Local, Fresh & Brewed with Tradition

By: Jamie Fulton, Head Brewer

Whenever I set out to brew a new beer, I put hours of research into the endeavor.   However, when I first brewed a hefeweizen on a commercial scale in 2006, I knew without research what the recipe would involve.  From my time in Germany, I learned that these beers have been brewed for centuries from a basic, simple formula: half wheat malt, half barley malt, a touch of bittering hops, and most importantly, an authentic Bavarian hefeweizen yeast strain to create the telltale clove and banana flavors for which these beers are known.  

Years ago before beers were distributed around the globe, you went to your local pub or restaurant to drink local beers, and many of these were probably using very similar recipes, albeit each brewer adds his/her own personal twist.  While there are obviously many variations in modern commercially available hefeweizens, this basic recipe is a good rule of thumb. 

To keep it traditional for that first batch of hef, I ran with the simplest version of that recipe: 50% wheat malt, 50% two row barley malt and 14 IBUs of bittering, noble hops.  It was an instant favorite of my customers and one of my all-time favorite beers we made at The Covey.  It goes miles to show that sometimes you just shouldn’t try to reinvent the wheel!  I tinkered with the recipe slightly over the years, but it never varied far from the time-tested, classic formula that’s been brewed in Southern Germany for many, many years.

I think the reason for the centuries-long popularity of certain, classic beer styles is plainly obvious: they are widely enjoyed by many people and there’s a certain catch to their flavor.  Just look at the impressive run for beers like English Bitters, Czech Pilsners, German Helles, Irish Dry Stouts, etc.  This is why we set out to brew the Witbier at Community Beer Co. as traditional as possible: we’re on a straightforward mission to bring our local community the freshest witbier around.  While witbier has not been around as long as some of the other classic beer styles, it has left its own unique mark in history. 

Historically some of the beers that fell into the category of witbier were sour to some extent; we decided to go a more modern route with the fermentation.  The late and great Pierre Celis – the godfather of modern witbier – brought his own yeast to America to make the now famous Celis White, the brand of which was sold and still brewed by Michigan Brewing Co.  (We've heard rumors that it might be coming back to Texas via Celis' family)  

We’re using that same yeast strain at Community, along with another select Belgian strain that adds its own unique “fingerprint.”  We’re gently spicing our witbier with California sweet orange peel, French bitter orange peel and freshly ground coriander seed.  We did keep the grist traditional, about half of which is unmalted wheat.  Anyone who has ever brewed with any appreciable amount of wheat in an all grain mash knows the challenges that usually ensue!  Thankfully, our state of the art, four-vessel brew house with a mash mixer gives us the capability to gracefully handle large percentages of unmalted grains.  This is a good thing, because I think we’re going to be brewing lots of Community Witbier! 

Go grab a pint at your favorite local watering hole and find out for yourself.  I don’t think you’ll try it and think it needs some other obscure ingredients to make it a standout craft beer.  Sometimes traditions are best kept in place, and I think our Witbier is a perfect example.