1D. American Wheat Beer

Question 1

Overall Impression

Answer 1

Refreshing wheat beers that can display more hop character and less yeast character than their
German cousins. A clean fermentation character allows bready, doughy, or grainy wheat flavors to be complemented by hop flavor and bitterness rather than yeast qualities.

Question 2

Aroma

Answer 2

: Low to moderate grainy, bready, or doughy wheat
character. A light to moderate malty sweetness is acceptable. Esters can be moderate to none, although should reflect relatively neutral yeast strains; banana is inappropriate. Hop aroma may be low to moderate, and can have a citrusy, spicy, floral, or fruity character. No clove phenols.

Question 3

Appearance

Answer 3

Usually pale yellow to gold. Clarity may range

from brilliant to hazy with yeast approximating the German weissbier style of beer. Big, long-lasting white head

Question 4

Flavor

Answer 4

Light to moderately-strong bready, doughy, or grainy
wheat flavor, which can linger into the finish. May have a moderate malty sweetness or finish quite dry. Low to moderate hop bitterness, which sometimes lasts into the finish. Balance is usually even, but may be slightly bitter. Low to moderate hop flavor (citrusy, spicy, floral, or fruity). Esters can be moderate to none, but should not include banana. No clove phenols. May have a slightly crisp finish.

Question 5

Mouthfeel

Answer 5

Medium-light to medium body. Medium-high to high carbonation. Slight creaminess is optional; wheat beers sometimes have a soft, ‘fluffy’ impression.

Question 6

Comments

Answer 6

Different variations exist, from an easy-drinking
fairly sweet beer to a dry, aggressively-hopped beer with a strong wheat flavor. American rye beers should be entered in the Alternative Fermentables specialty category

Question 7

History

Answer 7

An American craft beer adaptation of the German

weissbier style using a cleaner yeast and more hops, first widely popularized by Widmer in the mid-1980s.

Question 8

Characteristic Ingredients

Answer 8

Clean American ale or lager yeast (German weissbier yeast is inappropriate). Large proportion of wheat malt (often 30–50%, which is lower than is typical in German weissbiers). American, German, or New World hops are typical.

Question 9

Style Comparison

Answer 9

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