German Wheat Beers

[rstarobi]

I've started to really get into German Wheat Beers (though living in Westchester, NY, I have less than easy access - usually I go to the deli next to McHale's on the west side). So far I've just tried Weihenstephaner Hefeweizen and Hefeweizen dunkel - the dunkel was by far my favorite. Does anyone else have a preference for German Weisse/Weizer beers?

[Shiva]

Schneider makes some goodies. Try the Festbier (green label) sometime.

Paulaner is the King of Weissbiers though. Great stuff.

[SISYPHUS]

Try Hitachino HefeWeizen or their White Ale, both are German style beers that are made in Japan. They are outstanding but hard to find. Some Asian restaurants and upscale NYC restaurants are starting to carry them.

[rstarobi]

Addition to previous post - Just found some Samuel Adams Bavarian Weisse (unfiltered) in my local brew-store. Very nice - banana-ey flavors and a citrusey feel - seemed like a very nice representative of the style.

[mickblueeyes]

Aventinus! German wheat doppelbock! Mmmmmm.....goood!

[lhughes002]

Schneider Weisse is my favourite weizenbier. It comes in a dark and light version. I prefere the darker version. I would say it is a must try, at least once. Some other good ones I have had the chance to try while living in switzerland are -

Erdinger, Franziskaner, Edelweiss. I would recommend them all.

Enjoy!

Lisa

[Eric_Malson]

I absolutely love a good Hefeweizen, and there's just something about watching those yeast globules dissolve and effervesce in a tall weizenbier glass.... I spent a couple of months in Munich a few years ago where I got to indulge my obsession daily. One day, a friend and I were walking around the Viktualienmarkt and were approached by someone who asked if we wanted to participate in a taste-test of Hefeweizens. We, of course, did....it turned out to be a marketing ploy for Löwenbräu's Hefeweizen, which was, surprisingly, quite good. (I think you probably can't even buy this in the U.S., since Löwenbräu licensed their name to Anheuser-Busch for the U.S., and what they produce under that moniker is, of course not worth mentioning....) Erdingerweiss, which has a much greater popular reputation, at least in Germany, fared much less well.

I like Franziskaner and Paulaner hefeweizens (the Kristallweizen never did much for me). Me REAL fave, by miles, is Unertl, but as far as I know, that is not imported to the U.S. (if anyone happens to know otherwise, I would LOVE to know where I can get some!).

(I also never tried a dark hefeweizen....I don't even remember ever seeing one in Germany, and it would be considered more of an anomaly than something one normally drank, I think. Anyhow, the thought never appealed to me.)

[Suzanne F]

Thank you to everyone so far, and in the future! I love wheat beers, but I'm just a rank amateur. I had no idea there were so many variations among the German and German-style! Thanks for the education.

[Stone]

Where in Westchester are you? There's a big beer store in Ardsley, Just off the Major Deegan/Saw Mill. I can't think of the name right now (which is embarassing because I grew up there, Bavarian something?), but it had a pretty good selection when I was there.

[mickblueeyes]

Here is some good information about German Wheat beers lifted from beerhunter.com

"The German term for "white" beer, implying a pale brew made from wheat. In the north, a special renown is enjoyed by Berliner Weisse, a style in its own right. A different style of Weissbier is made in the south, with a more conventional alcohol content (usually a little over 5 percent by volume), a higher proportion of wheat (at least 50 percent) and a yeast (again top-fermenting) that produces a tart, fruity, spicy palate, sometimes with notes of cooking apples and cloves. Often, instead of Weissbier, the southerners prefer the term Weizen (a similar-sounding word but it means, quite simply "wheat"). If the beer is sedimented with yeast, it may be prefixed Hefe-. Southern wheat beers are also produced in dark versions (these Dunkel Weizen brews have a delicious complex of fruitiness and maltiness), and in Export and Bock strengths. Weizenbock is sometimes served as a Christmas beer."

Dark Wheat beer is readily available and much more full flavored than "white" beers. Aventinus is a fantastic dark wheat doppelbock and Julius Echter Dunkel is another good choice.

[rstarobi]

I'm in New Rochelle. So far, the best beer store I've found around here is in Eastchester, on White Plains Road, right next to the True Value (where I've bought some homebrew supplies). Decent selection of the more common Belgians (Duval, etc.) and a couple of the more common American micros (Sierra Nevada, Sam Adams, Brooklyn) with a few other German/British beers scattered around.

[Stone]

Here is some good information about German Wheat beers lifted from beerhunter.com

"The German term for "white" beer, implying a pale brew made from wheat. In the north, a special renown is enjoyed by Berliner Weisse, a style in its own right. A different style of Weissbier is made in the south, with a more conventional alcohol content (usually a little over 5 percent by volume), a higher proportion of wheat (at least 50 percent) and a yeast (again top-fermenting) that produces a tart, fruity, spicy palate, sometimes with notes of cooking apples and cloves. Often, instead of Weissbier, the southerners prefer the term Weizen (a similar-sounding word but it means, quite simply "wheat"). If the beer is sedimented with yeast, it may be prefixed Hefe-. Southern wheat beers are also produced in dark versions (these Dunkel Weizen brews have a delicious complex of fruitiness and maltiness), and in Export and Bock strengths. Weizenbock is sometimes served as a Christmas beer."

Dark Wheat beer is readily available and much more full flavored than "white" beers. Aventinus is a fantastic dark wheat doppelbock and Julius Echter Dunkel is another good choice.

Are German "White" beers different from "Wit" beers (Belgian, I think)?

[mickblueeyes]

That is a good question that I don't have the answer too. I had assumed that begian whites were wheat beers, but I guess they don't have to be!

[rstarobi]

Yes, Belgian 'wit' beers are different than German Weisse and Weizen beers - but both have wheat as a grain used in the malting process, so both are wheat beers, just stylistically different wheat beers. My personal preference is for the Germans, but the Belgians seem more popular right now.

[Stone]

I think all Belgian beers are riding the deserved popularity of the Belgian browns (which I think are possibly the best beers in the world). My friend proudly proclaims that his Stella is a Belgian, but I never thought Stella was much different from the other European lagers (of which I'm not a fan).