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Erdinger Weissbier is the world’s best-selling hefeweizen by volume and the most clove-forward of the major Bavarian hefeweizen brands, it has a distinctly spicier, more phenolic character than Weihenstephaner or Franziskaner, with a fuller body and a slightly more rustic complexity. Erdinger is also unusual in being independently family-owned, operating the world’s largest dedicated wheat beer brewery. Cloning it requires targeting that elevated clove/phenol character while maintaining the soft wheat body.
Erdinger Weissbier clone recipe (5 gallon / 19L batch)
Target stats: OG 1.052, FG 1.014, ABV ~5.3%, IBU 12, SRM 5–7, hazy amber-gold. Grain bill: 5.5 lbs (2.49 kg) German wheat malt, 55% wheat. 4 lbs (1.81 kg) German Pilsner malt. 0.5 lb (227g) Munich malt, more Munich malt than the Franziskaner or Weihenstephaner clones, contributing to Erdinger’s slightly richer, fuller body and amber color. 0.25 lb (113g) melanoidin malt, small melanoidin addition that contributes malt complexity and the slightly deeper color characteristic of Erdinger versus the paler hefeweizens. Hops: 0.6 oz Hallertau Mittelfrueh (60 min), 10–12 IBU. No late additions. Yeast: White Labs WLP380 Hefeweizen IV Ale Yeast, this strain produces a higher 4-vinylguaiacol (clove/phenol) expression relative to isoamyl acetate (banana), matching Erdinger’s more phenolic character. Alternatively, Wyeast 3068 or WLP300 fermented at the lower end of their temperature range (16–17°C / 61–63°F) to emphasize clove over banana, the cooler temperature shifts the ester/phenol ratio toward clove. The temperature manipulation approach with standard strains works; WLP380 is the more authentic strain choice. Ferment at 17°C (63°F), lower than Franziskaner or Weihenstephaner clone fermentation temperatures, specifically to maximize clove phenol production and reduce banana ester. Ferulic acid rest, more important here than in other hefeweizen clones: 43°C (109°F) for 25 minutes, extended ferulic acid rest increases the precursor pool for clove phenol production during fermentation. This is the process variable most directly responsible for the clove-forward Erdinger character. Water: Soft, calcium 35 ppm, sulfate 15 ppm, chloride 65 ppm. Erding’s water source is soft Bavarian groundwater. Process: Step mash: 43°C (109°F) for 25 minutes (extended ferulic acid rest), 52°C (126°F) for 10 minutes (protein rest), 68°C (154°F) for 45 minutes (slightly higher temperature for Erdinger’s fuller body), 76°C (169°F) mash out. 60-minute boil. Ferment at 17°C (63°F) for 10–14 days, lower temperature than other hefeweizen clones. Do not filter. Bottle condition. Carbonate to 3.0–3.3 volumes CO2, Erdinger’s carbonation is high, driving its dense white foam.
Common Questions
What is Erdinger Dunkel and how does it differ from this clone?
Erdinger Dunkel (dark wheat beer) is a significantly different beer from Erdinger Weissbier, it’s a dunkelweizen (dark hefeweizen) rather than a standard hefeweizen, with a substantially different grain bill and flavor profile. The key differences: color, Erdinger Dunkel is a deep mahogany-brown versus the hazy gold of the standard Weissbier. Malt character, Dunkel uses dark wheat malt, Munich dark malt, and possibly small amounts of roasted malt, producing chocolate, banana bread, and dark fruit notes instead of the banana-clove character of pale hefeweizen. ABV, Erdinger Dunkel is 5.3% ABV, essentially the same as the standard Weissbier. Yeast character, both use similar Bavarian wheat beer yeast, so the banana-clove ester/phenol character is present in the Dunkel, but it’s layered on top of the dark malt complexity rather than being the primary flavor. A clone recipe for Erdinger Dunkel would replace 3–4 lbs of the Pilsner malt in this recipe with Munich Dark (20L), add 0.25 lb of Carafa Special II (debittered roasted malt), and use dark wheat malt (if available) alongside the standard wheat malt. The process would be identical, same ferulic acid rest, same yeast, same low fermentation temperature for clove emphasis. If you enjoy the hefeweizen style, Dunkelweizen is a natural next project that uses nearly identical technique on a darker grain base.
