American Wheat Beer

Question 1

American Wheat Beer

Category

Answer 1

Standard American Beer

Question 2

American Wheat beer

Overall Impression

Answer 2

• Can display more hop character and less yeast character than German style
• Clean fermentation character allows bready, doughy, or grainy wheat flavors to be complemented by hops flavor and bitterness rather than yeast qualities

Question 3

American Wheat Beer

Aroma

Answer 3

• Low to moderate grainy, bready, or doughy wheat character
• Light to moderate malty sweetness is acceptable
• Moderate to no esters (should reflect relatively neutral yeast strains)
• Banana is inappropriate
• Low to moderate hop aroma
• Can have citrusy, spicy, floral, or fruity character
• No clove phenols

Question 4

American Wheat Beer

Appearance

Answer 4

• Usually pale to yellow gold
• Clarity ranges from brilliant to hazy
• Big, long-lasting white head

Question 5

American Wheat Beer

Flavor

Answer 5

• Light to moderately-strong bready, doughy, or grainy wheat flavor
• May have a moderate malty sweetness or finish quite dry
• Low to moderate hop bitterness
• Balance is usually even, but may be slightly bitter
• Low to moderate hop flavor
• Esters can be moderate to none, but should not include banana
• No clove phenols
• May have a slight crisp finish

Question 6

American Wheat Beer

Mouthfeel

Answer 6

• Medium-light- to medium body
• Medium-high to medium carbonation
• Slight creaminess is optional
• Sometimes have a soft, ‘fluffy’ impression

Question 7

American Wheat Beer

Comments

Answer 7

• Different variations exist, from an easy-drinking fairly sweet beer to a dry, aggressively-hopped beer with a strong wheat flavor

Question 8

American Wheat Beer

History

Answer 8

• American craft beer adaption of the German weissbier style

- First widely popularized by Widmer in the mid-1980s

Question 9

American Wheat Beer

Characteristic Ingredients

Answer 9

• Clean American ale or lager yeast
• Large proportion of wheat malt (often 30-50%)
• American, German, or New World hops are typical

Question 10

American Wheat Beer

Style Comparison

Answer 10

• More hop character and less yeast character than German weissbeir
• Never with the banana and clove character of German weissbeir
• Generally can have the same range and balance as Blonde Ales, but with a wheat character as the primary malt flavor

Question 11

American Wheat Beer

Vital Statistics

Answer 11

• IBUs: 15 - 30
• SRM: 3 - 6
• OG: 1.040 - 1.055
• FG: 1.008 - 1.013
• ABV: 4.0 - 5.5%

Question 12

American Wheat Beer

Commercial Examples

Answer 12

• Bell’s Oberon
• Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat Beer
• Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Ale
• Widmer Hefenweizen