Malted barley is the backbone of beer as we know it. And why not? It’s delicious and versatile, and it has a satisfying sweet aspect. But it’s not the only grain in the brewery. Since its earliest days in the Neolithic Middle East, when cereal grains were still being domesticated, beers incorporated not only barley, but emmer and einkorn wheat and spelt as well.
In Northern Europe, wheat or “white” beers started spreading about the same time as hops, roughly a thousand years ago. Today we can still recognize similarities to these ancient white beers among many classic wheat styles: Berliner weisse, Belgian witbier, gose, Lichtenhainer, and even Scandinavian farmhouse brews. As a group, white ales are typically of everyday strength, employing normal or lactic fermentation. They’re universally pale in color, often attributed to the use of air-dried malt and unmalted grains. These also typically add substantial haze—hence the term “white.” Many are enjoying revivals, especially with added fruit.
While we rarely associate wheat with British brewing, it was once a more popular and valued ingredient. William Ellis, in his 1774 The London and Country Brewer, writes that “the ale or strong beer made with wheat malt is thought by many that have proved it to be the very best of all liquors.”