Erdinger Hefe-Weizen

Today’s beer comes from a mid-sized city just east of the relatively young Munich Airport.  The airport brought with it new economic development, but Erding is still most famous for Erdinger Weissbier, which has been brewing since 1886.  What it has made is a beer that typifies a quaff on a summer day in Bavaria.  That sounds delightful.

Do I need a bigger bottle or smaller glass?
Bigger bottle.

Everything about this beer is text book hefeweizen.  The color of the beer and head are spot on, the aroma has that peculiar sharpness that stabs you like a cotton ball, that oh so Bavarian game where a hint of sweet fruitiness plays with the alcohol is in full swing and the mouthfeel against which all wheat beers are judged is right at home.  Drinking this beer transports you to Southern Germany the same way Radler and Kaisershmarrn do.  You could say that this is the way wheat beer is supposed to taste, but that’s a whole other conversation about where the line is drawn between historically accurate and apocryphal and what exactly constitutes “pretentious.”  Should we try to maintain the hefeweizen style as it was originally conceived?  Should we poo poo musicians that play Bach on modern pianos or use the sustain pedal in a Mozart piece?  Who knows?

To press or not to press?  WWMD?

Just a quick word on that head.  The head on a wheat beer usually should be light in texture, almost fluffy.  The bubbles are all different sizes and seem to not care what the others are doing.  This is sometimes referred to as “rocky,” but that word generally goes with other styles.  The head is an important part of what constitutes a wheat beer and it is lost when you garnish with lemon or orange.  I’m not saying you’re a bad person for doing it, but be aware of what you’re missing.

Pock-marked, not uniform, almost white.

The reviews online of Erdinger Hefe-Weizen aren’t spectacular but hey, the answer key for the test doesn’t get extra credit.  If you already know all the styles and are looking for a wheat beer to blow you away, go to Belgium or America.  If you want to know from where all the other wheat beers came, grab an Erdinger Hefe-Weizen.  Just pour yourself a glass and enjoy the simplicity such a complex concoction can offer.  Servus!