How to Brew a Bavarian-style German Hefeweizen | Grain to Glass | Classic Styles

[@alanpotter8680]

I love what you're doing, me and my family have been brewing beer for over 20 years (me only for about 12) and our favorite beer is the bavarian-style hefeweizen. I've seen a lot of people making a wheat beer or offering their recipe here on the web, but not once I saw a real bavarian-style recipe. And here's why I have a tiny problem with this. The Bavarian hefeweizen is done with at least 65% wheat malt, preferably 70-75 and the rest is just pilsner malt (for the non dunkelweiss version). Many people who do 50/50 complain about the beer not having the body and the texture a good storebought hefe has (weihenstephan, franziskaner etc), and this is the first reason why. Not enough wheat. Second, is that Americans are obbsessed with fermenting everything low. A hefeweizen is not a hefeweizen if there's no banana at all and there's very little to no banana below 19C (66F). If you ferment at 16 C (62F), provided that you maintain that temperature inside your fermentor, you're going closer to a belgian wit (for its lack of any yeast properties), since what makes a bavaraian hefe - hefe, isn't going to be there.Thankfully, your yeast kicked off well and raised it to 19-20C, and this is why it would turn out great. I've brewed hefe so many times in my short life, it's crazy. I've used all sorts of yeast/yeast combinations and temperature schedules, only to realize that hefeweizen fermentation is supposed to get warm. I maintain 19-20C throughout most of the primary fermentation and after that I let the temperature rise on its own until it fully attenuates. I don't care if it reaches 30C, no harm can be done after most of the fermentation has completed. In fact, warming up intentionally is done to help the yeast clear up after itself, giving fuller body, better head retention.. everything. I get perfect balance of banana and clove, I get the vanilla, the silkiness and most importantly - the aftertaste that is nothing but a reminder of what it smelled like during the final stage of the fermentation - the sulfur. Hefeweizens are supposed to be fermented fast and be ready to drink fast. All in all, it takes about a week (or less) from brewday, if all done properly, for a good hefe to be ready for drinking. I am generous, I give it 10-14 days. Since wheat beers are very low on bittering or any hops, are light, and often not very strong, tend to spoil easily if left to ferment for too long. I would never recommend a 2-week fermentation for a wheat beer, because it doesn't have to ferment at such low temperatures (White Labs actually recommends 20-22 C / 68°F - 72°F, which is just about right). Wheat beer is probably 60-70% done conditioning in the first 2-3 days after bottling. After that I refrigerate everything. It's ready to drink but the optimal taste is achieved after about 10 more days in the refrigerator. The beer starts to lose its characteristics rapidly after 30 days. They are meant to be consumed fresh. Also, bavarian hefeweizen is open-fermented in wide and shallow fermentors. I use a similar setup. The smell is...not good. If hefeweizen is fermented at the right temperature, it has no "green beer" taste after 3 days in the bottle. We use the same glasses for our wheat beer! They sell them for like 5 euro. Great video.

[@rollss123]

Thats a great comment. I love hefeweizen. What yeast are you using?

[@rgibnz320]

What about an ERDINGER? It has no banana flavor at all.

[@moosestache1769]

Gotta say, I like the older videos. Probably because it's much more low tech, that sort of thing. Don't get me wrong, I love the new videos too. But I still consider myself a low budget brewer (a clawhammer is way, way out of my league), so seeing it done this way is encouraging.

[@crashtke]

Been binging some of your channel. Great content for someone just learning home brewing.

[@MusicAsblood]

Super underrated channel! Awesome stuff man...keep it up!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Hey, thank you so much! Your comment made my day, and I'm glad you're enjoying my content. Cheers!

[@shadschneider1348]

Great video. I learned some really useful stuff here. Thanks for sharing!

[@mrlaney62]

I have loved Hefeweizens (and Kristallweizens) since I first got stationed in Germany over 40 years ago. I home brewed all kinds of varieties pretty often for about 10 years but haven’t made a batch in about 4 years. Now I’ve got the itch to get back at it and ordered the supplies for a Hefeweizen and a pale ale today. I also do brew-in-a-bag method and was glad to see someone else doing it. Subscribed and looking forward to more adventures!

[@denny0104]

Just found this channel! I love the details you go into brewing!

[@brendansherlock6442]

Really enjoyed the video

[@ShaunPanzer]

Oh that looked good ! My favorite beer of all beers is Franziskaner . I haven’t brewed in years but your video made me want to do it again !

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Franziskaner is awesome! I hope you get back into brewing!

[@Bareego]

Franziskaner is indeed great. My personal favorites are Erdinger and Maisel's.

[@ryant.5173]

Just found this. Good job. I was just enjoying a hefeweizen and thought to check to see how it is made. I spent 5 years in Germany and hefeweizen was my go to beer! 🍻 Prost and thanks for the video.

[@Bareego]

If you brew from a kit hefeweizen is really easy. The hefeweizen yeast can tolerate quite a big temperature range. A bit more on the tricky side for grain brewers, as wheat malt tends to get sticky easily.

[@thomasfrank1227]

Great video. Thanks for the information. I’ll be brewing one soon. Tom from New Jersey.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Glad I could help!

[@RayBendzinski]

Make sure to swivel that bottle when pouring the rest of your bottles to get all the flavor into your glass. The sediment on the bottom of the bottle are part of the flavor characteristics of wheat beers.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Always a good practice!

[@lbroolz]

My favorite part.

[@torekjelbergnes6125]

Great Video, and by the sound of it, great beer :) Have a milkStout fermenting at the moment, but a German Hefeweizen is on my to do list.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Thanks! Definitely was a lot of fun. A milk stout is something on my to do list!

[@EclipseBrewing]

Great video sounds and looks great and good ABV ! Will make it hard to save a couple bottles ....cheers mate !

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Thanks! Oh yeah its rapidly disappearing haha

[@kevgotti5385]

Curious how you measured IBU? Thanks for the video! Getting back into Homebrew and after absolutely botching a Dunkles Weizen I’m giving regular Hefeweizen a shot!

[@poweredbynick3994]

Hey, quick question, did you do any water chemistry?

[@erikolson3452]

I have a 5 gallon batch of Hefe that is about ready to carbonate. I did open fermentation the first 3 days. Great banana smell and a lot closer taste to a true Munich Hefe so far. I was wondering what yeast and form of sugar you used to bottle? Lager yeast? Speise? I havent bottled in over 5 years, I have been force carbonating in the keg. Might do half in the keg force carbonated and the rest bottle carbonate. Any tips on how you did yours? Thanks, great vids.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Sounds awesome! I did an open fermented hefeweizen more recently that was awesome, I'm not looking back. I just used the yeast that was in suspension with priming sugar. I think bottle conditioning gives better flavor vs kegging but I just can't get over the convenience of kegging

[@moosestache1769]

@@TheApartmentBrewer The open fermentation video you did (I think it was you, anyway) encouraged me to have my fermenter cracked open for the first 2 days before sealing it. Sooooo much simpler/easier, no mess from the blowoff tube.

[@vice4784]

Cuanto tiempo de fermentación, y cuanto tiempo de maduración y aque temperatura 🌡 cuanta azúcar usaste

[@lbroolz]

Hefeweizen is my favorite, probably due to "growing up" on KC Blvd 'Unfiltered Wheat' for years, not really knowing what I was drinking, other than a very delicious, (getting stronger by the day) full flavored beer. In the older days, they encouraged the swirling of the yeast and sediment on the bottom as the flavor was UNREAL! Now, due to having actual ABV levels on the bottle, the "old" way is now no longer in effect. Bottom line, it's now (from anywhere approx 5.0 to 7+) it's now at a standard 4.4% which is 1 point lower than any other beer if theirs, example, "Pale Ale" (which is also delicious but pretty hoppy of course). In the last 6mo, I've found it more difficult to find a Bavarian malt (cbw/ground) and have moved to 50# bags of malted Bavarian White and grind myself. Hops are getting harder to find, the more desirable types anyway. Sorachii Ace, etc, and some more desirable yeasts are even more difficult (although 'distillers yeast is easy enough to get). Bottom line, I try to avoid extracts by any means, but do have some on hand for back up. Looks like they may be utilized sooner than later if supply keeps happening. I can still find everything, it's just a little farther & more between at a higher cost, not to mention research at times. I'll never stop making hefeweizen, or dunkelweizen. Grain (wheat) will be the next issue. German, Bavarian, specialty, etc, and are starting to become costly. I LOVE hefeweizen. It's a calling. My first batches started off fantastic. (Yes there will always be a bad apple, it happens) but it's "my" type. Everyone has their type and that's part of what I LOVE about the 'hobby'. It's a lifestyle. Especially if you're good. God bless everyone, good luck, and happy hefeweizen!!!!!

[@apophispnw5717]

I use a sous vide for my partial mash recipes. I wonder how well it would work for an all grain.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I know a fair number of people use them successfully and they work ok in small batches, but I don't know how well it would do in larger volumes.

[@bumpy-isms]

Sounding like a lovely heffe Cheers Steve

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Thanks jesse! I had a lot of fun with this one. Cheers!

[@JF-bc2lw]

You look like an engineer lol. We make the best beer. You got my sub. Good work

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Thanks! Haha the analytical and process oriented mind kinda helps I suppose

[@chrisnewton9788]

You seem a bit less confident on this video than the others I've watched. I initially thought it's because it's a couple of years ago, them realised I'd watched some from a similar time ago, so now have come to the conclusion that you must have had a massive hangover on this one 😉. Love your channel, thinking of starting one myself soon, but don't think I'll be as good at explaining things as good as you. Also I love the beer tasting you do, aroma, mouth feel and taste, good work. Chris

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Hahaha yeah you nailed it. I still remember I was struggling HARD to get that brew started 🤣 I think you should absolutely go for it, put a few videos up and see how you like it! Thats how I started, and it was well worth it!

[@ReishiSamurai]

Good channel and great recepie. I will brew this recepie except I will use M20 Mangrowe yeast. Just one question. You didn't use ferulic acid for 4VG and you get the cloves ? Interesting. This must be yeast producing cloves witout ferulic acid rest. I allways mash for 10-15 min in 30-40 C and I get more cloves. Overall good recepie and great channel. Cheers.

[@jimearley9988]

Good afternoon, Steve. Just watched both of your Hefeweizen videos and this is the next beer I going to brew. Going to try without the decoction mash, and if I get adventurous I'll try the harder of the two later. Was this specific beer well balanced between clove and banana, or closer to one or the other? I'm looking for the perfect balance between the two. I was also wondering if your thought about entering your beers into competitions? They ALL look fantastic. I love this style of beer and can't wait to see how mine turns out. Cheers, AND KEEP UP THE PHENOMENAL WORK!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Thank you so much!! I remember this one as being pretty balanced overall, just depends on the fermentation temp. I've definitely wanted to do competitions, but not being a member of any homebrew club here I'm not quite sure how to get my beer to the competitions...and to remember when the deadlines are!

[@overcaffeinatedengineering]

Thanks for the video! Did you do anything special when bottling to get that cloudy wheat-beer look?

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Nope, that's just from the yeast in suspension

[@eoinmcmahon6799]

hey i'm gonna try this this weekend! I'm a complete beginner so i have a few questions. What is the process once the two week bulk fermentation has finished? did you add anything before bottling it to make sure it was well carbonated? also once bottled, is there any specific amount of time you need to wait before drinking?

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Yes, you will need to mix in a measured sugar solution (depends on your batch size and desired carbonation level) as you bottle it. Then the beer will naturally carbonate over the next few weeks

[@eoinmcmahon6799]

@@TheApartmentBrewer that was fast, cheers!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Cheers! Good luck!

[@chrismatney1397]

Wheat beer at the moment is my favorite though I haven’t tried all varieties. I’d love to try this would it be ok to try a wheat beer for a first try or should I try something else

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I 100% recommend doing a wheat beer for one of your first few batches. They're very easy and quite forgiving. Good luck!

[@backslide311]

Good video man...

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Thank you!

[@backslide311]

I'm planning a Hef for my next brew day (Saturday) I just pulled out some Wyeast 3333 from my yeast bank. Going to use Amarillo hops at 20min. An American/German fusion Hef 😊

[@backslide311]

Are you the same apartment brewing on Instagram?

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

@@backslide311 Awesome! That sounds interesting, have fun with it! Hope it goes well and keep us posted on how it turns out. As for the Instagram page, that's not me. I've been thinking about getting one going though, maybe in the future.

[@backslide311]

@@TheApartmentBrewer do it, get on IG!

[@renatosantosRDS]

Hi. Do you filter? CAN BE MADE Only with prior. Ingredientes? Nothing bud wheat. Tks for you time. Less banana on it

[@catasb1526]

How much time do you wait for it to be ready after bottling? After bottling do you keep it in a fridge or just room temp and for how long?

[@catasb1526]

Could you tell me aswell what is the total amount of water at the beginning so that at the end you have 5 gallons?

[@AnticipatedHedgehog]

Have you tried carbonating without priming sugar? I'd love to see a German style brew like this

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Since I don't have the equipment or storage for kegging, unfortunately I really don't have any other options than bottling and using priming sugar. Perhaps in the future though! Cheers!

[@mikec2083]

If I can only ferment at 68....am I going to get banana off flavors with this yeast?

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I wouldn't call banana an off flavor here, 68 is a fine fermentation temperature

[@mikec2083]

@@TheApartmentBrewer Thanks man, keep on brewing. Also didn't mean an off flavor of banana but more of a strong banana taste when fermenting higher...

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

From personal experience I think you'd have to push it into the 70s and/or underpitch for that to happen. Cheers!

[@mikec2083]

@@TheApartmentBrewer Thanks

[@TomA-ys7wx]

Hey man, I’m a newbie thinking of trying a Hefeweizen for my first batch. Would you recommend this for a first timer?

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

This is a great option for your first brew I think. Definitely a forgiving style of beer and itll be ready quickly!

[@ukvemsord]

Have you tried adding rice hulls? It helps with mashing.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

It would for a 3 vessel "classic" all grain brewer to prevent stuck mashes and plugged valves during transfers, but in my case with BIAB, I cant actually get a stuck mash since the mash is actually filtered/contained by the bag.

[@alexbennett5724]

Do u sparge the grain? How many gallons did u end up with? Ive had 3 hefewiezens fail now with no body or flavour the colour is way off aswell

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Typically I do sparge. This recipe ended up with 5 gallons. Try open fermenting them for the first few days and you may find a flavor boost! Cheers!

[@Joshua44t]

Hey that big bag you added in the beginning, was that just the 5lb of german wheat malt? Or was the 5 lb munich malt and 0.5 lb melanoiden malt also in there? I'm assuming single infusion means you put all 3 of those in there at once? Sorry im new to this lol.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

No worries, all of the grain was in the one addition in the beginning of the mash. And single infusion actually refers to the mash water. It means I hold one temperature the entire time and don't add any water. There are other mash styles, like decoction or step mashes, which require adding hotter water at points to change the temperature. I like to keep it simple when I can so I tend to not do those. Cheers!

[@jasonthornberry922]

Aww man, you skipped over the bottling part! How did you determine the carbonation level? "I did about 2.75 volumes of CO2 for carbonation" 17:30 Are you force carbonating and then bottling? All around nice video though, you earned my sub!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Back when I bottled I would use Beersmith's integrated bottling calculator. That would give you an accurate representation of volumes of CO2 with beer final gravity and type of sugar used for bottling.

[@rhysezfpv]

I used WB-06 fermented crazy , almost spilling out my carboy for 50hrs at 25 c* . All of a sudden slowed down to 1 bubble per 15 sec. Is this ok ? I got her down to 20c* after about 60 hrs . bubbles still about 15 per sec on airlock.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

25C is 77F so that's very hot fermentation. Could explain the activity. I think you just had a fast fermentation, nothing to worry about there, but your flavor may be very heavy on the banana. But as always, fermentation should be measured with hydrometer readings instead of airlock activity. Good luck!

[@rhysezfpv]

@@TheApartmentBrewer smells awesome coming out of the airlock. Shes steady at 20c* now on heat pad. First time pitching yeast too early because off double 5 gallon brew day rush. Yeast Activity freaked me out. Since Ive always pitched below 23c*. Banana flavour smell for sure!

[@oprebela]

Great video. Keep it coming. Maybe invest in a small fermenter fridge if you have space in the new apartment. Cheers.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I've been thinking about it, if I did do that it would make for some much it easier to control fermentations. Thanks for checking the video, cheers!

[@oprebela]

@@TheApartmentBrewer it was a gamechanger for me. It makes life so much easier. Cheers.

[@TaterTotskey]

New to homebrewing and I have a question! Did you use a priming sugar when you bottled?

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Glad you're getting into this awesome hobby! Yup, I always use priming sugar. I typically produce 48-54 bottles per batch so I'll boil about 3.5-4oz of table sugar and mix that in with my beer in the bottling bucket. Just be careful not to add too much sugar or you could risk exploding bottles

[@jradkins27]

Wandering how you calculated the ABV? I thought it was OG-FG x 131.25

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

That's correct

[@spAdermannn]

Can I make the whole process without a chiller? Just let it cool down on its own? Also, I didn't see adding any sugars. Am I missing something here?

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

You could realistically probably get away with cooling it down overnight if its covered, but it does prevent solids from dropping out quickly and leaves the wort at risk for infection if you dont quickly chill. I did this for some of my older brews and had acceptable results though. As far as sugars, there are none in the brew itself, but if you're talking about priming sugar during bottling, I dont film that. I typically use 4 oz of dissolved table sugar for 5 gals of beer

[@StoneyardVineyards]

Will put it on my list to brew .prost

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Cheers! Thanks for dropping in!

[@Chatsu8o]

Man, going back in time here is great. The brews you do these days with all the equipment and technicality... awesome but not that relatable for me. On the stove with a pot and a bag, and even bottling it. That feels like home. :) Probably going to try make this soon.

[@dannyarcher6163]

I once went too hard on the banana side. Notes of banana, bubblegum and superglue...

[@christophermartin520]

The first German wheat beer I did came out to 7.1% it was very rough to drink due to it being so thick in body and alcohol

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

There definitely is an upper limit to wheat beers I think, cheers!

[@maxwellmccloud5325]

Haha "glorious head"

[@tazsnuts99]

Your going to get off flavors from keeping it covered

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I think I know where you're coming from on this but that's just not true, unless you've failed to get enough DMS out during the boil. I've never had detectable DMS in my beers and I've kept the pot covered while chilling ever since I read John Palmer's book "How to Brew".

[@blackforest_fairy]

It is Weizen not Wiezen...

[@TheLolstyle]

Weinstephan lmao