Hefeweizen is one of the few beer styles where the yeast, not the hops or the grain, defines the flavor. Get the fermentation temperature right and you get banana and clove in the glass without adding a single piece of fruit or spice. This recipe is a classic 50/50 wheat and Pilsner malt grain bill built to let that yeast character shine.
Why the Yeast Strain Matters More Than the Grain
A traditional German weizen yeast strain (Weihenstephaner WLP300 or Wyeast 3068) produces isoamyl acetate (banana) and 4-vinyl guaiacol (clove) as fermentation byproducts. Fermentation temperature controls the balance between the two: warmer leans banana, cooler leans clove and spice.
The wheat malt itself contributes protein for that thick, lasting head and a soft, almost silky mouthfeel, but it does not add flavor the way a specialty grain would. Skip a neutral American ale yeast in this recipe. It will make a technically correct beer that tastes nothing like a hefeweizen.
The Recipe
Hefeweizen (All-Grain Wheat Beer Recipe)
Ingredients
Grain Bill
- 2.5 kg German wheat malt at least 50% of the grain bill, required for the style
- 2.5 kg German Pilsner malt
Hops
- 20 g Hallertau Mittelfruh hops 60 minute addition, 4% AA, this is a malt and yeast forward style so hops stay in the background
Yeast and Other
- 1 pack Weihenstephaner Weizen yeast (WLP300 or Wyeast 3068) the banana and clove esters come from this yeast, not an ingredient
- 1 tsp calcium chloride (CaCl2) added to the mash
Instructions
- Mill the grains and heat your brewing water. Add the calcium chloride to the mash water.
- Mash in the wheat malt and Pilsner malt together at 65C (149F) and hold for 60 minutes. A single infusion mash works fine here even though wheat malt has no husk; a stuck sparge is more likely, so a slow vorlauf and a rice hull addition help if your system runs slow.
- Raise the temperature to 76C (168F) to mash out, then recirculate for 15 minutes.
- Sparge with 76C (168F) water until you collect roughly 24.5L of wort.
- Boil for 60 minutes, adding the Hallertau Mittelfruh hops at the start of the boil.
- Chill the wort to 18 to 20C (64 to 68F), rack to the fermenter, and pitch the weizen yeast without oxygenating as hard as you would for a clean lager, some dissolved oxygen limitation encourages the banana ester profile.
- Ferment at 18 to 20C (64 to 68F). A warmer end of that range pushes more banana and clove character, a cooler end keeps it more restrained.
- Once fermentation finishes, package while the beer is still young. Hefeweizen is meant to be consumed fresh, ideally within a few weeks of packaging.
- Prime and bottle condition for the classic cloudy pour, or keg and force carbonate to a higher-than-usual 2.5 to 2.8 volumes of CO2.
Notes
Avoiding a Stuck Sparge
Wheat malt has no husk, which means it does not form the same filter bed that barley malt does during lautering. A grain bill this heavy on wheat can slow your runoff to a crawl or stop it entirely.
A handful of rice hulls stirred into the mash solves this without changing the flavor. Vorlaufing slowly and patiently, rather than rushing the first few quarts of runoff, also helps the bed settle into a working filter.
Serving It the Traditional Way
A proper hefeweizen pour uses roughly three quarters of the bottle, leaving the last inch to swirl and rouse the yeast sediment before adding it back to the glass. This is why the beer looks genuinely cloudy rather than just unfiltered.
Tracking your gravity readings on brew day? Our Beer Calories Calculator and other homebrewing calculators turn OG and FG into ABV and calories once this batch is done.
Curious about the science behind those banana and clove flavors? Our Is Beer Fermented? explainer covers what yeast actually does during fermentation. If lager brewing interests you next, our Mexican Lager recipe is a good next style to try. And if you would rather buy than brew, our What Does IBU Mean? guide explains why a beer like this reads so low on the bitterness scale.
FAQs
Can I make this recipe with malt extract instead of all-grain?
Yes. Substitute wheat liquid malt extract and pale liquid malt extract in the same 50/50 ratio, using the same hop schedule and yeast. Steep no specialty grains, since this recipe does not use any.
Why is my hefeweizen not cloudy enough?
Cold crashing or filtering removes the yeast in suspension that creates the haze. Keep the beer at fermentation or serving temperature without cold crashing, and always pour the last inch of the bottle back into the glass to rouse the sediment.
How long should I let this beer condition before drinking it?
Hefeweizen is meant to be consumed young, typically within 2 to 4 weeks of packaging. Unlike darker or higher ABV styles, extended aging does not improve it and can actually dull the banana and clove character.
