Interested in German-style wheat beer? Fermentis sat down with Zhang Wei, brewmaster at the Paulaner Brewhouse (Kempinski Hotel Beijing Yashan Center), to talk about his experience brewing with the SafAle™ range for wheat beer.
The goal: Crafting Authentic German-style Wheat Beers
The Paulaner Brewhouse offers residents and visitors in Beijing an authentic German restaurant experience, complete with freshly brewed wheat beer inspired by Bavarian tradition. The brewery has been producing its own wheat beers for more than 10 years now and is always on the lookout for new ways to improve its recipes. “Ten years ago, there were not a lot of yeast options,” says Zhang. The team brewed with SafAle™ WB-06 and was very excited when Fermentis expanded its wheat beer range to include two new yeast strains.
When Fermentis released SafAle™ W-68 and SafAle™ BW-20, Zhang was eager to experiment with these yeasts to see how they would affect the flavour of his original German wheat beer recipe. He was particularly interested in trying SafAle™ W-68, the world-renowned yeast strain from Weihenstephan, Germany.
The style: Why German Wheat Beer Stands Out
Known as Weissbier or Hefeweizen, German-style wheat beers are world famous. Like all wheat beers, they are made using malted wheat. By law, authentic Bavarian examples must be brewed with at least 50 per cent wheat malt, though 60 to 70 per cent is more common. This contributes to the style’s bready taste and soft, pillowy mouthfeel. The aroma and flavor of a Weissbier come largely from the yeast, which delivers the beer’s signature banana, clove and bubblegum characteristics.
The yeast: How SafAle™ range Delivers Unmatched Wheat Beer Flavors
A historical yeast strain from Weihenstephan in Bavaria, SafAle™ W-68 is ideal for producing aromatic German-style wheat beers. While SafAle™ WB-06 is a versatile choice that can produce a range of different characteristics depending on the conditions applied, SafAle™ W-68 strongly contributes to delivering a wheat beer in traditional German style. SafAle™ W-68 produces robust phenolic flavor (clove and peppery notes) and distinct fruity notes (banana and tutti-frutti flavors). This active dry yeast offers medium attenuation, which delivers a silky texture and long-lasting head.
The result: Elevating Paulaner’s Wheat Beer Legacy
Zhang was impressed by the performance of SafAle™ W-68 and noticed that it produced a longer lasting aroma when brewed using his recipe. “The aroma was also full, and cohesion was good,” says Zhang. “In longer fermentations, SafAle™ W-68 didn’t reduce extra sugars, which allowed for a perfect balance of sweet and sour in our wheat beers.”
For more information about SafAle™ W-68, brewing German-style wheat beers and much more, visit fermentis.com.