Wheat Beers

Tasting Notes

There are really no parameters for this beer style since it is so new; interpretations by brewers vary. In general, wheat beers have light grain flavors and aromas characteristic of wheat. They are light to medium in body and are usually pale straw to gold in color, although dark versions do exist. Fruitiness and esters are common in this style. American wheat beers are similar to German wheat beers, but without the spicy/phenolic character of the German beers. Hop aroma and flavor can vary, with bitterness usually ranging from low to medium.

Ingredients

Wheat malt is used in proportions ranging from 25 to 70% of the grist, though generally 40 to 60% is most common. Typically, U.S. wheat beers are brewed with smaller proportions of wheat malt than is found in German wheat beers (50-75%). Dextrin malt and the paler caramel malts are also used. Hopping rates are generally very low, but again this varies from brewery to brewery. American wheat beer does not use the traditional German weizenbier/weissbier yeast, but rather conventional ale yeast or lager yeast. The reason is to avoid the typical spicy/phenolic character of German wheat beers, which many beer drinkers find objectionable.

The information on this page was provided by beer-brewing.com (http://www.beer-brewing.com).