April 3, 2023
The best wheat beers include Paulaner Hefe-Weizen, Allagash White, and our Aussie favourite 4 Pines Aussie Wheat Ale. Although there’s more to wheat beer than the name would lead on. Initially popularised in Germany and Belgium, wheat beer is top-fermented from a larger-than-usual amount of malted or unmalted wheat (as opposed to malted barley). From this unique mash comes a rich texture and distinct flavour profile, which often delivers crisp notes of banana and citrus along with spicy and bready undertones. The two most common categories are German weißbier (known as Weizenbier outside of Southern Germany) and Belgian witbier, though the styles of Berliner weiße, gose, and lambic are likewise produced using notable amounts of wheat.
Given the deliciousness and distinction of wheat beer, a number of breweries outside of Germany and Belgium now offer their own interpretation. American wheat beer is practically a category unto itself by this point, even as it loosely draws from European tradition. And right here in Australia, craft breweries are using locally-sourced wheat to put their own unique spin on the beloved beer style. But enough with the education – let’s get on to the good stuff! Here are some of the best wheat beers that money can buy.
Lindemans Lambic Beers
Lambics make up their own light and fruity sub-category of wheat beer and no one crafts them quite like Lindemans. Choose between a variety of styles – including their sour cherry-infused Kriek – and consider pairing it with spicy food or grilled meat. Now that’s refreshment!
Country of origin: Belgium
Style: Lambic
ABV: 2.5-5%
What’s Special About Wheat Beer?
When German wheat beer is bottle-conditioned and unfiltered with the potential for sediment, it’s generally known as Hefeweißbier aka hefeweizen. When the same beer is filtered and thus cleared of sediment, it’s known as Kristallweißbier aka kristallweizen. Then we have Dunkles weißbier aka dunkelweizen, which is a dark wheat beer, and also Weizenbock, a German wheat beer that’s made in the bock tradition. Amongst these sub-groups, hefeweizen is far and away the most popular and well-known around the world.
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