Wheat Beer History: Since wheat is a staple grain, it should be no surprise that wheat has been used for several thousand years to brew beer. There is historical evidence to suggest that wheat has been used in brewing much longer than barley, and in fact barley beer became popular only in the last few hundred years (Ref: Daniels). Daniels mentions that in certain historical periods the use of wheat for brewing was actually banned over concerns that too much wheat was being diverted from the food supply to making beer. Modern wheat beer is centered around two German styles: the more popular Bavarian Weissebier from southern Germany and Berliner Weisse from Berlin. A third wheat style that is growing in popularity today is Belgian Wit or white. American wheat beer is similar in many ways to Bavarian Weisse, but without the characteristic Bavarian wheat yeast. German brewing literature contains many references to wheat beer going back at least to the 1400′s in areas spanning from Denmark to Hamburg to Vienna. Bavarian Weisse (white beer) has a much more direct lineage. According to Daniels, the first wheat beers were brewed under noble license of the Degenberger clan in the 15th century. In that same period the first wheat beer brewery was built in Munich, and the brewing of Weissebier was strictly controlled and licensed by various dukes throughout the 16th-18th centuries. In 1872, royal control was finally loosened to move weisse brewing rights into the public domain.
Posted on: Sun, 23 Mar 2014 17:34:23 +0000