One can easily distinguish wheat beer from others because of the creamy texture and sweet flavor including some styles that offer taste of banana and clove. With so many varieties and flavors to offer, wheat beer is certainly a crowd favorite.

Popularity of wheat beer

All kinds of wheat beer have become very famous in the past several years, especially during warm weather. In the early days, using wheat was considered illegal as it served as a primary means of both bread and cereal and was not to be used for brewing beer. With time, it has become more acceptable and people use wheat to brew beer more often than not.

Varieties of wheat beer

German and Belgian are the two most important varieties of wheat beers. Belgian wheat beers are arguably the most popular variety of known wheat beers. With rich proteins from the suspended wheat, they often tend to have whitish color. Addition of orange peels and coriander helps in procurement of fruity flavor. This is a popular taste amongst the beer crowd in many parts of the country.

Sour varieties

Berlin white is one of the rare wheat beers that contains low alcohol and tastes quite sour. It’s also known as Berliner Weisse. Most beer lovers prefer to add sweeteners like raspberry to add sweetness to taste.

Another flavor Leipziger is same as Berliner Weisse, but stronger in terms of alcohol content. While Berliner Weisse has 2% of alcohol content, Leipziger has 4% in it.

German wheat beer

German wheat beer is famous through the southern part of the country. Its yeast is a rare phenomenon that isn’t filtered out. If we do filtration, it takes the yeast off and adds wheat’s proteins that will make the beer appear cloudy.

Microbrewers in Canada and United States manufacture their own variations of wheat beer, particularly evident in Portland Oregon, known as the beer capital. If you ever visit Portland, have a glass of wheat beer and you’ll cherish the moment.

Conclusion

North American wheat beer is a unique style made with ordinary ale yeast that offers a less fruity taste than the Bavarian styles. Wheat beers made in the German, American and Belgian styles are sold by US breweries as a summer seasonal product. Special types of glasses are used in Europe to serve wheat beer. While they are solid glasses in Belgium, other nations use glasses that are tall and slim which taper the beer towards the base. In United States, wheat beer is served along with a slice of lemon.

Historically beer was seen as beneficial and rightly so because it was often more sanitary than local water supplies. The water used to make beer was boiled early on in the brewing process which killed any pathogens. The alcohol produced during fermentation and the addition of hops helped to preserve it. Until modern civic water treatment plants became common beer was often the only source of sanitary hydration.

Marketers that came up with the long time campaign for a famous Irish stout, “Guinness is good for you,” only helped to reinforce beer’s healthy image. Additionally, there has always been a perception that more robust alcoholic beverages increase virility. The honeymoon was named for the month’s supply of mead, honey wine, given to a newly wedded couple. It was believed that mead would aid them in successfully producing a son.

But the last half of the twentieth century saw a decline in the public’s opinion of alcohol in general. As the damaging affects of alcohol abuse became more commonly known the perception of beer as a healthy beverage all but died away. Then in the mid nineties studies of the benefits of red wine began to emerge. Suddenly alcoholic beverages, or at least one of them, had a chance at repairing a damaged public image.

But what about beer?

I found a breakdown of the nutritional components of beer at the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, see the chart below. Of course there is a lot of generalization in these numbers. There are beers with much higher or lower levels alcohol, carbohydrates, and protein. But this chart can give you a pretty good idea of what beer does and does not contain and in what amounts based on a 12 oz serving. Now, as far as what these components might do to your body, well, that’s a subject that leaves me in the dark. I enlisted the assistance of Shereen Jegtvig, About’s nutrition guide, to help interpret what’s here.

The first question on my mind concerns how beer compares to other alcoholic drinks like red wine or distilled spirits. The comparison is not that easy to make. In the first place, the main beneficial element that was discovered in red wine is resveratrol, a powerful anti-oxidant. Beer doesn’t contain any resveratrol. But the presence of folate in beer helps lower the risk of heart disease when consumed in moderation. Beer also reduces blood clots and it has been shown to improve mental function in women as well as increasing bone density.

Now, let’s look at the chart again. See the fat and cholesterol levels? It might come as a surprise to those that associate beer drinking with being overweight but there isn’t a trace of fat in beer. Brewers and beer connoisseurs have known this for quite a while. Even the slightest traces of fat or oil in beer can destroy many of the things that we love about our favorite ales and lagers. That beautiful, creamy head on top of a glass of good beer could never exist. Also, the delicate mouthfeel of many beers would be ruined.

But if there’s no fat, then where does the beer belly come from? Turns out it has less to do with drinking a beer and more about the customs of beer drinking. Think about bar foods. It’s usually salty, greasy, fat laden stuff, right? Plus, drinking a few beers can make even the most energetic of us a bit lethargic. It’s no surprise that inactivity can add to an expanding waistline. But a beer, all by itself, won’t significantly affect your weight one way or another. In fact Shereen tells me that some studies have shown that beer helps to reduce triglycerides and LDL (LDL is the bad sort of cholesterol), problems that are often associated with obesity.

If beer has no fat and moderate consumption doesn’t contribute to weight gain, then what’s light about “light” beers? Are they better for you? Shereen says not necessarily. There’s nothing significantly different between light and regular beers except a slightly lower calorie count. If you’re trying to lose weight and feel compelled to have a beer, the light beer would be your choice. But Shereen asks, “Why not try different types of beer? Beer tasting is every bit as pleasurable as wine tasting. I think enjoying the food you eat is important too…not just looking at the numbers on a nutrition chart.” With all other things being equal, I think I’d rather reduce my calories somewhere else in my diet and enjoy a beer with some flavor.

So, what’s the bottom line? There might not be a six pack in your six pack but there doesn’t have to be a gut, either. “One beer a day is good for you,” Shereen says, “Several beers each day is not. The key to health with beer drinking is to limit your consumption to one beer each day.”