For the last 4 years, I don't think there has been any more widely requested beer for us to brew than a Hefeweizen. I have always been reluctant to do so since our equipment doesn't allow for raising the mash temperature. Being able to do a stepped infusion mash would allow us to conduct an acid rest which would create ferulic acid for the yeast to convert into 4-vinylguaiacol. 4VG is the compound that gives great hefeweizens their clove-like flavor. Many American brewers try to brew hefeweizens with a single infusion mash and they end up with banana bombs.
I think a large part of the problem is that there is a belief among American brewers that the Germans are only using Pilsen and Wheat malts in their hefeweizens. That was what I had always been toldm(and what is stated in the BJCP guidelines... If you pay attention to a guideline where everything is made up and points don't really matter). While historically it is true that German hefeweizen brewers typically did use only Wheat and Pilsner malt, they also typically did decoction mashes. A decoction is where you pull a portion of the mash, boil it, and add it back to the main mash to raise the temperature. A decoction results in a darker wort and sweet melanoiden flavors.
Most of the brewers in Germany now are still using multiple rest temperatures, but they do so with stepped infusions. A stepped infusion is very different because the mash is never boiled and the wort is not darkened. Instead, jackets around the mash tun are filled with steam to bring the temperature up. To my surprise, I learned that many Bavarian brewers had begun using darker colored malts and crystal malts in their hefeweizens. When discussing hefeweizen recipes with one of my professors at Doemens, they even suggested a recipe that was about 10% crystal malts. The color of that beer was a golden color reminiscent of Schneider's hefe and even though it was such a large percentage of crystal malt, it did not taste overly sweet the way I had expected. Surprisingly, the beer also had a great balance of clove to banana flavors.
As it turns out, some of the malts being made for hefeweizens today can achieve some natural phenolic flavors without the use of an acid rest. Weyermann CaraWheat even says in the description "It is almost 100% caramelized, and contributes some phenolic wheat flavors along with mild notes of caramel, almond, and biscuit." It is not surprising then that using this malt would contribute to a more traditional hefeweizen flavor and color than what we typically see from American brewers that are copying old German grain bills and not decocting their mashes. It is also not surprising that German brewers determined that decoctions were a waste of time if they could get the same flavors from an infusion mash.
The other important piece of hefeweizen brewing is the yeast. Hefeweizen yeast is a true top cropping yeast strain. It will alter its fermentation flavor profile rapidly if brewers crop yeast from the bottom of the fermenter. The vast majority of American breweries have closed cylindroconical fermenters, meaning the only real way to crop yeast is from the bottom. In Germany, wheat beer brewers use open top fermenters and they skim the yeast off the top. Many American brewers will attempt to bottom crop the yeast and they end up with flavorless hefeweizens with an excess amount of sulfur. We will not be reusing our yeast as a result. We did one yeast starter large enough for all of our batches.
The yeast strain we chose has the classic banana and clove flavors, but in addition, it produces plum, pear, and red apple esters. I have never been a fan of banana bombs and I would much rather have a well balanced hefeweizen more complex fruity flavors and high drinkability.
This is going to be a fun beer to release and it will be our first beer in cans. Be on the lookout for the cans in mid-April!
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