Beer Pairings: Hefeweizen
A gallery of foods that pair nicely with Hefeweizen, a German-style wheat beer with lots of bubbles and a slightly sweet, fruity flavor.
Featured In: Beer Pairings: 10 Recipes to Pair With Hefeweizen
Watermelon and Tomato Salad
Chef Bill Smith of Crook’s Corner, a restaurant in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, serves a version of this refreshing dish during the late summer. Smith says he developed the salad after paying a visit to a few of his former cooks in Mexico, where he discovered a range of dishes that melded sweet, spicy, and sour flavors. See the recipe for Watermelon and Tomato Salad »
Lobster and Avocado Salad
The creamy elements in this salad match Hefeweizen’s smoothness, while the vinegars and citrus boost the beer’s flavors of fruit. See the Lobster and Avocado Salad recipe »
Smashed Beets with Goat Cheese
Hefeweizen always pairs well with goat cheese, and the herbs in this salad further enhance spicy notes in the beer. See the Smashed Beets with Goat Cheese recipe »
Ricotta Crostini with Black Olives, Lemon Zest, and Mint
Magic happens when this zingy and creamy hors d’oeuvre meets the cool, bubbles of a hazy wheat beer. See the recipe for Ricotta Crostini with Black Olives, Lemon Zest, and Mint recipe »
Crab Salad with Two Celeries
This crunchy, bright salad, which is mayo-free, belongs with a light-bodied Hefeweizen with a hint of sweetness. See the Crab Salad with Two Celeries recipe »
Lemon Risotto
Complement this dish’s intense lemon flavors with a hefeweizen served with a lemon wedge.
Skewered Shrimp on Rosemary Branches
The strong presence of rosemary permeating briny, succulent shrimp, will dance with an herb-driven Hefeweizen. See the Skewered Shrimp on Rosemary Branches recipe »
Cedar-Smoked Salmon
UNITED STATES You don’t need a smoker to lend a slightly spicy, faintly sweetish hint of the outdoors to fresh salmon. On board a friend’s boat in Alaskan waters, we improvised this method with strips from cedar logs. Back home, we substituted shakes of untreated aromatic cedar (sold by the bundle at lumberyards and hardware stores).
Raspberry Shortcakes
“The light, delicate fragility of this shortcake sets it apart from the dense and more traditional shortbread that figures large in Scottish cookery,” says chef Jeremy Lee. “It makes a mockery of the idea that Scottish cookery is heavy and stodgy.”
Banana Pudding
For a beautiful pairing, look for a more expensive German Hefeweizen, which brings notes of clove and banana to this creamy, classic dessert. See the Banana Pudding recipe »
