Wheat beers - weizen, witbier and gose
Wheat beers are one of the most refreshing and at the same time most confused families in the beer world. They share one thing: a sizeable share of wheat alongside the classic barley, which gives a hazy look, a smooth texture and an abundant head. Everything else divides them, though, because a banana weizen, a spiced witbier and a salty gose are three completely different experiences. Interestingly, their signature flavours come from two opposite sources: one from yeast, the other from added spices. Once you tell this apart, you stop confusing German wheat beers with Belgian ones.
What wheat brings
Wheat brings several things to beer at once. It is rich in protein, which gives haze and a dense, lasting head, as well as a smooth, almost creamy body and a slightly bready, grainy flavour. That is why wheat beers feel soft and full despite their usually low bitterness. I cover where the head comes from in beer head.
Weizen - banana and clove from the yeast
The German, or really Bavarian, weizen, also called hefeweizen, is the classic of the wheat family. It is made with over half wheat malt, and its most characteristic feature is the aroma of banana and clove, sometimes with a note of vanilla or bubblegum. And here is the key fact: these flavours come from no additives at all, but solely from the work of special Bavarian yeast. It is the yeast that, during fermentation, produces the compounds that smell of banana and clove. A weizen is hazy, low in bitterness, with a huge, fluffy head, and is served in a tall, distinctive glass. I cover how yeast creates such flavours in beer yeast.
Witbier - coriander and orange from spices
The Belgian witbier, or white beer, takes a completely different road. It is also hazy, pale and refreshing, but its character is built not on yeast but on spices. Classically, coriander and bitter orange peel are added, giving a citrusy, slightly spicy, refreshing profile. Witbier is often brewed with unmalted wheat, which adds a bready, pale note. It is a light, drinkable beer, perfect for summer. So the difference is fundamental: in a weizen the flavour is made by the yeast, in a witbier by the spices.
Gose - salt and acidity
Gose is the most unusual member of the family and the revival of a forgotten, historic style from Goslar and Leipzig in Germany. It is a wheat beer, but sour and, surprisingly, slightly salty. Traditionally, salt and coriander are added, and the gentle acidity comes from fermentation involving bacteria. The result is a refreshing, tart-sour drink with a dry, saline finish that many associate with a sea breeze. Gose divides people, but for fans of sour beers it is a little gem.
Other wheat beers worth knowing
The family is wider than it seems. Two more styles are worth knowing: dunkelweizen, the dark version of a weizen with notes of caramel and bread alongside banana, and weizenbock, a strong, substantial wheat variant with a higher alcohol content. Related to gose is also Berliner Weisse, a light, very sour wheat beer.
How to drink them
Wheat beers taste best fresh and properly served. A weizen is traditionally poured into a tall glass, building a high head, and at the end a little yeast sediment is often left in the bottle to pour in for fullness of flavour and haze. Witbier and gose are drunk well chilled, as a refreshment. All three are low in bitterness, so they work brilliantly as an entry into the world of beer flavour for people afraid of bitterness. I cover how bitterness sits against maltiness in the flavour balance of beer.
How to explore them
The best way to feel the differences is to line up a banana weizen and a citrusy witbier. The same wheat base, yet two completely different flavours, one from yeast, the other from spices. In GustoNote you note the style, aromas and your impressions of every wheat beer, and after a few dozen entries you will see whether you lean toward the yeasty Germans, the spiced Belgians, or the salty-sour gose. It turns a general wheat beer into a map of specific, recognisable flavours.