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Weissbier, or Weissbier, is a top-fermented wheat beer that is most common in southern Germany and Bavaria.
It has a fruity aroma, spicy-banana taste and an abundance of foam. In its manufacture, wheat malt is also added to barley malt, so it is light yellow in color. The aroma is not sharp, pleasant, the alcohol content is 5-5,4%.
The history of Weissbier beer
Wheat beer has a history as long as barley beer, which dates back to the Neolithic. But barley has always been more popular.
In Germany, beer was first known in 736, production began in southern Germany, then spread throughout the country. There was not much wheat in the country, all of it went to baking bread.
On April 23, 1516, the Duke of Bavaria passed a law on the purity of beer. He regulated the production of a drink exclusively from barley malt, yeast, water and hops. Rye and wheat finally blocked the way at the state level.
This decree did not stop the inhabitants of Bavaria: they loved wheat beer so much that they were ready to give up bread for it. It began to be made illegally in the underground. The government knew about this, so they decided to monopolize the production of Weissbier.
The bottom line is simple: money to the state – beer to the people. Noble feudal lords decided that beer would now be brewed in the godforsaken forest village of Schwartzakh. Such products cost fabulous money.
After a hundred years, production finally saw the light. In the very heart of Munich, a brewery was installed, which is a beer “Weisses bräuhaus”. Later, they learned about the manufacturing technology throughout the country, and the drink had subspecies and a culture of consumption.
From Bavaria, this beer first came to Nuremberg, then to the current capital – Berlin. It experienced a number of bursts of popularity, the last one was in the 80s and 90s, as home and craft brewing began to grow.
This beer came to the territory of Russia only in the 2000s, but in our country the technology of bottom fermentation, not top fermentation, is used. It’s called camp. There is top fermentation, but it’s rare.
Types of Weissbier beer
Hefeweitzen
Translated as “yeast wheat” beer, it is the most famous variety of Weizenbier. Unfiltered, so slightly cloudy. It is believed that yeast enriches its taste.
If you want to enjoy a clear drink, pour the bottle at a time. If you want classics, pour only a part. Place the bottle with the residue in a horizontal position, wait until the sediment floats, and pour the drink into a glass. Beer is considered summer, it is recommended to cool it to 10 ° C.
crystalweizen
This is the same hefeweizen, only carefully filtered, which makes the drink crystal clear. A clean, sparkling drink with a distinct fruit flavor is perfect for the hot season.
Sometimes it is called champagnerweizen because of the abundance of carbon dioxide, it looks like sparkling wine. It is considered the lightest of the entire line. Served chilled at 7–8 °C.
Dunkelwitzen
This type is distinguished by the fact that it is brewed from dark varieties of hefeweizen by adding a large amount of barley to wheat.
Due to this, the color is darker, the strength index is higher (4,8-5,8 °). This variety, in contrast to the two above, is considered suitable for winter. In terms of taste, it is more tart, clove and banana are more clearly heard in it. It is not chilled before serving.
Goze
In this beer, coriander is added to wheat, salted. It tastes sour, gives off the smell of dried fruits.
Berliner Weiss
This drink is based on two main ingredients: lactobacilli and wheat malt 25-50%. This creates high acidity, so the drink is not recommended to drink without a snack.
As a rule, in the process of bottling in containers, it is sweetened with raspberry or bedstraw syrup (honey grass).
Weizenbock
This is what we are used to seeing in Russia: strong bottom-fermented beer.
Whitbir
Another name for blanche. It comes from Flanders, is not filtered, bottom-fermented.
It is customary to add unmalted wheat, orange peel and coriander to barley malt.
How to drink Weissbier
Wheat beer is taken from tall glasses narrowed at the bottom. To prevent too much foam, the bottle is pre-cooled. Interestingly, the bottom of the glass has a thickening so that it does not break: the bottom part is usually clinked after toast.
As for how to pour beer into a glass, opinions differ. Some people are used to pouring beer into a glass slowly at an angle, others put a glass on the container and turn it upside down sharply.
Weissbier production features
Weissbier production technology is the same as that of wheat ale, which it, in essence, is. Wheat malt, barley malt and high temperatures are used because the top fermentation method is used. Hops are present, but not as much as in barley beer, so the beer does not give off bitterness.
If you want to make the beer drier in taste, you can add grassroots yeast.
Unfiltered beer tastes more interesting, but is inferior to filtered beer in terms of shelf life, which is why it is often filtered.
Interesting Facts
High-quality top-fermented wheat beer can also be found on the Russian market. For example, “Khamovniki wheat” in 2014 was awarded the medal of the international award “Monde Selection 2014”.
Weissbier has a specific fruity taste due to the reaction of trace elements and yeast bacteria in the composition of malted wheat.
There is a lot of foam because wheat is more saturated with protein than other grains.
Relevance: 09.03.2020
Tags: Beer, Cider, Ale, Beer brands