Wheat beer

Wheat beer is a beer, usually top-fermented, which is brewed with a large proportion of wheat relative to the amount of malted barley. The two main varieties are Weissbier and Witbier; minor types include Lambic, Berliner Weisse and Gose.

Two common varieties of wheat beer are Weißbier (German – "white beer") based on the German tradition of mixing at least 50% wheat to barley malt to make a light coloured top-fermenting beer, and witbier (Dutch – "white beer") based on the Belgian tradition of using flavorings such as coriander and orange peel. Belgian white beers are often made with raw unmalted wheat, as opposed to the malted wheat used in other varieties.

Both German Weißbier and Belgian witbier are termed "white beers" because "wheat" has the same etymological root as "white" in most West Germanic languages (including English).

U.S. brewers and Canadian brewers follow both of the main wheat beer traditions, usually with greater variation.

In Britain, wheat beer is not considered traditional; however, sales have increased in recent years. This change has been attributed by some to the reduction in the cost of travelling abroad. This is in line with the rising sales of other speciality products. It tends to be a hybrid of the continental style with an English bitter, rather than an exact emulation.

Other minor wheat beer styles such as Berliner Weiße, Gose, and Lambic are made with a significant proportion of wheat.

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