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Every thought about craft wheat beers?

Wheat beers are beers made mostly of wheat with ample portions of malted barley. Wheat beers are top-fermented and its flavors vary with the brewing style and the proportions of its ingredients. Wheat beers are light to medium bodied with a light amber color. They are crisp to the taste with a tinge of acidity and can be just a little bit bitter.

Wheat beers has a couple of varieties examples of which are witbierss, weissbier and other wheat beers such as American Wheat beer.

Belgian Wheat Beers

Witbierss (WIT)

Witbierss or what is also called as Belgian white beer because of their pale, amber color , is the Belgian version of wheat beer. It is brewed with different flavoring such as orange peel and coriander and also other spices and herbs called “gruit” along with its main ingredient of wheat. Witbierss are initially hazy but when they are cooled, its color change white. Witbierss has a bit of a sour taste mainly because of the lactic acid that is present.

German Wheat Beers

Weissbier

Weissbier is the German version of wheat beer brewed by mixing an equal proportion of wheat and barley malt. There are many types of Weissbers and some of the most common are Hefeweizen which is brewed unfiltered, Kirstallweizen which is filtered during the brewing process to remove the yeast and the wheat proteins which gives it a cloudy appearance. Dark weissbiers usually has high alcohol content compared to the light-colored ones.

Dunkelweizen

Dunkelweizen is another German wheat beer that is similar to weissbier except that it is more darker in color with a softer and more malty taste. The dark color of dunkelweizen is due to its lightly roasted pale malt.

Weizenbock

Wiezenbock is a beer brewed weizen style except that it is 50% stronger compared to weissbiers and dunkelzeizen with 7% alchohol content. Wiezenbocks has intense spice and fruit flavors with a little taste of alcohol.

Berliner Weisse (more…)

The evolution of brewing of the Indian pale ale (IPA) stated back in the late 1700’s. During the early brewing years in Great Britain, an error was committed at the early stage of beer making that caused the color of beer to be dark and murky. This problem was seen in the malting process which converts the starch in grain to sugar. The malting process was becoming more controllable by the later part of the 18th century. Brewers then conceptualized their own procedure to soak barley and allowed it to sprout. They had to halt germination. This was done through “kilning” which is the process of wet grain drying using the oven. But the style used in controlling the oven temperature to dry the wet grain using the oven was considered primitive.

Through the years, malting process became more controlled and the grains produced were not as “kilned”. Brewers used this breakthrough to their advantage. The color of the beer at this stage is still deep copper but a little paler now.

In the late 1700’s Hogdson was the most popular ale brewer in London. With easy access to shipping from the capital, Hogdson was in position to supply beer to homesick English colonists around the world. Of these, none felt so removed, nor thirsted more for the pleasures of English breweries, than the troops garrisoned on the sub-continent of India. Hogdson rightly believed it a huge market waiting to be tapped, but how could beer survive the trip around Africa?

During the late 1700’s, Hogdson was the known brewer in London. Hogdson used three brewing methods. First that was used hops as a natural preservative. Next he incorporated alcohol at a high level to the brewing done. Lastly, the use of hopping was again added as a preservative. This method modified Pale ale beer and consumers liked it. The modification resulted to changes that were more or less comparable to the old pale ale. To identify closely one from the other, the new one was renamed Indian pale ale.

A distinct characteristic of Indian pale ale is the alcohol content and hopping. Some modifications done to this beer is the additions of carapils malt and crystals which contribute to the deep copper/amber color. Generally, IPA in its traditional form possesses a perfumy, alcohol, fruity and malty feature and the newer versions always the malt with strong hops. Varieties of Goldings and Fuggles are used by English brewers. The American version of the IPA are Northern Brewer, Cascade and Chinook which exudes off a citric or grapefruit-like flavors.

The Indian pale ale (IPA) works best to the palate if paired with delicate cuisine and seafood dishes. It works well with strong cheese-taste, casserole dishes, stews, barbeques and red meat menus. It works well, as well, when taken alone. Drinkers favor to consume them in the winter and also enjoyable throughout the year.