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The ins and outs of everything a wheat beer has to offer.
So many beer styles tend to fall under the love or hate perception, while others solemnly fall under the category of truly underrated and unappreciated. One style that seems to relate so fittingly into both of these categories is wheat beer. Commonly referred to as “girly beers” or “gap bridging beers,” the depth and complexity of this classic and revolutionary style is sadly lost on many beer lovers. Yes, they are commonly enjoyed by female beer drinkers and even more commonly one of the first styles new craft drinkers come to appreciate, but there is much more to those “wits and weizens.”
Peeling apart these layers of your classic wheat beers, author Stan Hieronymus, works through every detail of the process of brewing with wheat in his book “Brewing With Wheat: the ‘Wit’ and ‘Weizen’ of World Wheat Beer Styles.” To truly get a grasp on wheat beers, Hieronymus set out to learn the history as well as understand the culture that surrounds wheat beers. With the help of revered brewers Hans-Peter Drexler of Schneider, Dan Carey of New Glarus, Yvan De Baets of Brasserie de la Senne, and a handful of other respected voices on the style, Hieronymus very much accomplished his task and helps bring wheat beers the recognition they deserve.
Whether he is sharing stories from his travels, giving history lessons on Pierre Celis and other classic Belgian renditions, or walking through the differences in the style in various parts of the world, every aspect of brewing with wheat is encompassed. He even provides a list on every yeast strain suitable for a wheat beer with more details than the common drinker may even desire. Nonetheless, Hieronymus has put together a book that, like the style itself, is fitting and should be respected by every level of drinker and homebrewer alike.
