Cloudy Bavarian wheat beer with a distinct banana-and-clove aroma that comes entirely from the yeast. Wheat brewing was a royal monopoly under the Wittelsbachs, granted after the 1516 purity law restricted beer to barley, hops and water.
The character comes from one yeast strain fermented in a controlled warm range, and brewing beer at home is licensed or restricted in much of the atlas’s readership.
What goes into it
- at least half malted wheat, with barley malt
- hops, lightly
- a specific weizen yeast strain
- water
How it is made
The mash is at least half wheat, and the wort is fermented warm with a weizen yeast strain that produces isoamyl acetate and 4-vinyl guaiacol — the banana and the clove. It is then bottled with some yeast still in suspension, so it refermets slightly in the bottle and stays cloudy. The aroma is a fermentation product, not an ingredient.
How long it takes: two to four weeks from mash to bottle
How it is eaten
Poured slowly into a tall vase glass, with Weisswurst and a pretzel, before noon in Bavaria.
History
Wheat brewing was a Bavarian royal monopoly under the Wittelsbachs, granted after the 1516 purity law limited beer to barley, hops and water.
Frequently asked questions
What is Weissbier?
Weissbier is a wine & spirit from Germany: cloudy Bavarian wheat beer with banana-clove aroma. Wheat brewing was a Bavarian royal monopoly under the Wittelsbachs, granted after the 1516 purity law limited beer to barley, hops and water.
How is Weissbier made?
The mash is at least half wheat, and the wort is fermented warm with a weizen yeast strain that produces isoamyl acetate and 4-vinyl guaiacol — the banana and the clove. It is then bottled with some yeast still in suspension, so it refermets slightly in the bottle and stays cloudy. The aroma is a fermentation product, not an ingredient. It takes two to four weeks from mash to bottle.
Can I make Weissbier at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. The character comes from one yeast strain fermented in a controlled warm range, and brewing beer at home is licensed or restricted in much of the atlas’s readership.
What goes into Weissbier?
At least half malted wheat, with barley malt, hops, lightly, a specific weizen yeast strain, water.
How is Weissbier eaten?
Poured slowly into a tall vase glass, with Weisswurst and a pretzel, before noon in Bavaria.
