Labels:text | newspaper | black and white | paper OCR: weizenbier (wheat beer). While weiss ria is not, giving weizenbier a more tra- Newsletter beer is a low gravity (1.032) beer made ditional beer flavor than the fruity with only 25% wheat malt, weizenbier Berliner Weiss. Though not mixed with By William Moore has a gravity of 1.040 or higher and is fruit syrups, weizenbier is often served made with fourty to sixty percent wheat with a slice of lemon. malt. Like Berliner Weisse, weizenbier Due to its rich wheat character and is generally gently hopped, so as not to clean soft flavor, Weizenbier is the most mask its smooth soft flavor. Top fer- popular style of wheat beer in the United Wheat Beer menting ale yeast is used in brewing States. Weizenbier, called wheat beer in Since first crawling out of his cave, man weizenbier, though lactobacillus bacte- the U.S ., was originally brewed in the United States by 19th century regional has produced bread and beer. Barley brewers, particularly by brewers of has been the predominant brewing German descent in areas of heavy Ger- grain, being the easiest grain to malt and of little interest to bakers. Wheat, on man immigration. Weizenbier sales have increased five-fold in Germany in the other hand, is difficult to malt and desired by bakers, making it the the last 30 years, and wheat beer is cur- rently enjoying a revival by specialty brewer's second choice, particularly in primitive societies, bread being more brewers in the United States, new wheat vital than beer. Beers brewed with beers being brewed by both the Anchor wheat malt, however, have a soft bread- Brewing Company of San Francisco, like flavor and increased head retention. and the Hibernia Brewing Company of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Wheat beer's Wheat beer is beer made from a mix- German popularity has been bolstered ture of malted wheat and malted barley. It is difficult to brew a beer solely from recently by its reputation as a tonic, at least for unfiltered weizenbier with wheat malt, as wheat malt alone gener- ally lacks enough enzymes to convert its vitamin-B packed yeast sediment. Like starchy kernels to sugary extract, and all our home brews, rnany of the tradi- tional commercial German wheat beers huskless wheat malt can clog a grain bed filter during sparging. still cast a live yeast sediment, desig- Though strongly identified today with nated by the brewer as Hefeweizen, hefe Germany, wheat beer was probably first meaning "with yeast". brewed accidentally on a commercial Beers brewed with wheat malt have a scale in England, by brewers who could The Water Bath unique soft bread-like flavor. Wheat not separate the volunteer wheat from Yeast likes a steady temperature. In- malt imparts a soft flavor because, un- the barley comingling in their fields and creases and drops in fermentation like barley malt, malted wheat lacks temperature stress yeast, causing it to husks which invariably leech tannin or consequently in their mash tuns. From England, wheat beer was popularized in release off-flavors and taint the beer. A "grassy" flavors into beer. Germany and Belgium, where today very simple method of temperature con- When poured, wheat beers invariably dozens of wheat beer styles are brewed. trol is the water bath; water buffering give rise to a billowing, cloud-like head Of the many styles of wheat beer, the both internal and ambient temperature that lingers through the last taste, cling- most popular are of German origin. Ber- changes. I use my 8 gallon brewing pot, ing to the sides of the glass and leaving a liner Weisse ("white") from Northern but any large tub will do as long as the delicate lace of foam, like rings around a Germany is a light (starting gravity fermenter is immersed at least half way. tree, testifying to the depth of each swal- around 1.032), vinous, and effervescent Once filled, the water bath will as- low. Besides giving a soft, bready flavor beer made with about 25% wheat malt. sume the temperature of the beer inside to beer, wheat malt increases head re- Fermentation is with top-fermenting the fermenter to within 1 degree after an tention. Wheat proteins have better ale yeast, and a bit of lactobacillus hour. Placing a brewing thermometer in foam-building properties compared to (bacteria) is added before bottling to the waterbath gives an accurate and barley proteins and produce stronger, provide a secondary fermentation and easy to consult temperature reading of more resilient heading bubbles. Weisse's traditional fruity-sour after- the fermenting beer. With the advent of William's Weizen- taste. Perhaps called "white" because its The waterbath controls fermentation malt, a malt extract made with 60% pale golden color was in contrast to the temperature, buffering rises caused by malted wheat and 40% malted barley, darker beers of Munich, or because Ber- fermentation (yeast action can raise the home brewers no longer have to labor- liner Weisse was naturally cloudy. temperature by 9 degrees) to no more iously mash to produce an authentic Berliner Weisse is traditionally served than 2 degrees. A tray of ice cools my 8 wheat beer. When brewing your wheat in large bowl-shaped glasses, and fre- gallon brewing pot waterbath by two de- beer from Weizenmalt, keep in mind quently flavored with raspberry syrup grees. Besides providing cooling against that wheat beer is traditionally made fermentation (and summer) heat peaks, from top-fermenting ale yeast, and or essence of woodruff. Probably due to the popularity of Ber- adding a small aquarium heater to a wa- brewed and aged at room temperature. liner Weisse, the brewers of Southern terbath provides even and gentle heat Our alt beer yeast is the same type of Germany soon developed their own for those with cold brewing areas. German ale yeast strain used to ferment unique wheat beer style, called simply over -> ST1
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