Do i need to prime bottles for a Hefeweizen?

[landy813]

I have made a Hefeweizen and its due to be bottled today or tomorrow, as the yeast is not filtered or fined out do i need to prime the bottles or will the suspended yeast and residual sweetness provide enough carbonation?

[steve_flack]

I'd say yes. Normally in commercial Weissbier production the beer is krausened with fresh unfermented wort before bottling. This may however be because priming with sugar isn't permitted.

[landy813]

Cheers for that Steve i will prime then, i like that type of beer fizzy and cold on a hot summers day. Lets hope that we are going to get a few of those hot sunny days this year.

[Barley Water]

Oh for sure prime the beer before bottling, I like mine pretty fizzy. I usually get some wheat DME and make up a primer from that (kind of a poor man's krausen). I then keg the whole thing and if I want a few bottles for a competition or whatever, I just sanitize a cobra tap and fill up a few bottles before the carbonation builds up (using a counterpressure filler on wheat beer is a real pain). You really want a good load of yeast in each bottle (or keg) because I believe it adds to the body and taste. As an added benefit you get some nice B vitamins. If there is yeast in the bottle you can pour out most of the beer (in your official heffe weizen glass of course) then shake or roll the bottle to dislodge the remaining yeast and pour it into the glass also. Your friends will be impressed and this little ritual just adds to the overall experience.