Hefeweizen, ancesterally speaking, is a German variety of beer. The word means "yeast" and wheat, in the plural. Associated very closely with Southern Germany, Hefeweizen is beer that's brewed using wheat in addition to the more usual malted barley and hops. There are many varieties of hefeweizen but most fall into one or the other of two basic types. Those from Germany are often sold as Weißbiere or "white beer," named for their lighter color, a color that's derived from the fact that in German tradition, Weißbiere is at least 50% wheat, in addition to the traditional malted barley. The other main tradition is Belgian witbier, which also translates as "white beer." Belgian witbier in addition to using wheat adds subtle fruit and herb flavorings, for instance coriander, citrus oils, or orange peel. Hefweizen in Germany is usually an unfiltered wheat beer; the same beer once it is filtered is termed Kristallweizen.

Hefeweizen is traditionally known for less of the bitterness associated with hops, and slightly more carbonation. It's typically not a high alcohol beer, with an ABV that's in the low 5 range, and under 6. It is traditionally served in a tapered tumbler, like the one above. In America, you'll often see Hefeweizen served with a wedge of lemon; this seems to be a habit unique to this shore, and very much frowned upon elsewhere since the lemon sometimes masks the native qualities of the wheat. When you pour a Hefeweizen into a glass, you pour it into a clean slightly tilted glass, and pause when a third of the beer remains in the bottle. Gently swirl the bottle to collect the yeast at the bottom, then continue to pour; this should release the flavorful yeast sediment and provide a good head of foam.

The usual "wheatbeer" style of glass is used to serve Heveweizen.