History

Wheat beer was a royal monopoly in Bavaria from 1602 to 1798, when only the Wittelsbach court could brew it; Schneider Weisse in the Tal acquired the brewing licence in 1872 and remains Germany's oldest wheat-beer brewery. Weihenstephan in Freising, north of Munich, has brewed wheat beer continuously since 1040 and is the world's oldest brewery.

Common allergens: Gluten

Make it at home

Yield Reads as a classic, brewed not made at homeHands-on 30 minTotal 336 hrDifficulty Advanced

Ingredients

  • 5kg Pilsner malt (50%)
  • 5kg wheat malt (50%)
  • 20L brewing water
  • 30g Hallertau Tradition hops, 4% AA
  • Weihenstephan WLP 300 or Wyeast 3068 wheat yeast
  • 100g priming sugar (for bottling)

Method

  1. Mash the malts at 50 degrees C for 15 min (ferulic acid rest), then 64 degrees C for 60 min.
  2. Sparge with 75 degrees C water until you collect 23 litres of wort.
  3. Boil 60 minutes. Add the hops at the start of the boil only (low IBU, ~12).
  4. Cool the wort to 19 degrees C, transfer to a fermenter, pitch the yeast.
  5. Ferment at 20 to 22 degrees C for 7 days; the warmer the fermentation, the more banana ester.
  6. Bottle with priming sugar, condition 14 days at 20 degrees C. Serve in a Weizen vase at 6 degrees C.

Tip from the editors. Bavarian wheat beer should taste of banana and clove from yeast esters; don't ferment too cool or those flavours disappear.

This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.

Where to eat weissbier (bavarian wheat beer)

Weissbier (Bavarian wheat beer) in Munich

Schneider Bräuhaus ★ 4.2

altstadt-lehelUntil Daily 23:30

Schneider Bräuhaus on Tal pours Schneider Weisse until 23:30; the kitchen runs Bavarian classics through 22:30 for the post-show crowd in Munich's Altstadt.

Try: Weisswurst, Kronfleisch, late-night Bavarian

Hofbräuhaus am Platzl ★ 3.8

Bavarian€€altstadt-lehel

Hofbräuhaus on Platzl has poured Hofbräu beer in Munich's Altstadt since 1589; the ground-floor Schwemme hall seats 1,000, the upstairs Festsaal handles groups.

Signature: Schweinshaxe, Mass Hofbräu Original

Order: Mass of Hofbräu Original (one litre) with Schweinshaxe and a pretzel.

Tip: The ground-floor Schwemme is walk-in only; reserve the Bräustüberl upstairs for parties of four or more.

Augustiner Klosterwirt ★ 4.0

altstadt-lehelUntil Daily 00:00

Augustiner Klosterwirt under the Frauenkirche towers in Munich's Altstadt runs Bavarian dishes and Augustiner Helles vom Holzfass to midnight; a calmer late-night beer hall.

Try: Schweinshaxe and Augustiner Helles

Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu ★ 4.3

Spaten Münchner Hell, Franziskaner WeissbiermaxvorstadtBrewery tours by appointment Mon-Fri

Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu on Munich's Marsstrasse traces back to 1397; Spaten Münchner Hell and Franziskaner Weissbier are the houses' two main pours.

More cities are in research. Want weissbier (bavarian wheat beer) covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

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