! Here’s a beer from my Untappd archives.
When does a mistake become a happy accident? When is creative license actually just doing it wrong? When does a defect for one style of beer become a standard characteristic of another? I’m referring to the hefeweizen and it’s characteristic phenols, of course. Let’s break down the sensory experience today, and go into the science in another post.
The German-style hefeweizen is immediately recognizable through many senses. It is cloudy, something atypical for many German styles, due to the suspended yeast. There is a lot of wheat in the beer (50 percent or more of the malt bill), so it should also have a head dense enough to stand on and fluffy enough to sleep on. Please, don’t actually try to do either; just drink the beer! In fact, hefe should be served in a glass that has space for a taller than typical head, and poured hard enough to help the head stack high. I’ve heard recommendations that you should take a bottle (or can) and just upend it straight into the bottom of a hefeweizen glass, although in personal experience I can’t quite fit the beer plus head in one pour. The glasses are extra-tall and have a curvy vase-like shape that flares out from the base and then back in just before the lip (see the photo for an example). The shape creates space for the desired foamy head, encourages the carbonation to continue supporting that head, and captures the volatilized aroma compounds right where you’re going to stick your nose in.
Speaking of noses, let’s move on to the distinctive aroma and flavor. Hefeweizens smell and taste like banana and cloves. There are no bananas or cloves in the beer (just barley, wheat, hops, yeast, and water!), yet it is instantly recognizable. The esters from the yeast give it that flavor, which is almost always considered a defect in any other style of beer. Hefes can lean heavily on the banana, or slide more onto the bubblegum side of the spectrum. Clove flavors can also meld with black pepper. It creates a truly special experience by allowing the yeast to drive so much of the flavor and aroma when beers so often rely on the malt and hops to excite those senses. Some of my favorite examples taste like spicy banana bread, full and bready yet not overly sweet or cloying. It’s a summertime beer, meant to be playful and refreshing.
The feel of a hefeweizen is also distinguishing. The beer will have higher than normal amounts of carbonation, which has a dual purpose of supporting that giant head and enhancing the lightness of what could otherwise be a stogy drink. It races across the tongue and pushes the volatile yeast esters straight into your olfactory bulb. Beyond that is the smooth and full viscosity. It fills your mouth, again giving the impression of banana bread or something similar. With all of the wheat in there, it becomes slippery as it slides down your throat, but not to the point it’s coating your tongue. There’s too much carbonation and the beer is too highly attenuated for that. In fact, instead of hanging around in your mouth, great hefes dissipate quickly and leave you wanting another swallow.
If you’re looking for an approachable style for a new beer drinker, or something fun and splashy for a warm day, put your pale ales and hazies aside. This yeasty boy will be sure to delight your palate!
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A Beer a Day 