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Have-a-weizen Tonight!

Posted on Jan 6, 2011 by Kathleen  |  

The beer style Hefeweizen gets its name from the German words “hefe,” meaning yeast, and “weizen,” meaning wheat; it is pronounced “heff-eh-vice-en.” It is a top-fermented and unfiltered wheat beer, usually with a cloudy appearance. Hefeweizens can be sweet and have a fruity flavor like banana, vanilla or even bubble gum, due to the chemicals produced by the yeast called “esters.”

Hefeweizens became popular in Germany after 1850, when the Reinheitsgebot (German beer purity law) was altered to allow yeast in beer recipes. Prior to this time only water, barley and hops were used in brewing.

Hefeweizen beer styles are my personal favorite. Pyramid Haywire, Magic Hat Circus Boy, Gordon Biersch Hefeweizen and Widmer Hefeweizen are all world-class examples of this timeless style. Southern Tier’s Heavy Weizen is the Imperial form of a hefe, with 7.3% ABV, and goes well with a lemon wedge.

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Tagged: leon farmer and company, athens ga craft beer, magic hat circus boy beer, craft beer blog, wholesale beer blog, gordon biersch hefeweizen, pyramid haywire, widmer hefeweizen, hefeweizen beer style, reinheitsgebot, southern tier heavy weizen