Wheat beer is a beer, usually high-fermented or ale, which is brewed with a large proportion of wheat in relation to the amount of malted barley.
At ForBeerLovers we're going to tell you everything you need to know about wheat beer, one of the most popular and widely consumed types of beer in the world.
Characteristics of wheat beer
Today wheat beers are very popular and many of the major breweries that produce wheat beer date back to the Middle Ages and their use associated with monks and abbeys
Aroma
A light aroma of hops with hints of citrus.
Appearance
cloudy appearance, pale gold color, aroma of cloves, banana and foamy
Taste
Low bitterness, sometimes with flavors of clove, banana orange and vanilla
How to Serve
The wheat ones require a more inclined glass that stops the formation of foam,
What to Eat
An infallible pairing in the case of wheat beers are the marine flavors, which the carbon dioxide of the beer is able to drag from the palate. The citrus touches can also have their equivalent on the plate, with grated or seasoned fruit
Ingredients of wheat beer
This type of beer has ingredients like the ones we discovered below. Take note!
Malta
- 1.5 kg of wheat malt extract
- 1.5 kg of pale malt extract
- 250 g crystal malt
Hops
- 60 g hops Hallertauer Hersbrucker
- 30 g fuggle hops
Others:
- 22 litres of mineral water
- 250 -400 ml of honey (according to taste)
- 1 sachet of yeast for making ale
- Dextrose or sugar
How it is made
Do you want to make wheat beer at home? You should know that by following the all-grain method, you can make a high-quality beer yourself. To do so, follow these steps:
- We mash the crysta malt for 30 minutes at 65 degrees. We remove the grain and add the malt extracts, heated in a bain-marie to facilitate the pouring from the can. Add the honey too. Bring the must to the boil and add the Hallertauer hops. Let it boil for 50 minutes.
- We add half the fuggles and boil another 8 minutes. Add the remaining fuggle and boil for 2 more minutes.
- Cool by putting our pot in ice water until the temperature drops below 26 degrees.
- While we put what's left of the mineral water in the primary fermenter. We pour in the must, strain the hops. We spread the yeast and close the fermenter. We let it ferment for 8 days at 19 degrees. We go to a secondary fermenter and leave it at 19 degrees for another 9 days.
- We bottle them by adding a little dextrose to each bottle.
Here's a video so you know how to make a wheat beer at home:
History of Wheat Beer
Wheat beers are a variety that dates back to the Stone Age in modern-day Iraq, which was also made in Egypt in the time of the pharaohs and began to be produced in Germanic lands in the Bronze Age. It is in Bavaria and in the current territories of Belgium and the Netherlands where the practice of using wheat to make beer took root, despite the fact that in the Middle Ages it tried to be limited to avoid a shortage of bread; in fact, from here came regulations such as the Reinheitsgebot the Bavarian Beer Purity Law of 1516.
Types of wheat beer
Weizenbier
The Weizenbier or Hefeweizen is a traditional Bavarian beer in which a significant proportion of malted barley is replaced by malted wheat. According to the Purity Law of 1516, Weißbiers brewed in Germany must be fermented using a "top-fermenting" yeast, which is technically a "brewer's yeast".12 Specialized yeast strains that produce overtones of banana and clove are used as by-products of fermentation.12
Witbier
The Witbier is a highly fermented barley and wheat beer brewed mainly in Belgium and the Netherlands. It gets its name from the suspended yeast and wheat proteins that make the beer look cloudy or white when cold. It is a descendant of those medieval beers that were flavored and preserved with a mixture of spices and other plants such as coriander, orange and bitter orange known as "gruit" instead of using hops
Berliner WeiBe
A minor variety of wheat beer is represented by the Berliner Weiße, which is low in alcohol (2.5% to 3% alcohol content) and intentionally sour. Sweetened syrups of lemon, raspberry, or spriggrass are often added before drinking.
Gose
The Leipziger gose is similar to the Berliner Weiße but slightly stronger with about 4% alcohol. Its ingredients include coriander and salt, which are unusual for German beers.
Lambic
Belgian lambic is also made from wheat and barley, but differs from almost all beers in the use of wild yeast for spontaneous fermentation.
The 3 best brands of wheat beer
We conclude this article by discussing the most prominent wheat beer brands of the moment. Although there is a wide variety of options, here we are going to leave you with a list of the 3 best ones you have to try, yes or yes!
- Franziskaner Weissbier Naturtrüb: It is the most widespread and best known wheat beer in the world. Of German origin, specifically in southern Bavaria. It has a cloudy orange colour with golden reflections, with abundant foam, an intense fruity aroma, with a mild flavour and no bitter notes. It is very easy to drink, very refreshing.
- Erdinger Dunkel: A dark brown beer with a lot of foam, of high quality, with intense body and taste. It is brewed according to an ancient recipe, and acquires its characteristic taste when matured in the bottle. Of German origin.
- Paulaner Naturtrüb: This type of beer was first brewed in the 16th century by a religious order founded by St. Francis of Paula in Neuhauser Strabe, Munich. Today it is brewed by Nockherberg Traditionsgaststätten e.K. This beer is brewed with unfiltered yeast and has a smooth, fruity taste, offering a refreshing and not at all cloying result. The ivory white foam contrasts with the bright amber yellow and cloudy tones of this beer.
