Weihenstephanstyle Hefeweissbier

As a rule, the brewers at Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan don’t open their books to share exact recipes. However, at our request, Brewmaster Tobias Zollo and Brewing Engineer Matthias Ebner generously agreed to provide a recipe based on the world classic, standard-setting Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier.

ALL-GRAIN

Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)

Brewhouse efficiency: 72% OG: 1.051

FG: 1.010

IBUS: 14

ABV: 5.4%

MALT/GRAIN BILL

5.6 lb (2.5 kg) German wheat malt

1.9 lb (862 g) German pilsner

1.9 lb (862 g) German Munich malt (5–8L)

HOPS SCHEDULE

0.18 oz (5 g) Herkules [14.5% AA] at 70 minutes 0.25 oz (7 g) Perle [6% AA] at 65 minutes

YEAST

Wyeast 3068 Weihenstephan Weizen, White Labs WLP300 Hefeweizen Ale, or similar strain.

DIRECTIONS

Mill the grains and mash in at 113°F (45°C), then follow the steps below for this double-decoction mash:

▪ Pull about one-third of the mash and heat it to 162°F (72°C), rest 20 minutes. Then heat it to 203°F (95°C), rest another 20 minutes.

▪ Meanwhile, heat the rest of the mash to 131°F (55°C) and hold until first decoction is complete.

▪ Reunite the mash to bring it to about 149°F (65°C). Rest 40 minutes.

▪ For the second decoction, pull about one-third of the mash and heat it to 162°F (72°C), rest 20 minutes. Then heat it to 203°F (95°) and rest 15 minutes.

▪ Reunite the mash to bring it to about 162°F (72°C).

▪ Heat the mash to 172°F (78°C) and mash out.

Lauter and sparge to get about 6.6 gallons (25 liters) of wort— or more, depending on your evaporation rate. Boil 70 minutes, following the hops schedule. After the boil, chill to 66°F (19°C), aerate the wort, and pitch the yeast. Ferment at 68°F (20°C) for 4 days. Optionally, if possible, add 1–2 quarts (946 ml–1.9 l) of fresh, unfermented wort (known as speise). Then ferment another 4 days at 68–72°F (20–22°C) before cooling to 41°F (5°C) for 2 weeks. Package and carbonate to about 3.5 volumes.