Wheat beer
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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 brewed using both ale and lager brewing techniques.
Varieties
The two most common varieties of wheat beer are Belgian witbier and German Weizenbier.Belgian witbier ("white beer") are based on the best-known example, Hoegaarden Wit. Such beers get their name from the suspended wheat proteins 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 Weizenstarkbier (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.
Sour varieties
A minor variety of wheat beer is represented by Berliner Weisse, which is low in alcohol and quite tart.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.
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 or Weizen: "weiß" is German for "white", so this seems to translate to "white beer". It is, however, not lighter in colour than other beer. The term weiß has its origin in the white colour of the foam which arises during the top-fermented brewing process. Although often assumed, the term weiß has nothing to do with Weizen (wheat). The term Weizen is used in the old parts of Bavaria.
- 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.
- Weizenbier or simply Weizen: this name is mainly used in Northern and Western Germany to indicate the same thing. "Weizen" is the German term for "wheat".
- Hefeweißbier: "Hefe" is the German word for yeast. The prefix is added to indicate that the beer is bottle-conditioned and sedimented.
- Kristallweißbier: if the hefeweissbier is filtered, the beer will look "clear" (or "kristall").
- Dunkles Weizen: it is 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.
Internationalisation
Many breweries in the U.S. as well as in Canada now make their own varieties of hefeweizen and it is particularly popular in Portland, Oregon, considered the US "beer capital". Paradoxically, most American hefes are fermented with ordinary ale yeast and do not have the character of German hefeweizen.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. [link] Weizen is also brewed in Austria.Wheat beer is also becoming quite popular in Australia.
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.See also
References
External links
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