Wheat beer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wheat beer is a beer that is brewed with a significant proportion of wheat. Wheat beers must also contain a certain percentage of malted barley as the enzymes required for starch conversion are not available in wheat alone. 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).[1] Wheat beer is distinguished by its creamy texture and sweet flavour, and some styles 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") 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 country, the name changing from Weizen in the western (Baden-Württemberg) and northern regions to Weißbier or Weiße in Bavaria. Hefeweizen (German for "yeast wheat") is a variety in which the beer is not filtered before bottling, where the yeast continues to act.
[edit] Hefeweizen
Hefeweizen is a German style of wheat beer in which the yeast is not filtered out. Though Kristallweizen (clear), Dunkelweizen (dark), and Weizenstarkbier or Weizenbock (higher alcohol content) varieties are available, they are not considered true hefeweizen unless left unfiltered. The filtration which takes the yeast out of Kristallweizen also strips the wheat proteins which make Hefeweizen cloudy.
Alternate terms for Hefeweizen include: Hefeweißbier, sometimes Weißbier, Hefeweiße, Weizenstarkbier (not necessarily a Hefeweizen unless left unfiltered)
The Hefeweizen style is particularly noted for its low hop bitterness (about 15 IBUs) and relatively high carbonation (approaching four volumes), considered important to balance the beer's relatively malty sweetness.
Another balancing flavour note unique to hefeweizen beer is its phenolic character; its signature phenol is 4-vinyl guaiacol, a metabolite of ferulic acid, the result of fermentation by ale yeast appropriate for the style. Hefeweizen's phenolic character has been described as "clove" and "medicinal" ("Band-aid") but also smoky. Other more typical but less assertive ale flavour notes include "banana" (amyl acetate) and sometimes "vanilla" (vanillin).
Some prominent commercial examples of Hefeweizen are produced by Paulaner, Erdinger, Schneider Weisse (original amber only), Franziskaner, Rothaus, Hacker-Pschorr, Ayinger (Bräu Weisse) and Weihenstephan. The style is nowadays drunk throughout Germany, but is especially popular in its Southern German homeland.
[edit] Kristallweizen
German filtered wheat beer, also known as Kristall Weißbier or Kristallweizen. This beer is often served with a slice of lemon on the rim of the glass, or in the glass. The name comes from the clear appearance of the filtered beer—Kristall being German for crystal.
[edit] Witbier
Witbier, White beer, (French: bière blanche), or simply Witte is a barley/wheat, top-fermented beer brewed mainly in Belgium, although there are also examples in the Netherlands and elsewhere. It gets its name due to suspended yeast and wheat proteins which cause the beer to look hazy, or white, when cold. It is a descendant from those Medieval beers which were not brewed with hops, but instead flavoured and preserved with a blend of spices and other plants referred to as gruut. It therefore still uses gruut, although nowadays the gruut consists mainly of coriander, orange, bitter orange, and hops. The taste is therefore only slightly hoppish, and is very refreshing in summer. The beers have a somewhat sour taste due to the presence of lactic acid.[2] [3] The suspensed yeast in the beer causes some continuing fermentation in the bottle.
Witbier differs from other varieties of wheat beer in the use of gruut. French laws (the territory was French in the 14th century) prohibited the use of hops in gruut. Witbier can be made with raw wheat, in addition to wheat malt.[4] [2]
[edit] Sour varieties
A minor variety of wheat beer is represented by Berliner Weiße (Berlin White), 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.
A very similar light beer variety of the Rhineland, near Düsseldorf, called Weiß ("white") is now almost extinct.
Leipziger Gose is similar to Berliner Weisse but slightly stronger at around 4% ABV. 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 witbier in its yeast. Lambic is a brew of spontaneous fermentation.
[edit] 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".
- Weizenbier, short Weizen: this name is used outside of Bavaria to indicate the same thing.
- Hefeweißbier or Hefeweizen: "Hefe" is the German word for yeast. The prefix is added to indicate that the beer is bottle-conditioned (unfiltered) and thus, might have sediment.
- 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. An example of this style is Aventinus, made by the G. Schneider & Sohn brewery in Kelheim, Germany.
- Witbier or simply Witte: Dutch language name for the Belgian style of wheat beer.
- Bière Blanche or Blanche: French language name for these beers.
[edit] Internationalisation
Many breweries in the U.S. as well as in Canada now make their own varieties of wheat beer. Some North American wheat beers have a distinct style fermented with ordinary ale yeast, with a less fruity taste than the Bavarian styles[5]. Wheat beers made in the American, German, and Belgian 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.
In Brazil, beer brand Bohemia (which was founded by a German immigrant in the 1800s) has begun marketing a "cerveja de trigo" - or wheat beer - called Bohemia Weiss. It is available in supermarkets throughout the country.
A wheat beer has also been put out in New Zealand by Lion Nathan Breweries called Mac's Great White.
Meister Max, a wheat beer, is brewed and sold in Egypt.
In Britain, wheat beer is not considered traditional, but several small brewers produce cask-conditioned varieties, such as, Fuller's Discovery, Oakleaf Eichenblatt Bitte, Hoskins White Dolphin, Fyfe Weiss Squad and Oakham White Dwarf. British wheat beer tends to be a compromise or hybrid of the continental style with an English bitter, rather than an exact emulation.[6][7]
[edit] Serving wheat beer
Wheat beer is often served in special wheat beer glasses. German-style wheat beers are usually served in glasses that hold one-half litre (plus additional room for the foam) and are tall and taper slightly towards the base.
Belgian wits are usually served in smaller, 25cl glasses. Hoegaarden, for example, has a distinctive chunky, hexagonal glass.
Pouring wheat beer into the glass requires a bit of practice, as one has to avoid producing too much head. The two techniques are illustrated here, performed by industrial robots programmed by students of two Bavarian universities: This robot demonstrates the technique of holding the opening of the bottle close to the rim of the glass, while this robot uses the faster immersion technique preferred by bartenders. Note the swivelling of the nearly empty bottle: This serves to pick up the yeast, an important part to unfiltered beer's complete taste. (It should be noted that the outside of the bottle should never come into contact with either the glass or the beer in the glass, as is may be contaminated with dirt, exhaust fumes etc.)
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Eric Warner, German Wheat Beer. Boulder, CO: Brewers Publications, 1992. ISBN 978-0937381342
- ^ a b Belgian Witbier
- ^ http://www2.parc.com/emdl/members/apte/GingerBeer.pdf
- ^ witbier article
- ^ Wheat Beer Varieties
- ^ Adrian Tierney-Jones
- ^ Michael Jackson's Beer Hunter
[edit] External links
- WeizenWeb - wheat beer around the world
- GermanBeerGuide.co.uk - A British website's guide to Hefeweizen
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