| Beer Gourmet News
March 2010 - Issue 4 |
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| Greetings! |
What are the Four W's? Wheat, Wit, Weizen, Weisse
 Any beer made with wheat might be called a "wheat beer", but after you drink a few different brands, you start to realize that there is a huge difference between them. Hopefully, we can help you understand some of the major types of wheat beer that are commonly available and help you to figure out which one best suit your taste preferences.
Spring and summer are usually the common "seasons" for wheat beer as if they need to have a season. Most wheat beers are light, drinkable, refreshing beers that work well at warm weather picnics or while simply sitting outside on a sunny Sunday morning, but many are perfect year-round for any occassion.
German Wheat
Southern Germany is renowned for its world-class breweries, and while most people know them for their high quality lager beers, Bavaria is also the world's leading region for wheat beers, which are commonly labeled as either "weizen" or as "weissbier" -- but don't confuse the latter with the "weisse" beers of Berlin, they are wildly different animals.
Traditional beer purists feel that wheat beers with yeast have a more rounded, fuller bodied feeling and that the filteration process removes some of the flavor. There are a lot of people who prefer traditional wheat beers with the yeast and proteins still in the beer. Breweries who cater to traditionalists often label their wheat beers "hefe-weizen" or "mit hefe", which means "with yeast," and that's exactly what it is.
Dunkelweizen
Dunkelweizen is a dark wheat beer. Color is the key, and the color comes about in the brewhouse in one of two ways. Either the brewer blends some dark malted wheat into the grist. The dark malt is pale malt that is lightly toasted in a kiln to give it some color. Colored malts also add flavor complexity -- maybe a bit of a caramel like flavor, or a bit of toast or biscuit-like flavor.
Belgium Wit
Belgium enjoys a huge reputation for its high-quality ales, but when it comes to wheat beers, there's really only one style, Wit beer, and only one major brand imported to the United States is Hoegaarden. Wit is a wonderful springtime beer! It's light and refreshing, with a bit of cloudiness to it, a slightly tart acidic bite, and some light spiciness from coriander and curacao orange. Hoegaarden is what every Wit beer is measured against as they are the original Wit beer.
American Wheat
These are usually drinkable beers that taste like a cross-between the German weizen style and an American light ale. There's none of the banana or clove signature of the German styles, but there is some cloudiness and a little tartness. It's generally smooth, drinkable and balanced beer.
Flavored Wheat
Serious beer connoisseurs like to sneer at flavored beers, but a lot of people like the refreshing flavors of fruit or honey and light spices that different brewers use to attract new consumers to the beer marketplace. These styles offer a lot of room for creativity and innovation, and the beers often appeal to woman. If your the kind of consumer who doesn't usually like beer and your don't think tartness sounds good, then these are the kind of beers you might actually enjoy. Give 'em a shot!
We hope we "cleared" up a little bit of haze and cloudiness when it comes to wheat beers and which one suits you best. There are so many to choose from and listed below are a few of our favorites.
Cheers! |
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| Beer Gourmet Pairings |
Following Restaurants in the Cedar Valley have Beer and Food Pairings. Check them out!
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POURING A WHEAT BEER |
Because of its unique shape, extra care must be taken when pouring a beer into a wheat beer glass to produce the desired head volume. The traditional method of pouring Weissbier is to first rinse the glass with cold water, then, without drying the glass, hold the bottle and glass almost horizontally while slowly pouring the beer. When the level of the beer touches the lip of the bottle, slowly begin to bring the glass upright. When there is less than one inch (or a few centimeters) of beer left in the bottle, swirl the bottle vigorously to pick up the sediment and create foam, which is poured on top. If done correctly, the foam should just crest the lip of the glass without pouring over.
Another method is to open the bottle and put the glass over it. Then turn both. Take the bottle out of the glass slowly while the beer moves from the bottle to the glass. This must be done very slowly, without fast movements.
Enjoy your wheat, weisse, wit or weizen beer, just be sure to pour it in a glass. You will enjoy your beer much better the way it is meant to be served.
Cheers!
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| Michelob Wheat Sampler |
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The Michelob Sampler Seasonal Pack includes Shock Top, Michelob Dunkel weisse, Hop Hound Amber Wheat and Michelob Honey Wheat. It's a great way to sample a variety of Wheat beers. They won't last long so pick one up today! | |
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| WHEATS ONE TO CHOOSE? |
Hoegaarden Wit Bier -(pronounced whogarden) Wheat beer with a distinctive hazy, yellow color. The aroma is slightly spicy, with coriander and orange. The taste is slightly sweet, with slight citrus sourness. 2006 Gold Medal World Beer Cup
Shock Top Beligan White - is unfiltered Belgian-style wheat ale, which is naturally cloudy and has a light golden color. It is brewed with orange, lemon and lime peels and coriander, resulting in a refreshing beer for adults. Available year-round.
2006 Gold Medal North American Beer Awards
Hop Hound Amber Wheat - is brewed with Imported Hallertau and Pacific Northwest hops, this well-formed ale gets its tawny hue from a blend of the finest wheat, caramel, carapils and pale barley malts. Though unfiltered, Hop Hound Spiced Wheat truly shines in its taste - a hint of caramel, with a subtle sweetness - and aroma - malty and hoppy, balanced by a mild hint of citrus. Available in the spring.
2009 CSN Best New Product Award
Bud Light Golden Wheat - is the first light beer brewed with golden wheat and a hint of citrus, created for smooth drinkability. Full-flavored beer with 30% fewer calories than traditional wheat beers.
Michelob Dunkel Weisse - is slightly sweet, dark wheat beer. Experience a darker side of wheat beer with this unfiltered dunkel weisse that boasts of clove and banana flavors layered over a malty body.
2007 Gold Medal North American Beer Award
Widmer Hefeweizen - America's Original Hefeweizen. A golden unfiltered wheat beer that is truly cloudy and clearly superb. Ever since Widmer introduced Hefeweizen to America in 1986, has been the standard by which all other Hefeweizens are judged. 2008 Gold Medal World Beer Cup
Goose Island Urban Wheat - The beer isn't filtered, so none of its life and soul is stripped away. The first thing you notice is the hazy, cloudy appearance. That's how you know it's unfiltered. What hits you next is the spicy aroma of Cascade hops, followed by the crispy, fruity ale flavor delivered in a smooth, creamy body, the result of blending barley malt with torrified wheat. 2006-2007 Gold Medal GABF Awards and 2008 Silver Medal World Beer Cup
Samuel Adams Coastal Wheat - The spiciness of the Hallertau Mittelfruh and Spalt Spalter hops balance out the slightly sweet character of our brewery's own signature wheat malt, resulting in a crisp and refreshing wheat beer with a subtle lemon aroma and flavor.
Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat - follows the centuries old American tradition of brewing beer with native ingredients, in this case Michigan cherries as well as a touch of honey. The sweet fruitiness of the cherries is balanced against the crisp, cereal note from the malted wheat and the subtle citrus flavor from the Noble hops. The end result is a sweet, refreshing beer that is light on the palate but long on complexity. 2006 Gold Metal World Beer Cup, 2006 Silver Medal North American Beer Award and 2003 Gold Medal North American Beer Award
Samuel Adams Blackberry Wit - is brewed with orange peel, coriander and complemented by the subtle sweetness of Oregon Marion blackberries. By bringing the blackberries, orange and coriander together with an appealing malt character and a spiciness from the hops, we've brewed a flavorful beer with a smooth finish that's both sweet and tart.
O'Fallon Wheat - Winner of the bronze medal for American Hefeweizens at the 2005 Great American Beer Festival! A fresh, clean-tasting American Wheat Beer that's not filtered, so there's a trace of the yeast in the beer for a smooth, full-bodied, velvety texture and a creamy head. 2005 Silver Medal GABF Award
O'Fallon Wheach - Imagine their smooth, clean wheat beer with a touch of peach and you get the idea behind O'Fallon Wheach, our peach wheat beer. Refreshing and crisp, it's perfect for warm summer weather. Available March 1.
Millstream Windmill Wheat - Their lightest beer, this is a popular brew in rural Iowa. Malted wheat is carefully blended with the traditional malted barley, and brewed with special hops to create a "Summer Fest" beer. 1990 Gold Medal GABF Award
John's Generations White Ale - Ale's are belgian style of beer, often refered to as "Wit" beer. Their version of this classic style is a wonderful spicy brew, infused with coriander and orange peel. It has a crisp refreshing flavor, and a slight 'white' haze from the large percentage of wheat used in the mash. Millstream produced this beer for John's Grocery of Iowa City, the largest and most famous beer and wine retailer in the state of Iowa. The business has been handed down to three Generations of the Alberhasky family, and thus the name. 2007 Silver Medal GABF Award
Olde Main Dinkey Wheat - Named for the train that used to run from Downtown Ames to the ISU Campus, Dinkey Wheat has a flavor derived from coriander, chamomile and orange peel, making for an enjoyable and unique drinking experience | |
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 MANDARIN ORANGE & SPINACH SALAD |
by Hy-Vee Cedar Falls Executive Chef
1 pkg. fresh spinach
1 pkg. chopped iceberg lettuce
1 (11 oz.) can whole segment mandarin oranges
1 (12 oz.) bottle Shock Top Beligan White
1 to 1 1/2 c. almonds (whole, sliced or slivers)
1 pkg. Good Seasons Italian dressing mix
4 tbsp. orange marmalade
Wafer thin slices purple onion
Thinly sliced green bell pepper
Thinly sliced red bell pepper
Wafer thin slices cucumber with peel
Salad: Drain oranges, set aside syrup. Then wash and dry spinach and lettuce. Cut up half of spinach and half of lettuce. Place whole leaves of spinach and whole leaves of lettuce in individual salad plates or bowls. Add cut-up leaves. Garnish with cucumber, red and green bell peppers, onion and orange slices. Sprinkle with almonds. Chill until ready to serve.
Salad Dressing:In a quart jar with lid, add Good Seasons Italian dressing mix, thawed orange juice, water, syrup from mandarin oranges and marmalade. Shake vigorously. Pour into cruet and chill. Shake vigorously again before pouring over salad. |
| WHEACH COBBLER |
Filling:
2 1/2 lbs fresh peaches, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 lb fresh apricots, peeled and quartered
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp freshly ground coriander seeds
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
Topping:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp freshly grated orange zest
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground coriander seeds
1/4 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 cup O'Fallon Wheach Ale
3/4 cup heavy cream
Combine all of the ingredients for the filling in a 9 x 5 inch baking dish.
To make the topping, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, orange zest, salt and coriander in a bowl. Using two knives or a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal.
Add the beer and the cream and stir until moist clumps form. Spread the thick dough over the fruit by dropping evenly spaced spoonfuls of it and smoothing them together with a spatula. Don't worry if the entire cobbler doesn't get completely covered.
Bake in a 350 F degree oven for 30 minutes or until it is golden on top and the fruit is bubbling at the sides.
Serves 6 |
| CHERRY WHEAT BRAISED SHORT RIBS |
Ingredients:
3 lbs pork ribs: country-style or short ribs
12 oz bottle Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat
1 med onion, peeled and cut into large pieces.
1 large carrot, peeled and large diced
4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 cup pitted cherries
2 tbsp of Special Blend Seasoning (recipe below)
1/4 cup Worchestershire sauce
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Use a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven and place all ingredients except the cherries into the pot. Stir to combine and submerge the pork ribs. Cover with a lid and place in oven.
Roast, covered for 2 hours. Check the ribs after two hours and toss gently to redistribute the ribs. Add the pitted cherries and cook, covered for another two hours. Ribs are done when they are falling off the bone and the beer has reduced down to a few tablespoons. The pork should be sticky and glazed, the onions and carrot will have cooked down as well and appear to be "candied" or caramelized. Serve over hot mashed potatoes. | |
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