Wheat Beer Brewing isn't That Difficult

Wheat beer is one of the oldest forms of beer. As a staple grain, such as rice in Asia, wheat has been used in brewing since the very beginning. It is most commonly found in Europe where it has been brewed the longest, but it has found recent popularity among American home brewers in the past couple decades.
Although the brewing techniques have to be changed a little from other forms of beer, the process is still very similar to most brewing and is not typically more complicated. For home brew wheat beers, there can be some differences that are important to note.
There are two common kinds of wheat beer to know about: Weissbier and Witbier. Hefeweizen is a traditional wheat beer which is unfiltered and has a richer appearance. Kristallweizen is, if the name doesn't give it away, a filtered beer with more clarity than Hefeweizen.
Witbier is named for its hazy, almost white appearance when cold. It is notable because it is not typically brewed with hops and is instead flavored with a blend of spices known as gruit, which can consist of things such as coriander and orange.
For professional brewers, there can be some tricky differences between brewing wheat beers as opposed to other beers. Because wheat mashes are harder to work with than malt mashes, home brewing wheat beer can sometimes require a different technique and sometimes even different equipment.
Some breweries are lucky enough to have upward-infusion mash vessels or lauter tuns which have built in raking systems, but for breweries used to barley malts brewing wheat beers can be more difficult. For home wheat beer brewers, these might not be hot issues.
Wheat lacks essential enzymes that are needed for the conversion of sugar during the mashing process. When brewing wheat beer, the malted wheat needs to be mixed in a 50/50 ratio with barley malt in order to brew properly. The strain of yeast that is used also has a big impact on the flavor of the beer.
Bavarian wheat beer often tastes very strongly of clove and banana from the yeast they use, but Berliner Weisse has a very tart flavor and American wheat beer is much more neutral since they tend to use common ale yeast. Fermenting temperatures also vary, but average out around 65F.
Wheat beer has always been a beloved beer across numerous cultures. Serving it can take on different forms as well. Americans often serve a wheat bear with a slice of lemon or orange, which Bavarians avoid.
Rather, they will place a grain of rice in the glass for longer-lasting foam and sometimes they will even mix it with cola or lemonade. Whatever way you choose to serve it, wheat beer is a favorite on many pub menus and in many home brewer's kegs.