Originally inspired by the white beers of Pierre Celis, Allagash White has risen to become a widely recognized pillar of American craft as well as one of the most awarded beers in the genre—with a combined 14 Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup medals over the years.

Human civilization has evolved alongside wheat, whose properties create a wide swath of beer’s diversity of flavor and texture—from quenching weissbier to soft, hazy IPA. Randy Mosher digs into its history and chemistry.

Belgian witbier is a fantastic beer style, especially for the summer-to-fall transition, but you need to resist the impulse to overload it with spices and fruit! Here’s how to brew one you can drink by the liter instead of making wheat-based perfume.

Jonathan Moxey, head brewer of Rockwell Beer in St. Louis, explains how dehusked roast malts such as Carafa can be useful for adjusting color as well as building smoother flavor into black beers.

From Josh Weikert’s Make Your Best series, this is a great recipe for establishing your baseline witbier.

One of Belgium’s most broadly appealing styles is a reincarnation and a reinvention, inspired by a tradition that disappeared more than 60 years ago. Today it’s enjoyed around the world and ubiquitous in its home country—and in Maine.

This American take on a Belgian witbier eschews the traditional coriander and citrus and instead derives its unique flavor from late-kettle American hops.

You can brew rich, full-bodied stouts without going high on ABV. Jonathan Moxey, head brewer at Rockwell, explains how to build and balance a layered grist for a lower-strength dark beer.

Perhaps the oldest way of preparing grain for brewing, drying malt in the open air was traditional for lambics, white beers, and various rustic ales scattered around Europe, Africa, and beyond. Today, brewers and maltsters interested in history, terroir, and old-fashioned methods are taking their malt back out into the sun.

Jonathan Moxey, head brewer at Rockwell Beer in St. Louis, discusses the timing of double dry hopping for added flavor and aroma, and how to get the best of both worlds.

“Lemony nose with a touch of coriander underneath. On the tongue, the sharp lemon fades into a mellower lemon-lime accentuated by a soft body, light coriander, and an off-dry clean finish. Bright and refreshing.”

**Aroma:** “Fruity, yeasty, wheat-like, orange zest, honey, almost a witbier-like quality. Medium rich malt aroma with almond notes. Delicate hops aroma with hints of citrus and spiciness, and very faint pine.” **Flavor:** “Really nice creamy mouthfeel. Soft but appropriate carbonation lends a British-like weight on the tongue. Grainy malt body is a little rough around the edges but satisfying nonetheless. Bitterness has a nice orange-like quality but doesn’t really come out until well into the aftertaste.” Ove**rall:** “A fun session IPA! In a field of beers that can seem monolithic, this one stands out as spritzy and fun. Lovely carbonation makes for a better-integrated experience. Touch of caramel adds depth to the overall experience. Lingering hops bitterness is a bit overdone, but still it’s a very nice, easy-drinking beer. The elements are here, without being too assertive, which seems fitting for a session beer.”

Rockwell's Jonathan Moxey explains their approach to hopping, from first-wort hops to an aroma-boosting whirlpool—and how to conduct a whirlpool on your home kit.

**Aroma:** “Fresh and intense coriander is at the forefront. Lots of floral notes, with some citrus notes—it’s a lot like Froot Loops. Some nice esters of flowers and honey as well as some peppery phenols and bready wheat. Herbal hops and bready malt underneath.” **Flavor:** “The coriander is a touch overpowering, but it’s a great witbier that’s fresh, with a crisp, light body, and quite clear. Orange citrus, herbal hops, and some delicate peppery and spicy phenols are nicely balanced by the floral honey notes. A very clean, dry finish, with a low yeast character.” **Overall:** “While the coriander is pretty intense, especially as the beer warms, the base beer is really good. The floral notes are subtle and fresh, and the orange flavor is expressed well. The base beer is crisp and light, very dry and refreshing, clean, but perhaps a bit too clear for a wheat beer.”

As a root of civilization and the soft heart of some of the world’s most drinkable beers, wheat deserves more love.

The founder and brewer of Chicago’s Keeping Together selects an experience-driven six-pack that transports her back to cherished moments in time.

Wheat beers, in the hands of skilled brewers, bring out the best of expressive yeasts. Here, five pros share their favorites, across styles.

Brewers don’t develop their tastes and skills in a vacuum; they’re affected by others, both before and during their careers. Here, Yvan De Baets of Brasserie de la Senne in Brussels chooses his pack and defends it (and wishes he could pick more than six).

**Aroma:** “Heavy florals, mixing between hops floral notes and actual flowers, and a slight earthy, herbal character sitting underneath. Yet somehow, it doesn’t come off as perfume-like. Wheat, with some caramel malt, mild honey, and fruity esters of mango, banana, and grapefruit. Dank, resinous hops dominate.” **Flavor:** “Way out of style for a wit, and the hoppiness is the star of the show, ranging from floral, catty, and fruity to piney, citrusy, and earthy. Nice spice character, and lots of big fruity esters of cherry, strawberry, orange, and bubblegum. The wheat and malt balance the flavor, but the finish is dry and bitter.” **Overall:** “The beer drinks almost like a double white Belgian IPA—to call it a mere hopped-up wit or a white IPA is a bit of an understatement. It’s very hoppy, with some citrus and pine, and a bit of yeast esters and spice in the background.”

Matt Tarpey, cofounder and head brewer of The Veil, selects a foundational six-pack that combines early experiences with the classics and those he still reaches for today.