Wheat Malt is the second most common malted grain used in brewing, after barley malt. Typical wheat-accented brews are German weissbier (also known as hefeweizen or weizenbier), which must contain at least 50% wheat malt by law; German Berliner weisse, a sour, sparkling ale, whose wheat malt portion rarely exceeds 30%; and the more modern “American wheat beer,” which usually contains 10% to 35% malted wheat. Some American craft brewers have recently become enamored of a barley wine variant dubbed “wheat wine,” replacing a large proportion of barley malt in the grist with wheat malt. Because modern wheat (Triticum aestivum) has a relatively high glucan and protein content compared to barley and has no husks—properties that can create lauter problems in the brewhouse—mashes rarely contain more than 70% wheat malt. Some adventurous brewers have made beers from 100% wheat malt, but this feat invariable requires a number of tricks in the brewhouse, as the husk-less grain cannot create its own filter bed through which to run off the wort.
When used in beer, wheat malt imparts a lighter body than does barley malt, often coupled with a gently refreshing touch of acidity. These qualities tend to make many wheat-based beer styles suitable for pairing with light dishes and seafood, and consumption of wheat beer tends to soar in hot weather. Contrary to popular misconception, the banana and clove-like flavors of German wheat beers are due to the special yeast used rather than the use of wheat malts. Wheat malts do, however, give these beers their delicacy of texture. Most wheat malts will tend to create a wort with a honey-orange color, but different malting houses will have their own specifications, and dark wheat malts are now available as well. In modern Bavaria, wheat-based weissbier was once a particular province of the Bavarian royal family, who held to themselves the right to brew wheat beers until finally giving way in 1872. Until then, wheat, valuable for making bread and other foods, was considered too lofty an ingredient to be used to make beer for commoners.