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Weyermann® Almanac Beer Recipe of the Month
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Weyermann® Almanac Beer Recipe of the Month
Wheat Ale, American-Style
Wheat Ale Brew – American Pub Wheat is an ale with perhaps 10 to 30% wheat malt. This sets it apart from the classic German. Hefeweizen/Weissbier, which must contain at least 50% wheat malt by law. The wheat portion of an American wheat mash is usually (but not always) pale malt, while the non-wheat portion is usually Pilsner or Pale Ale malt, as well as a few specialty malts.
The recipe below contains about 20 percent pale wheat malt, as well as pale ale malt as the diastatic base, and a small percentage of caramel wheat malt for a bit of color. The hop profile is kept deliberately mild and noble for a spritzy-spicy and refreshing taste experience. For a more robust Northwest character, use almost any hop variety from that region, including Cascade and/or Cluster. These beers are usually served or packaged unfiltered.
Easy-drinking quaffing wheat beers have become particularly popular in American brewpubs. Unlike German hefeweizens/Weissbiers, these brews have next to no yeast-derived phenolic flavors. The rest of the grain bill is often a Pilsner or Pale Ale Malt. Sometimes, such Pub Wheats also contain a small portion of oats, malted or not, for extra creaminess. Vienna Malt, as a source of a reddish tinge, is also a frequent component of a Pub Wheat mash.
Adapt brew house process 2 or 3 as outlined in the section Infusion and Decoction Mashing by the Numbers in chapter 6 of this Almanac. For fermentation temperatures follow the instructions on the yeast package and consult the section Fermentation by the Numbers also in chapter 6. Carbonate to roughly 3.5 g/l of CO2. Package or dispense out of a serving tank unfiltered.
