Multi-step Mash Hefeweizen

The more I've read about the importance of water profiles and played around with online calculators, the more I've wanted to revisit my hefeweizen recipe to see if I can tell a difference.  The water in the Raleigh, NC area is much like the area itself - pretty "middle of the road".  My local homebrew club already did some of the work for me by posting a table of suggested water adjustments for a variety of beer styles, so I decided to start there and see what I get.

Since this is a hefeweizen, there really isn't much to discuss about the grain bill or hops.  This recipe revolves entirely around the mash schedule, which is luckily controlled by my electric brewery controller, and the fermentation, which is controlled by my SS Tech FTSS controller.  Basically, I have little to no excuse if I mess this beer up.

Traditional Hefeweizen
OG: 1.052 (temp corrected from post-boil sample)
FG: 1.012
ABV: ~5.3%
SRM: 4

Grain Bill:
5 lbs Red Wheat
5 lbs German Pilsner

Water Modifications (Suggested by CARBOY local homebrew club)
Filtered Raleigh, NC water
Added 0.25 tsp/gal MgSO4 and 0.33 tsp/gal gypsum

Mash Schedule

Recirculating Infusion Mash - 5 gallons

Ferulic acid  at 114F for 15 min

Protein at  125F for 10 min

Saccharification I at 144F for 40 min

Saccharification II at 161F for 20 min

Rinsed grains with 2.5 gallons at 170F to collect final volume of 6.5 gallons of wort

Hop Schedule

0.75oz Hallertau at 60 minutes

Fermentation

Chilled to
64F using Chronical FTSS, aerated for 20 min and pitched Wyeast 3068 (Weihenstephan)

I like to keep 3068 at 64F for 4 days, then let rise to 66F.  After 3 more days reached FG of 1.012.  Left beer in fermenter for additional 7 days to let yeast clean up any off flavors. Kegged and force carbed to 4.0 volumes at 36F in keezer

Notes:

I can't recall making a Hefeweizen that is this balanced with banana and clove before. The head retention is also noteworthy and is remarkable compared to previous batches. I'd like to attribute this to the multistep mash schedule, but I'm not aware of water treatments effecting this a great deal.  I'll have to remake the recipe to see if the results are consistent. Previous attempts, even with multistep mash schedules, definitely were lacking with regards to the classic Hefeweizen mouthfeel and fluffy head.

All in all, this ended up being my most successful hefe to date.  I can't say for certain my perceived improvements are solely due to the water treatment, though. The flavor is much more pronounced with regards to banana, clove, and the small amount of hops used seem balanced for the style. This batch "looks" like a traditional hefe more so than any I've made before.  

I will probably repeat this recipe again soon without the multistep mash to see whether or not these perceived improvements stick around.