This title says it all… what exactly is the difference? They seem so similar in brew style. But store bought hef tastes much different. So what’s the secret? Are they as similar as I feel they are?
American Wheat and APA are somewhat similar. Even those most people would say are quite different. But Hefe and APA are very different.
Start here and read the descriptions for each beer.
Edit: Hefe is category 10A: aka Weissbier. APA is 18B. American Wheat is 1D.
Take what ever makes a pale ale bad and that’s heffe.
Banana, low bitter, low hop aroma. Bleh.
Whoaa! For me, very different styles.
Typical Hefe - banana/clove yeast esters in varying amounts; low IBUs, and the hop notes that are there are more herbal and noble, than citrus; malt presence and some mouthfeel but with a dry finish; high carbonation.
APAs - typically a clean yeast profile (occasionally slight esters driven from flocculant UK strains); dry finish can be similar, though fuller profiles exist eg Lagunitas IPA; often citrusy hops and higher to far higher bitterness; moderate carbonation.
OK, the colour and ABV can be similar in some examples!
As was stated, American “hefeweizens” like Widmer are not true HefeWeizens. Go find a good German or American made (but German style) HefeWeizen and you won’t find much similarities between an APA and a HefeWeizen. HefeWeizens are far more complex with fruity banana yeast esters and spicy clove phenolics.
A lot of people do not like HefeWeizens and it taskes a somewhat open mind because of the pronounced banana/bubblegum/clove flavors, but they are really very delicious to me especially on a hot summer day.
That’s how I got hooked. Walked into a bar one late afternoon in August. They had Franziskaner on tap. At that moment is was just about the best beer I’d ever tasted.