Beer Primer Hefeweizen

Hefeweizen is probably one of the most recognizable German beer styles—if not the only recognizable one in this country. Its lightness makes it popular in the summer, but also a good standby the rest of the year when you don’t want to fall back on a lager.
All hefeweizens are wheat beers, meaning that brewers use lots of wheat in the brewing process—not just barley, as is common with many other styles. They’re close relatives of Belgian white beers, which are also brewed with wheat but often have fruit or spices added to them as well. Most hefeweizens tend to be slightly sweet with a light and cloudy color, with hints of citrus and banana flavors.
That also describes Ayinger’s Bräu Weisse, a rock-solid hefeweizen and excellent example of this style of beer. It has a creamy feel in the mouth with citrus flavors that stand out, especially if you squeeze in the lemon wedge that should be served with it. Without the lemon, the citrus and banana notes are present but don’t dominate. Ayinger’s is very easy to drink in part because it’s a wheat beer and doesn’t have a dense body like the stouts and porters recently discussed in Beer Primer. At the same time, don’t expect Ayinger’s or any other hefeweizen to stand up to rich foods like a slab of short ribs or spicy curry.

Where to find it: Fat Cat Bar & Grill
Try it with: The Cajun burger. While slightly spicy, the burger doesn’t overpower the beer, but instead brings out some floral and pine hop flavors in the Ayinger.