Winter is already edging toward the door, and the spring seasonals are starting to move the darker beers to the side. To me, wheats and wits epitomize the spring seasonals. Light and refreshing, but still full of flavor, wheat beers go well with the warmer—and longer—days of spring.
Wheat
Law Breakers
Wheat beers may seem a bit timid compared to the hop bombs and ambitious high-gravity beers we’re used to now but, wheat beers were actually ground-breakers back in the day. The earliest wheat beers, also known as both Weissbier (white beer) and Weizenbier (wheat beer) emerged from beneath the heavy hand of the Reinheitsgebot. This German purity law decreed beer could only be made using barley, water and hops (and later, yeast).
However, a group of Bavarian rulers enjoyed wheat beer so much, they created a regulation in 1520 that allowed one remote brewery to brew their beer using malted wheat as well as malted barley. This single brewery, located in the Bavarian Forest near what is now called the Czech Republic, was the only producer of wheat beer until 1602, when the last overseeing Duke of Degenberg died and the brewery was passed to a new group of Dukes—the Wittlesbachs.
The Schneider Brewery in Munich
Fortunately, the new Duke (Duke Maximilian I) also enjoyed Weissbier, and he decreed that the beer brewing be expanded beyond the edge of the Bavarian border. Under the new command of the Wittelbacchs (who held the exclusive contract), the brewing of wheat beer expanded so that its sale provided almost a third of the State of Bavaria’s revenues, and is said to have funded the Bavarian Army during the Thirty Years War.
Lost to History
Near the end of the 1700’s, dark lagers began to grow in popularity again, so the Wittelsbachs relinquished their sole rights (which they were also paying dearly for) to allow any brewers in the region to brew a wheat beer. But even opening up the market didn’t help the failing style, and by the middle of the 1800s the last brewer still willing to take on the brewing of wheat beer was George Schneider I. If that name sounds familiar, it should—the Schneider Weiss is still one of the most respected brewers of Weissebier in the world.
Back in the States
Wheat beer in a proper glass.
Most people in the U.S. think of Hefeweizen when they think of wheat beer. Hefeweizen can be recognized by its slightly cloudy appearance (which is an example of when cloudy is good) and its aroma of banana and cloves, which is a byproduct of the yeast. The hop character should be low, and the vigorous carbonation should lead to a thick, frothy head of foam.
Summer Pours
Rumor has it that Mendocino Brewing could be releasing a wheat beer this season, and they have already pay homage to the style with their tasty White Ale seasonal released a few summers ago. While not a true wheat beer, it does use a good bit of wheat in the recipe, and can be considered a subset of the style.
What light and springy beers are you keeping an eye out for this spring? Let us know in the comments below!