Lübecker Hefeweissen Tasting

My first attempt at hefeweissen was brewed on June 16 and has been sitting in bottles for about three weeks. So its about 5 weeks old. I unwisely first tasted it when it was only three weeks old, after which I feared that it would be undrinkable. The first bottle was a weird grayish color with a boring taste. It was so uninspiring I though that I might need to dump the whole batch.

Fortunately the beer has improved somewhat but it is not what I would like it to be. I drank a Paulaner Hefeweizen a few days ago as an exemplar of the style. My own beer is OK and drinkable but not nearly as good as the Paulaner.

Appearance: Good white head with nice lacing. Liquid is light yellow, with a slight grayishness. When first poured it is quite clear but with the yeast it takes on a bit more haziness. It's not quite as bright golden yellow in color like a nice German wheat beer should be.

Aroma: Smells only slightly fruity. Not a strong smell.

Taste: Like the smell it does not have a real banana smell. The phenolic / clove character is there but it clearly should have some more banana flavor. Also lacks the bready, sweet taste of a good wheat beer.

Mouthfeel: A little bit over-carbonated but the lack of sweetness and body makes it seem a little thin and not bready enough. A little bit like a thin and dry saison.

Overall: Drinkable but by no means what I was aiming for. The lack of banana taste is the most disappoint aspect of the beer. I'd also like some more body in the beer. Perhaps my fermentation temperature control is not quite up to the task but that said I would like to try again because to me good hefe is magnificent.

For Next Time:

•  Use a direct heated step mash so that I can get better efficiency and to hit my temps correctly. Hit 112F, 152F and 167F, then transfer to the MLT and sparge w/ 170F water.
• Do not use Irish moss.
• Try to ferment at the right 62F temperature.
• Perhaps use a different brand of yeast. Apparently the WLP300 is not as good as the Wyeast wheat yeast. Also I have though of culturing some yeast from Sierra Nevada Summer Wheat.   

Side Note: How do you get good photos of your beer so that the photo looks like what you see with your eyes?