Brewing Wheat Beer Can be Done at Home - By: Allen Markson

The history of wheat beer is almost as old as the history of brewing. Since wheat is a staple grain, like rice in eastern Asia, it should come as no surprise that it has been used for brewing for thousands of years. It is most commonly found in Europe where it has been brewed the longest, but it has found recent popularity among American home brewers in the past couple decades.

Although the brewing techniques have to be changed a little from other forms of beer, the process is still very similar to most brewing and is not typically more complicated. However, there are some key differences when it comes to home brewing wheat beer that most brewers, and drinkers, should take into consideration before brewing it themselves.

There are two common kinds of wheat beer to know about: Weissbier and Witbier. Hefeweizen is a traditional beer which retains a cloudy color due to the lack of filtration involved in the brewing process. Kristallweizen is, if the name doesn't give it away, a filtered beer with more clarity than Hefeweizen.

Witbier is so named because it can appear to be white and cloudy when it is cold. These are known for not being brewed with hops, substituting a blend of spices known as gruit, which contains things like coriander and orange.

For professional brewers, there can be some tricky differences between brewing wheat beers as opposed to other beers. Because wheat mashes are harder to work with than malt mashes, home brewing wheat beer can sometimes require a different technique and sometimes even different equipment.

Breweries with upward-infusion mash vessels or lauter tuns equipped with a rake system will have no problem adapting to a wheat beer, but that might not be the case for many breweries used to barley malts. For home wheat beer brewers, these might not be hot issues. For the home brewer, wheat beer brewing doesn't necessarily have to be so complicated.

Wheat lacks essential enzymes that are needed for the conversion of sugar during the mashing process. Because of this, malted wheat is combined with barley malt to provide the needed enzymes, usually in a 50/50 ratio. The strain of yeast used typically determines a great deal of the flavor.

Bavarian wheat beer often has a very recognizable clove and banana flavor because of their yeast, while Berliner Weisse is typically a very tart beer and American wheat beers are a much more neutral flavor because of the common ale yeast used. Fermenting temperatures also vary, but average out around 65F.

Wheat beer is an old and beloved beer among many different cultures. The way it is served is as varied as the cultures themselves. In America, you can find it served with a slice of lemon or orange, which Bavarians frown upon.

Rather, they will place a grain of rice in the glass for longer-lasting foam and sometimes they will even mix it with cola or lemonade. No matter how you like your wheat beer, you can find it in pubs all across the world and it remains a favorite on man bar menus.

About the Author

Allen writes on a number of subjects related to home brewing beer, wheat beers and kegerator conversion kits.

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Allen-Markson/69019

Additional Articles From - Home | Food & beverage | Home brewing