House Hefeweizen tasting notes

This beer went quickly in the keg. Too quickly... It lasted about 2 weeks. Between a brew day, casual pulls and family growler fills, it didn't stand a chance. Which is why I bottled 50 of them.

I also feel that a Hefeweizen should be enjoyed out of a bottle, so I decided to do the tasting notes with a bottled one.

First, a bit about the pre-pour appearance: it is incredibly clear in the bottle. This is significant if only for how cloudy it was coming out of the fermenter after only two weeks. It seemed to referment quickly and clear out within a week and a half. The beer that I'm testing has been conditioning for about three and a half weeks. It's kind of fun because you can pretty much choose if you want to have a Kristallweizen or a Hefeweizen when you're drinking it.

Poured the first 9 oz or so. Very clear. Kristallweizen!

I poured 3/4 of the bottle and then agitated the yeast cake at the bottom and poured the rest. It poured with a beautiful 1.5" head and a pleasant straw colored body.

The aroma is dominated by sweetness, almost like a lemon drop with a hint of breadiness from the yeast.

Its taste is distinctly Hefeweizen. I can't describe it differently. I'm happy to not detect any off-flavors. More specifically, it has a very strong banana note as well as a slightly less powerful citrus flavor. The Hallertuaer hop is hardly present, but balances the banana and citrus notes well with an initial crispness and a faint bitterness at the end. The beer finishes dry. No surprise with a 1.010 FG. The malt profile is extremely light and allows the yeast phenols to shine. Mouthfeel is light, borderline watery. I'm wondering what another week in the bottle will do to the carbonation and mouthfeel.

Two concerns: head retention and mouthfeel. I think they're related. The head disippated in about a minute and, as I noted above, the mouthfeel is just slightly watery. I will judge the beer next week to see what some additional bottle conditioning will do for it. I'm thinking the carbonation is dialed in though, because there is nice bubble flow throughout the glass and the pour was picture perfect. I may adjust the recipe with a small amount of Carapils or Carafoam in the mash, depending on how it turns out a week from now. I will also do some research into what I may be able to gain in terms of head retention and mouthfeel complexity with an extended decoction mash. For a lighter beer, the decoction boil is supposed to be shorter - I used ~15 minutes - but I wouldn't mind a bit of extra color in the beer and if I can attain the desired result with just an extended process, I would prefer that.

This beer is a rockin' first attempt at a House Hefeweizen.