Wheat beers

Fig. 2.75. Chromatographic analysis of a standard solution (a), an orange juice (b), a white wine (c), and a wheat beer (d). 1 = FAD 2 = FMN 3 = RF. Time scale in min F = fluorescence. Reprinted with permission from C. Andres-Lacueva et al. [192].

Although there are quite a large number of homebrewers who began brewing using dry yeast, since dry yeast often comes with homebrew kits, most experienced homebrewers will tell you that liquid yeasts will produce more consistent results and cleaner tasting beers. There are also specialty yeasts, such as wheat beer yeasts, that are only available in liquid form. 

The Belgian wit style is a white wheat beer. It is typically brewed to a moderate gravity (about 1.040-1.050) and is very light in color (2-4 SRM). Wit is moderately hopped with about 15-25 IBU. Many brewers of wit enhance the beer with spices or other flavorings. 

In this chapter, we will include recipes for wheat beer in all its wonderous variations (including weizen, weissbier, and some of the American hybrids), California Common beer (or more precisely Anchor Steam look-alikes, since these beers all try to emulate one brand of a unique beer), and a couple examples of smoked beer, a style brewed commercially in Bamberg, Germany. 

This bears little resemblance to most wheat beers, or any other style. It is a subtle balance of many flavors, lower in alcohol, very refreshing, and quite easy to make. It also benefits from slightly less than normal carbonation. 

This is an amber American wheat beer. Despite a poor match to style, it scored a 34 as a dunkelweizen and a 32 as an American wheat in 2 different national competitions. 

Amazingly, the Whitbread ale yeast gives this wheat beer the phenolic-citric character commonly associated with wheat beers. Since the extract is in dried form, the light color is appropriate for the style, too. This beer took Best of Show at the 1992 Wisconsin State Fair. 

This beer turned out very well. It is not only the best wheat beer I ever made, but also the best fruit beer I ever made. The original recipe used Cara-Pils in place of the crystal and fewer blackberries, so there s definitely room to tweak this recipe and still get great results. 

Top- fermenting Low flocculation German wheat beer, ale, stouL koelsch, alt, Belgian special beer styles (Witheer, Trapist heer), African indigenous hear styles, etc. S. cerevisiae... 

Description of yeast strain TUM 68 Saccharomyces cerevisiae, top-fermenting, Bavarian wheat beer yeast, POF positive... 

Figure 5.3 Description of Saccharomyces cerevisiae TUM 68, a top-fermenting Bavarian wheat beer strain, in terms of fermentation parameters, beer-quality parameters, and aroma. Hutzler et al. (2014).

Schneiderbanger, H., StrauB, M., Hutzler, M., Jacob, F. (2013). Aroma profiles of selected wheat beer yeast strains. Brauwelt Int, 31, 219—222. 

Langos, D., Granvogl, M., Schieberle, P. (2013). Characterization of the key aroma compounds in two Bavarian wheat beers by means of the sensomics approach. Journal of Agricultural arulFood Chemistry, 61, 11303-11311. http //dx.doi.org/10.1021/jf403912j. 

A typical component of certain beers at detectable levels (wheat beers) can be elevated in other beers as an off-flavor due to wild yeast carrying the (phenolic off-flavor gene (POF) (Tressl et al., 1980). 

Styrene (ethenylbenzene) Polystyrene, plastic, burning plastic, styrene. <0.005 Not detectable in normal beer 0.02 Off-flavor produced by contaminant wild yeast during fermentation or a taint from raw materials/packaging. (Styrene has a mechanism of production similar to those of traditional wheat beer phenolics. Related to the POP phenolic off-flavor gene, it may he found in bottle re-fermented beers if POP and strains are present (Schwarz, 2012)). 

Vinyl guaiacol (4-vinylguaiacol 4VG) Spicy, clove, herbal, phenolic. 0.05-0.55 0.3 A typical wheat beer note (Coghe, Benoot, Delvaux, Vanderhaegen, Delvaux, 2004). Wild yeasts or specialty yeasts. 

Wheat beers utilize raw or malted wheat, rather than malted barley, as their primary raw material base. Fermentation may be spontaneous (natural flora of the brewery, Belgian Lambic beers [see below]) or with a top fermentation yeast strain. South German wheat beers (weissbier) utilize a top fermenting yeast strain that produces a characteristic phenolic flavor (4-vinyl-guaiacol, dove-like see Table 18.3 Anderson et al., 2000 McMurrough et al., 1996 Stewart Russell, 1998 Vanbeneden, Gils, Delvaux, Delvaux, 2008). Certain wild yeasts can produce phenohc off-flavors in nonwheat beer styles and as such would be regarded as contaminants. 

Saxby, M. J. (1996). A survey of chemicals causing taints and off-flavors in foods. In M. J. Saxby (Ed.), Food taints and off-flavors (2nd ed.) (pp. 41-71). Blackie Academic Professional. Schwarz, K. (2012). Formation of st5rene dependent on fermentation management during wheat beer production. Journal of Food Chemistry, 134, 2121-2125. 

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