VIDEO: Difference between wheat and wheat beer

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How the term "wheat beer" came about

The term "wheat beer" is based on two different properties that distinguish wheat beer from other types of beer.

On the one hand, wheat beer was initially not used to emphasize the type of grain used in the brewing process, but only to highlight that beer Can be distinguished from other beers in terms of color. There used to be so-called black, red and brown beers, all of which were based on barley malt and are now mostly sold as "dark beers". In contrast to these types of beer, wheat beer was brewed from a mixture of wheat and barley malt, with at least half of wheat malt being used. It was only when the Pilsner brewing method was developed and other light beers were created that the designation "wheat beer" was adopted for all wheat beers regardless of the color. In addition, the various barley beers were classified as either light or dark from this point on.

On the other hand, the term "wheat beer" also goes back to its brewing process. Top-fermenting yeast is used to brew wheat beer, which moves upwards piece by piece during fermentation and creates a white layer there. Because of this distinctive white layer, the beer was called "wheat beer".

The difference to wheat beer

So there is no difference between wheat beer and wheat beer purely in terms of the character of the beer, rather, both, as well as "Hefeweizen" or "Weißes", are used as synonyms for the same beer used. The use of the terms differs depending on the region. While the term "wheat beer" is used almost all over Germany, the term "wheat beer" is common in Bavaria, especially in old Bavaria and in Austria. Black wheat beer also belongs to the wheat beers and thus also to the wheat beer. The only difference to the usual wheat beers is that a different malt is used in the brewing process, which is why the beer is dark in color.

The "Berliner Weisse"

However, the "Berliner Weisse" is not one of the wheat beers. It is a draft beer, i.e. a low-alcohol beer in which a second lactic acid fermentation takes place after the normal fermentation process. This creates lactic acid, which is also responsible for the beer’s comparatively sour taste. For this reason, sweet substances such as woodruff or raspberry syrup are often mixed with Berliner Weisse. The beer is therefore called "white with a shot".

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