Brewing with wheat instead of barley is an ancient tradition that stretches back to the earliest days of brewing. Although not an easy grain to work with, beers brewed with a proportion of wheat do not require maturation, as is the case with lagers, and can be drunk soon after brewing. Most importantly wheat ales are very refreshing. Traditionally they are cloudy or hazy, though with modern filtration they can easily be made clear. Bavarian "weizen" beers are the best known examples of wheat ales and are widely imitated.

Dunkel/Dark Weizen. These dark wheat beers derive their character from the use of darker malts in the non-wheat ingredients, so that a richer, darker colored beer can be achieved, along with fuller malt flavors. Dunkel weizens still display the floral, estery qualities of a pale weizen. Dark weizens are produced with or without a secondary fermentation in the bottle, with the corollary that these styles can be yeast sedimented or unsedimented depending upon the preference of the brewer.

Flavored Wheat Ales. Turning wheat beer into a cocktail has precedent in Europe where alcoholic cordials or fruit syrups can be used to help beer slide down more easily. Flavored wheat ales are an increasingly popular specialty category covering a number of flavoring options that brewers have adopted, particularly in the USA, the home of "throw-the-rule-book-away" hybrid beer styles. The two most significant additives are fruit and honey, usually employed separately. Raspberry is a common choice of fruit to flavor these styles and the best examples have faithful fruit essence and avoid any sweet cloying character. Honey can add richness to the palate and give a hint of sweetness. Herbs and spices are also encountered, but the possibilities are endless. Chocolate dunkel raspberry weisse anyone?

Hefe Weizen. Weizen bier is a top fermenting beer style that originates from southern Germany, particularly Bavaria, and is brewed with at least 50% wheat in the mash. Hefe weizens are refreshing, highly carbonated beers ideal for quenching summer thirsts. They undergo secondary fermentation, often in the bottle, and the yeast strains used for this purpose impart a spicy, clove-like flavor. Hefe (the German word for yeast) on the label denotes that the bottle contains yeast sediment. Alcohol content is typically 5-5.5% ABV, giving these beers a medium to medium-full body. Hop flavors play a very insignificant role in the flavor profile. The best examples to be found are still authentic Bavarian imports, although some good domestic examples are produced and are often available as a draft option.

Kristall Weizen. A Kristal weizen is a non-hazy weizen ale. Kristall on the label of a weizen specifically denotes that a weizen has been filtered prior to bottling to remove the protein haze and yeast often suspended in such beers. Kristall weizens lack the yeasty and spicy complexity often associated with hefe weizen beers, and have a cleaner and more delicate flavor. Floral, fruity aromas are often noted in classic examples of this style, though healthy alcohol content of 5-5.5% will give a medium to medium-full bodied character.

Weizen Bock. Weizen bocks are essentially winter wheat beers, originally brewed in Bavaria. The color can be pale gold to brown. They are of higher alcoholic strength, as high as 7% ABV, showing a warming personality, though they should still have a significant 'rocky' head when poured. These beers combine the character of hefeweizens and dopplebocks and as such are rich and malty with estery, yeasty qualities and show a note of wheaty crispness through the finish.

Wheat Ale. As the name would suggest these are ales that use a proportion of wheat in the mash to add a protein haze. Wheat ales, inspired by the German weizen tradition were popular before prohibition in the US and are enjoying a resurgence in popularity. This generic category encapsulates the diverse interpretation of the classic German Weizen styles brewed in America and elsewhere. A host of variables ranging from the wheat/malt ratio, hopping and filtration/non filtration all contribute to wide variations on the theme. Generally US examples feature a more marked hop accent than classic German weizen styles and are often dryer.

White/Wit Beer. Wit beer is a style of flavored wheat. It is distinctly Belgian in origin and is still very closely associated with this low land country. Wits employ a proportion of unmalted wheat in the mash but also have flavor added in the form of curaçao, orange peel and coriander, among other ingredients. Their appearance is marked by a hazy white precipitate and these beers generally have some sedimentation. Typically these are very refreshing summer thirst quenchers. They are not widely produced in the US but some notable examples can be found.

Beer Extra Credit:   

Students of trivia may be interested to know that Germany’s famed purity law specifically forbade the use of wheat and  other grains for producing beer. The reason? Wheat was too valuable in the production of bread to waste on beer.

Don't pay for your beer any longer...
Instead, the beer companies will pay YOU!

Who else wants to find out how to earn easy extra money... just for drinking and talking about beer!

...

Let me explain… Incredible as it may seem, beer companies and other companies are spending $41 billion annually to do market research. They need the opinions of regular consumers like you to decide if a product is worth their time and money. And these companies realize now that telemarketing doesn’t work— People like you and I just keep hanging up on those annoying telemarketers calling during our dinner time - the companies know they can’t get your opinions for free, so they are prepared to pay you for them—and pay well.

Just two nights ago I attended a beer & wine discussion group and for about 1 hour of my time, sampling a few different beers and wines and answering some questions I received $70. I really enjoy these sessions and I pay no tax, completely legit, just cash in an envelope. The $70 came in very handy too because I wanted to buy my 6 year old grandson a bike for his birthday and this paid for it.

The invite to this focus group came about by being registered with a market research company and if you are interested in getting invited to one or more of these focus groups make sure you read on...

When these marketing research companies get a job like this one they will assemble a survey panel based around a set of demographics that their client (in this case a beer company) is interested in as customers. Typically they will use the data that you have supplied in your profile to work out whether you fit the survey panel and then get in contact with you.

They rang me up while I was away from home last week and after a quick round of screening questions, I was locked in for the a session on the following week.

When you show up to the venue they check off your name and with a group of other people you go into a room where there is a facilitator and you discuss the product and give your opinion on it and the marketing for the product.

.....

Here are some stories from other guys just like you and I, who got paid to drink and talk about beer...

.

..

.

.

...

Make Money Drinking Beer
Will Reveal More Than 180 Companies
Waiting to Pay You For Drinking Beer, Eating Out, and Giving Your Opinions…and Many of Them are International Companies!

That means that no matter where you live, these companies want research from your area: United States, Canada, the UK, Australia, etc.

/

It Couldn’t Be Easier—Just Point and Click!

All you need to do to have access to these marketing firms and begin making money almost immediately is to sign-up to purchase the Make Money Drinking Beer Guide for the nominal amount of $69.97.

You will have unlimited life-time access to the guide, downloaded on to your computer. It's a one off small time fee. No monthly billing. No yearly recurring memberships. No hidden charges.

/

As soon as you order, you will be given instant access to download the guide directly from the Internet on to your computer. (The guide is in downloadable PDF format.) Since there is no actual hard copy of the manual, there's no need to wait 2-6 weeks for delivery. You can access the guide and begin signing up with market research companies in just minutes from now./

/.

Make Money Drinking Beer Guide is On Sale

A Regular $69.97 Value!

Our Sale Price is $29.95 (That's 58% Off!)

Today you can get the guide for $9.95

Here's the deal. I charge a fee so I can cover the costs of maintaining this site and the Make Money Drinking Beer Guide. I'm actually losing money by running this site, but I'm trying to re-cover some of the fixed costs I've already outlayed.