Beer Style: Wheat Beer Family
American Wheat
American wheat owes some of its heritage to German wheat beers, but this style is decidedly New World.
Dunkelweizen
Dunkelweizen, a dark, German wheat beer with just the right balance of malty/bready flavors and wheat beer aroma.
Carissa Sweigart’s Cranberry Wit
One of the winners of Boston Brewing Company’s LongShot contest.
Belgian Wit
Belgian wit had all but disappeared when Pierre Celis began his brewing career in the 1950s. Celis is credited for reviving the style in Belgium during his stint at the Hoegaarden brewery; then he moved to Texas, launched his own Belgian brewery and kick-started the style in the United States.
Hoegaarden Original White Ale clone
Brouwerij De Kluis, Hoegaarden
This is the standard by which all witbiers are measured. Hoegaarden Wit is cloudy and very pale golden in color, with a restrained white head and aromas of coriander and wheat that are impossible to ignore.
Gettin’ Down Wit a Kiss O’ Hops (Wheat Beer)
A low-ABV farmhouse beer style beer, meant for consumption after a long, hot day toiling in the fields. The turbid mash and unmalted grains help provide grainy character while the yeast is the main driver. Adding some a mild Brett yeast can be a fun twist. Brewers can substitute in flaked grains if berries are hard to come by.
Hazed & Confused
While originally brewed with a wit yeast, I thought a saison yeast might play nicely in the mix as well. The pepper hints from the Saaz and grains of paradise melded nicely while the orange provide a slight citrus character.
Amber Waves of Wheat (Wheat Beer)
If you’re looking for an experimental brewing technique, turbid mashing is a fun one to experiment with. This recipe provides outlines to brew up a low-ABV, Belgian-inspired, turbid-mashed beer. Get your stuykmanden ready!
Blanche de Ballard (Belgian Witbier)
To duplicate the authentic slightly sour tang of this style, using the Belgian liquid yeast strain is recommended. There are no finishing hops so that the aroma and character of the spices and yeast can surface. The best results can be obtained from the coriander by buying the whole seed and grinding it fresh on brew day. A complex and refreshing treat to savor in any season. Recipe submitted by The Cellar Homebrew, Seattle, Washington, www.cellar-homebrew.com
Belgian Witbier
Witbier nearly went extinct after the Second World War, but now — thanks mostly to Pierre Celis — the style is roaring back. Learn the ingredients and methods to brew this cloudy, tangy, spicy brew.
Brewing with Wheat: Tips from the Pros
Two pros — Kris Kalav (Minhas Craft Brewery) and Matt Brophy (Flying Dog Brewery) — give their tips for brewing with that glutenous grain, wheat.
Berliner Weisse (Napoleon’s Champagne)
The biggest challenge to making a Berliner weisse is making a light, clean base beer, then rapidly souring it with bacteria. You need to sour the beer fairly rapidly since it’s a low gravity beer and doesn’t have a lot of alcohol to act as a preservative.
