The hefeweizen has been around a long time. Some beer historians say it was brewed as far back as the 11th century. In German, hefeweizen (pronounced HEH-feh-vite-zen) means yeast wheat, so called because the beer is traditionally unfiltered, leaving the tiny particles of yeast sediment to turn the golden beer cloudy and turbid. It may be this suggestion of solidity that leads Germans to occasionally refer to hefeweizen as bottled bread. The beer style can have a variety of flavors including clove, vanilla, apple, banana, even bubblegum. They have low amounts of hoppiness. Hefeweizens are made with more than 50 percent wheat malt, which German law requires. Such mandates and customs do not apply in the United States. Nonetheless, many American beers are called hefeweizen or claim to be made in the hefeweizen style. German beer traditionalists probably prefer the name weissbier. In the U.S., these bright yellowish-golden to orange beers are often served with a slice of lemon on the lip of the glass, which some feel helps to cut the yeasty flavor and accentuate the crispness of the style. Peaks and Pints avoids the lemon, because we like the wonderful yeasty esters of the hefeweizen. Today, Peaks and Pints offers a hefeweizen beer flight we call Craft Beer Crosscut 6.7.18: A Flight of Hefeweizen.

Occidental Hefeweizen

4.7% ABV, 4 IBU

The German Beer Purity Law — Reinheitsgebot — is two years past its quincentennial: 500 years of absolutely nothing but barley (or wheat), hops, water and yeast. Not so much as a spruce tip or cacao nib may defile anything called “beer.” Occidental Brewing’s brewmaster Dan Engler mostly brews beers in the spirit (if not the letter) of the Reinheitsgebot. Opening in 2011 in Portland’s St. Johns neighborhood, Occidental makes some of the best German-style beers in the Northwest, including their authentic Bavarian Hefeweizen. It’s hefeweizen makes one want to throw on a pair of lederhosen over your flannel. If you like wheat beer — heck, even if you hate it — you must try this sweet, banana- and clove-scented hefeweizen.

Hofbräu München Hefeweizen

5.1% ABV, 12 IBU

This classic hefeweizen from the storied beer garden in Munich pours fairly clear for a hefe, with only a little haze to filter out the light. Right off the bat is a very yeasty smell. The taste is a bit on the light side of a classic hefeweizen, with undertones of banana and funky bread (in a good way).

Schöfferhofer Hefeweizen

5% ABV, 14 IBU

Often regarded as the champagne among wheat beers, Schöfferhofer Hefeweizen was the first wheat beer brewed outside of Bavaria. For many years, the world’s first “Urban Weizen” has proven to be one of the most successful German wheat beers in all the universe. It pours a hazy orange with nice rich creamy head. Dip the nose for tradition hefe aromas of wheat grains, hint of banana and clove. The medium bodied/medium carbonation offers flavors of wheat, bittersweet, hint of banana/fruits, some cloves and hops.

Lazy Boy Bavarian Hefeweizen

5.9% ABV

Lazy Boy Brewing owner and brewmaster Shawn Loring homebrewed with a group of guys in Cheyenne, Wyoming. They called themselves “The Lazy Boys.” The Lazy Boy Bitter became their flagship beer. When Loring moved to Everett, Washington, the name for his brewery was a no-brainer. The 15-barrel Lazy Boy Brewing was born in May 2006. Lazy Boy’s Bavarian Hefeweizen sports a Bavarian yeast strain and all the wheat for a wheat-y and slightly citrus nose. Expect slightly sweet and very wheat-y flavor with some slight citrus elements.

Weihenstephaner/Sierra Nevada Braupakt Hefeweissbier

6% ABV, 35 IBU

Braupakt is a fruity peach and apricot hefeweizen is a collaboration between Weihenstephaner, the world’s oldest brewery, and Sierra Nevada. Brewmasters from the two breweries spent the better part of 2017 on recipe development, ultimately creating the fruity-hoppy Braupakt, brewed with the Hallertauer Tradition hop and refined with American West Coast Amarillo and Chinook hops.