American Wheat: Style of the Month

Author: Jeff Frane Issue: January 1997

Charting the New American Wheat Beer

The microbrewery revolution in the late 1980s introduced Americans to an abundance

of flavor that had been missing from their beer if not altogether, at least for a long
time. For the most part that flavor came from hops. It was as though brewers had just
discovered hops and how they could add bitterness and flavor; they tended to go wild
with them, sometimes completely overboard. Pyramid Pale Ale was so drenched in
Cascade hops that one glass would ruin a drinker for any other beer that evening you
couldnt even taste anything else. Bridgeport Golden Ale (gone now, alas) originally
was so thick with hops that the lupulin coated the roof of your mouth. A number of beer
drinkers became instant hopheads, but the flavors werent for everyone.
Unfortunately for hop freaks there just werent enough of us around to sell beer to. After
all, Americans had been told for years that bitter is bad, and the idea of beer with a lot of
flavor seemed alien to most people. In response to this less-than-enthusiastic reaction to
hop teas, microbrewers began to experiment with a different approach: brewing beers
with a bit less intensity and a lot less hop presence.
In England brewers had always offered two basic options for the drinker: bitter and
mild. People who liked their beer with some bite drank bitter, and those who favored
malt and richness drank mild. During the microbrewery surge the term mild never
caught on (and marketers tended to steer away from references to bitter), but the
concept did. What emerged as the American mild was the American wheat beer, a beer
that profiled the malt and downplayed the hops.
Theres a certain amount of bickering about where the first new American wheat beer
appeared, but it was probably an experimental offering by the Anchor Brewing Co.
Other versions appeared in the Northwest, including a wheaten ale from Pyramid. What
is not arguable, I think, is which brewery had the greatest success with a wheat beer and
persuaded virtually everyone to include a version in their line of beers.
Here in Portland, Ore., Widmer Brewing Co. got into microbrewing with a beer that
appealed to a real hard-core beer fan, a true-to-style Dusseldorfer altbier that was rich,
intense, and very bitter. Great stuff but with a limited market. Other seasonal beers
appeared that were less demanding and found a greater appeal, but it was with the
release of its weizenbier that Widmer really found its niche. And it was the brewerys
hefeweizen, an unfiltered, murky beer invariably served with a slice of lemon, that
propelled Widmer into the lead in Oregons highly competitive market.
Widmers wheat beer has retained its appeal over the following decade. Oregon has a
much wider draft sale than most regions of the country, and Widmers hefeweizen was
second only to Budweiser in sales (although still way behind Bud). This spring the beer
appeared in bottles for the first time and swamped the retail market.

Throughout the region and around the country American wheat beers (sometimes with
the addition of fruit flavors) have developed an amazing popularity, accounting for a
significant portion of the craft brewery market. American beer drinkers still, apparently,
arent especially comfortable with heaps of hops. However, they seek some more flavor
in their beer and, perhaps, want to catch a ride on the craft-brewery bandwagon. Like
their Bavarian counterparts, they seem to view unfiltered wheat beers almost as health
food, a rich source of vitamin B.
In Europe wheat beers have a lot of character. Bavarian weissbiers are rich in clove,
vanilla, and fruity
flavors, while Belgian witbiers are spiced with coriander and bitter orange. Distinctive
yeasts and a high proportion of wheat in the grist help the beers stand out from more
mainstream lagers and pils.
American wheat beers, by contrast, are considerably toned down, although generally
with much more malt flavor than in the basic American pilsner. Most are top fermented,
using the same yeast strain the brewery uses for its line of ales, but bigger breweries are
beginning to produce similar beers using lager strains. For example Blitz-Weinhard
Brewing Co. in Portland, Ore., brews a very credible version with a lager yeast (and
honey).
What isnt obvious is how much difference the contribution of malted wheat really
makes to these beers. In Bavarian weissbiers the high (60 to 70 percent) proportions of
wheat affect the flavor, color, and even the dense head, but in American wheat beers the
proportions are lower (30 to 50 percent), and the critical decoction mash is eliminated.
American wheat beers rarely look different from blonde ales, except that they tend to be
clouded by protein haze. It seems likely that a fairly small amount of malted wheat
could be included without changing the beers character much, as long as hopping rates
are held down and an emphasis on malt flavor is continued.
Unfiltered versions, of course, are often served with a dense haze of yeast. At one time
Widmer responded to customer demands by changing its racking process to increase the
amount of yeast carried over into the kegs; hefeweizen fans objected to beer that was
too clear.
In general American wheat beers are pale. Dark versions (dunkelweizens) appear but
lack the overall appeal of the paler beers. In some cases, of course, fruit extracts have
been added and the beers take on some color (pink or even blue!) from the fruit, but
even then, the contribution is not great.
The malts chosen for these beers are simple: pale lager malt (two-row), some pale
caramel malt (cara-pils is common) and, of course, some malted wheat. Richer, highly
colored caramel malts dont work well in producing a very pale beer, although they
might be included in very small portions. In the early experimental days Pyramid
Breweries Inc. fiddled with a roasted wheat malt, but the beer never caught on. I
recently discovered cara-wheat in the market, and it might be an interesting ingredient
for the experimentally minded homebrewer.
Extract brewers need not be left out. Wheat malts are now widely available in extract
form, either pure or blended with malted barley. I look for the palest possible brands,

such as Alexanders. For added body some cara-pils malt and some pale lager malt can
be used in a mini-mash and added to the extract wort.
As pseudo-Bavarian beers, many American wheat beers are hopped with German
varieties or, more likely, American clones of German varieties. But the familiar Cascade
and other American hop varieties are widely used. In fact a blend of continental and
American hops may be considered essential to a true American wheat beer. Because
bitterness and hop presence is subdued in these beers, low-alpha hops are the best bet (at
about 7 percent Cascades are pushing the upper edges and need to be used with
caution). New strains, such as Mt. Hood, Liberty, and Ultra, are good choices, along
with traditional varieties such as Tettnanger and Hallertauer. Willamette, a very floral
variety, works well blended with the Continental types.
Any good ale yeast is appropriate, especially one with a neutral profile. Fruitiness isnt a
common characteristic of American wheat beers, so some of the more estery British
strains probably wouldnt work well. Widmer, for example, uses a German topfermenting strain from a Dusseldorf alt brewery (try culturing some from the bottle) that
emphasizes malt. Most yeast companies carry a similar strain. Certainly the most
prevalent brewpub yeast is the Sierra Nevada strain, Wyeasts 1056. Brewers love this
yeast because it is vigorous, works in a wide range of temperatures, and is very neutral
in flavor definitely appropriate for American wheat beers.
Brewing these wheat beers, even from all-grain, is very simple. A two-step infusion
mash can be done to include a protein rest, but many brewers use a single British-style
infusion mash, at about 150 F. Because some haze is typical of the style, it isnt
necessary to struggle too much with the proteins from the wheat. Higher temperatures
(around 155 F) will increase the maltiness of the beer. Original gravities are moderate,
around 1.045, much like a standard pale ale.
The same methods used for fermenting and bottling ales are followed for American
wheat beers. They are best served fresh (theyre unlikely to need, or benefit from, any
aging) and fairly cool. Diehard yeast gobblers can roll the bottle before pouring or swish
the last few ounces of beer to disturb the yeast sediment. Adding a slice of lemon can
give the beer a little zip and a refreshing tartness.