Wheat beer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wheat beer is a beer that is brewed with a significant proportion of malted wheat. It is common for wheat beers to also contain malted barley. The addition of wheat lends wheat beers a light flavour and pale colour. Wheat beers are usually top-fermented (in Germany they have to be by law). Wheat beer is distinguished by its creamy texture and sweet flavor, which is said to have overtones of banana and clove.
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[edit] Varieties
The two most common varieties of wheat beer are Belgian witbier and German Weißbier.
Belgian witbieren ("white beers") are based on the best-known example, Hoegaarden Wit. Such beers get their name from suspended yeast, which give it a whitish colour. Belgian white beers often have spices such as coriander or bitter orange peel added, giving them a slightly fruity flavour. They are also often made with raw unmalted wheat, as opposed to the malted wheat used in other varieties.
German wheat beers are a well-known variant throughout the southern part of the country, the name changing from Weizen in the western (Swabian) regions to Weißbier or Weiße in Bavaria. Hefeweizen (German for "yeast wheat") is a variety in which the yeast is not filtered out, though Kristallweizen (filtered), Dunkelweizen (dark) and Weizenbock (higher alcohol content) varieties are also available. The filtration which takes the yeast out of Kristallweizen also strips the wheat proteins which make Hefeweizen cloudy. Bavarian weizen beers are fermented with a special strain of top-fermenting yeast, Torulaspora delbrueckii, which is largely responsible for the distinctive flavour.
[edit] Sour varieties
A minor variety of wheat beer is represented by Berliner Weisse, which is low in alcohol (2.5% to 3% ABV) and quite tart. Although it can be imbibed by itself, enthusiasts often add sweetened syrups of lemon, raspberry, or woodruff herb into the beer.
Leipziger Gose is similar to Berliner Weisse but, at around 4% ABV, slightly stronger. Its ingredients include coriander and salt, which means it does not comply with the Reinheitsgebot. Both Gose and Berliner Weisse acquire their sourness through the use of lactic acid bacteria in the fermentation in addition to yeast.
The Belgian Lambic is also made with wheat and barley, but differs from the witbier in its yeast. Lambic is a brew of spontaneous fermentation.
[edit] Different names and types of wheat beer
According to the place in which the beer is brewed and small variations on the recipe, several different names are used for wheat beer:
- Weißbier, short Weiße: these terms are used almost exclusively in the southern German state of Bavaria. "weiß" is German for "white" referring to the colour of the foam which arises during the top-fermented brewing process.
- Weizenbier, short Weizen: this name is used outside of Bavaria to indicate the same thing. "Weizen" is the German term for "wheat".
- Hefeweißbier or Hefeweizen: "Hefe" is the German word for yeast. The prefix is added to indicate that the beer is bottle-conditioned and sedimented.
- Kristallweißbier or Kristallweizen: if the weißbier is filtered, the beer will look "clear" (or "kristall").
- Dunkles Weißbier or Dunkles Weizen: a dark version of a wheat beer ("dunkel" is the German word for "dark").
- Weizenbock is a wheat beer made in the bock style originating in Germany. A classic example of this style is Aventinus, made by the G. Schneider & Sohn brewery in Kelheim, Germany.
- Witbier or simply Witte: Dutch name for the Belgian style of wheat beer, often it will be used with a brewery attached, e.g. 'Witte Hoegaarden', Wheat beer from the Hoegaarden brewery in Belgium, or 'Wieckse Witte', a Dutch witbier.
- Bière Blanche or Blanche: French name for these beers.
[edit] Internationalisation
Many breweries in the U.S. as well as in Canada now make their own varieties of hefeweizen (sometimes hefe-weizen) and it is particularly popular in Portland, Oregon, considered one of the US "beer capitals". (The rules of German grammar dictate that nouns, such as "hefeweizen" must be capitalized as "Hefeweizen", although this is almost universally ignored outside of German speaking countries.) North American hefeweizen is a distinct style fermented with ordinary ale yeast, with a different, less estery/fruity character from German Hefeweizen.[1] Hefeweizens made in both the American and German styles are often sold by US breweries as a spring or summer seasonal product.
Weizen is also brewed in Austria.
Wheat beer is also becoming quite popular in Australia. Brands such as Redback and others are making wheat beer more accessible to Australian beer drinkers.
[edit] Presentation
Wheat beer is often served with a slice of lemon though within Bavaria this is usually restricted to Kristallweißbier; this is also not usually done for Witbier. Wheat beer is also often served in special wheat beer glasses. In Belgium these are usually solid glasses, taking 25–33cl. In other countries these take half a litre (plus additional room for the foam), are tall and slim and taper slightly towards the base.
To fill your Weizen into your glass make sure that it's big enough (whole container of beer and room for the head). Put some cold water into the glass, shake it and drain it. Then hold the glass in a 45 degree angle and fill it carefully. Leave some remaining in the bottle and shake it lightly to get all the yeast. Top up the glass with this fluid.
[edit] See also
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[edit] References
- ^ For example, the Beer Judge Certification Program lists several well-known US hefeweizens as examples of its American Wheat or Rye Beer category, which is defined not to have the banana or clove notes characteristic of hefeweizen. [1]
[edit] External links
- WeizenWeb - wheat beer around the world
- Marc Dornan: Wheat Beers
- American Wheat Beers An in-depth article by Roger Bergen in Brewing Techniques magazine.
