Kegging a Hefeweizen...

[bwarbiany]

I've been thinking a lot lately about brewing a simple bavarian hefeweizen. But I'm just not sure on one thing -- how does it stay cloudy and yeasty in a keg?

I know the bottle-pouring method for a hefe is to pour 2/3 of the beer, then swirl the rest to get the yeast back in suspension, then dump the yeast into the glass.

But I can't imagine this being the same in a keg. I worry that the beer would clear over time, exactly what I want to avoid in a hefe. And I don't think most people pull out their hefe kegs and swirl them from time to time to re-suspend the yeast...

So how do people avoid having their hefeweizen clear in the keg?

[BrewMasterBrad]

The cause of the haze in a German Weizen is both the suspended yeast and the residual proteins left from using a large proportion of wheat in the mash. You should be able to maintain a relatively cloudy beer from the keg if you use about 50% wheat in the malt bill and the proper yeast. This style is also best when served fresh, so I suggest that you invite us all over to drink it when it is ready and in its prime.

[lexuschris]

+1

--LexusChris

[bwarbiany]

Heh... Well, the current brew schedule should have it done just in time for my son's 4th b-day party...

...but that *IS* on a Sunday, so maybe between my IPA, the Saison, and the Hefe, we'll still have plenty afterwards.

So I might have to take you guys up on that.

[jward]

I think your hefe will tend to clear over time even with more then 50% wheat grist and the right yeast. I have seen commercial kegs stored upside down so when they get tapped the yeast mixes back. It wont happen that fast. If you go through your beer fast enough you will be fine. Pulling a keg out for a quick slosh back and forth when if it clears too much shouldn't be that big a deterrent.