It’s the wheat that makes the treat
By Mark Tichenor and Bruce Lish

One of the indicators of how fast the craft beer movement is growing is that most of you readers know what Hefeweizen is. That might not have been the case as recently as a couple of years ago.

Of course, a couple of years ago, the overwhelming majority of this opaque, tangy wheat beer was imported from Germany, with only a few American indie brewers making more than a halfhearted stab at the style. That has now changed. Apparently, Americans get on well with a beer that Munich residents will tell you is intended for breakfast. They drink it in companionship with the local Weisswurst (white sausage), traditionally before 11am.

Indeed, since the beer is cloudy with yeast when served, one could make the argument that it is more nutritious than other beers, and thus the superior choice to jump-start your day. Lord knows we’ve made that rationalization on certain weekend mornings. But Hefeweizen, with its light, crisp body and bright flavor, is a fitting and elegant summer refresher.

Hefeweizen tastes like no other beer style. In addition to the wheat lending a spritzy brightness to the texture, there should be noticeable banana and clove aromas and flavors, it should also be a rich, deep goldish-orange in color, not pale or watery in appearance with a fluffy, foamy head.

The process of nailing that visual and taste profile is one of the reasons many US brewers have avoided the style, or only dabbled in it.  Wheat is more difficult to work with than barley. And to get the proper color brewers must use a decoction mash, separating a portion of the liquid and bringing it up to a higher temperature before adding it back into the main kettle. This is a time-consuming pain in the butt.  To get the flavors right, careful attention must be paid to the fermentation temperatures. This is also a step not all brewers are willing to take.

Fortunately, many indie brewers relish a challenge, and American Hefes are becoming common now. California’s Pyramid Brewing Company relies on the style as the backbone of its business. Closer to home, the Rooster Fish Brewing Company of Watkins Glen makes possibly our favorite domestic example of the style.

While you might find a few of the well-established brands, such as Paulaner and Erdinger, on draft, it’s more common to find Hefeweizen in bottles. This is because it’s typically served with the yeast in suspension, a feat difficult to accomplish when the beer is being pumped from kegs in the basement. This might be a bummer for drinkers fixated on ordering draft beer, but it’s the typical serving method even in Germany. If it’s any consolation, the bottles are considerably larger than your average beer bottle; they have to hold a full half-liter.

Oh, and as silly as it sounds, we also have to talk about the garnish. Somehow people got it into their heads that it’s traditional to serve Hefeweizen with a slice of lemon on the rim of the glass.  This really isn’t done in Germany. Personally, we don’t care one way or the other, but do this in front of a German and you might as well keep your ears peeled for the inevitable snort of derision. To purists, the lemon obscures and clashes with the flavor of the beer.  We’d suggest that citrus fruit is more complimentary toward Hefeweizen’s domestic cousin: American wheat ale.

Hefeweizen is only one type in the broader category of Weissbier, or ‘white beer’ (German being a funny language, it also translates to ‘wheat beer’). There’s also Dunkelweizen (dark wheat), Kristllweizen (clear wheat,) and Weizenbock (bock wheat). Those variants are rarer in pubs, but usually available for purchase at specialty beer stores.

In Other Beers
The Rohrbach Brewing Company’s Buffalo Road location is brewing again. Formerly the site of all the company’s brewing, the place has been a regular ol’ restaurant since the transplant of its beermaking equipment to the new Railroad Street facility.

Rohrbach has assembled the brewing system last used at its fondly remembered Gregory Street location and brewed its first beer two weeks ago. The reincarnated Buffalo Road brewhouse will supply beer for the brewpub as well as produce a range of specialty and seasonal beers.

Bruce is a certified beer judge and commercial brewer. Mark owns a laptop and likes beer. For more on beer, check out the beercraft blog, updated regularly, at http:://www.beercraftsite.com. Send your questions, suggestions, or comments to beercraft@rochester.rr.com.