Among the wide variety of low-alcohol drinks, beer occupies a leading position. It is made on the basis of malt from cereal crops. A popular representative of this drink is wheat beer, which has a pleasant fruity flavor, the birthplace of which is Germany. How does the process of making a hop drink happen, how can it be brewed at home - later in the article.

What is wheat beer

Wheat beer is a hop drink made from wheat malt, the amount of which is 50–70%. It has a pleasant banana flavor resulting from the fermentation process when esters are released. Basically, it is cloudy (unfiltered) and light in color. But it also happens to be dark in color and filtered. Most common in Bavaria and southern Germany.

Important! During the brewing of a hop drink, the brewer must comply with the sterility conditions: disinfect equipment, utensils and his hands.

Varieties

The most common varieties of wheat beer include: Kristallvacen, Hefeweizen, Vitbir, Berliner Weisse. Each of them has its own zest, which differs from other species.

Namely:

• Crystalweizen - literally means crystal clear wheat beer. It undergoes mandatory filtration, as a result of which the drink does not ripen in the container due to the absence of yeast residues in it. It is additionally saturated with carbon dioxide. Thanks to this technology, Crystalweizen forms a thick foam during the spill into glasses. Has a good light color. It is recommended to use chilled and in tall thin glasses;
• Hefeweizen - The most common beer, in translation, means wheat yeast. During its manufacture, filtration is excluded, which indicates the presence of yeast. That is, the drink matures in bottles. Sometimes, in addition to wheat malt, roasted barley is also added. Color varies from light amber to dark brown;
• Vitbier - white beer made in Belgium. For its cooking, only wheat malt is used, without any impurities. It has a spicy and fruity flavor due to the use of aromatic herbs and spices. The color has a slightly unclear, forms a thick froth;
• Berliner Weiss - Exotic wheat beer consumed with various syrups, liquors or champagne. In the fermentation process, not only yeast but also lactic acid bacteria take part.

What is the process of making wheat beer

The process of brewing with your own hands is quite laborious and difficult. Experts recommend strictly adhering to the selected recipes.

Conventionally, the preparation of wheat beer can be divided into the following stages:

• selection and procurement of ingredients;
• preparation and mashing of wort;
• cooking;
• fermentation;
• maturation;
• filtration;
• spill the drink.

All this can last for several months.

Selection and preparation of ingredients

To engage in the preparation of wheat beer at home, you must acquire the appropriate equipment.

To do this, you will need:

• wort kettle or large pan of non-oxidizing metal;
• mash vat;
• cooler;
• crusher for malt;
• fermentation tank with a rubber glove;
• thermometer.

You also need to prepare high-quality ingredients for brewing a drink, such as sugar, yeast (fresh, brewery), malt, hops, water (pure, not boiled). Products must be selected strictly according to the recipe.

Did you know? The oldest brewery was opened in Munich in 1294.

Mashing

Mashing is the process of mixing malt with a liquid. Malt can be purchased at a store or sprouted wheat at home and chopped it (but not to flour).

Further this procedure proceeds as follows:

1. Pour clean water into a large pot and heat it to + 80 ° C.
2. Put the malt in a small bag and drop it into heated water.
3. Cook for 1.5 hours, keeping the temperature within +60 ... + 72 ° C.
4. Check if the starch has broken down by dropping a few drops of iodine separately on the wort (if the color is blue, then you need another 10 minutes, and if the color does not change - everything is ready).
5. Further, the temperature can be raised to + 80 ° C and cook for another 5 minutes.
6. Take the bag and wash it with clean water.

Cooking

The next step is cooking. It does not last long and is simple.

To do this, you need:

1. Boil the wort and remove foam from it.
2. Cook for 30 minutes.
3. Gradually add hops to it with interruptions, stirring constantly.
4. Cool to +25 ... + 35 ° C by placing in a separate container with cold water.
5. Dissolve the yeast.
6. Strain the wort and pour it into the fermentation tank.
7. Add yeast there.
8. Install a non-return valve or rubber glove on the tank.

Fermentation

The fermentation process starts from the moment the yeast enters the wort. Experts recommend paying great attention to the right choice and acquisition of yeast. It is not advisable to use bread yeast, because the drink will turn out tasteless. They must be beer top or bottom fermentation. Before using a beer product, you should carefully read the instructions that accompany it.

Important! To create the wort, it is recommended to grind the wheat into coarse grinding, so that later it is easier to filter it.

Home-made beer recipes

There are many recipes for brewing wheat beer at home. But among them it should be noted such as: "In Bavarian", strong, "Weizen", wheat ale. All of them have some distinctive qualities that make them unique.

The shelf life of beer drinks depends on their strength (alcohol content) and averages from 3 to 6 months, subject to proper storage.

Bavarian

To brew a Bavarian hoppy drink, you must:

1. In a large capacity, heat 12 liters of water to + 73 ° C and mix it with 1.5 kg of Pilsner malt, 2 kg of wheat malt and 0.5 kg of light caramel malt.
2. Maintain congestion at a temperature of +66 ... + 68 ° C for 1 hour.
3. Raise the temperature to + 71 ° C, adding another 10 liters of water, and hold for 15 minutes.
4. Filter the liquid by washing the grain with hot water (+ 78 ° C) with a volume of 1.5 l, and add it to the wort.
5. Boil the mass for 15 minutes, add 15–20 g of hops (Hallertau or Tettnanger) and cook for 45 minutes.
6. Cool to +20 ... + 23 ° C by adding 1 pack of yeast activated according to the instructions.
7. Put in a dark place with room temperature to wander for 1 week.
8. Pour beer into bottles, add glucose at the rate of 10 g per liter of drink.
9. Leave in a cold place for ripening for 10 days.

Video: Bavarian-style home-made wheat beer

Strong wheat beer

To prepare strong wheat beer, the following measures should be taken:

1. Mix 2.5 kg of wheat malt with 2.5 kg of barley malt.
2. In a large capacity, heat 23 liters of water to a temperature of +50 ... + 55 ° C and mix it with malt.
3. First, cook the mixture for 5 minutes at a temperature of + 55 ° C, then 35 minutes at a temperature of + 65 ° C, the next 35 minutes at a temperature of + 72 ° C and 10 minutes at a temperature of + 78 ° C.
4. During cooking, stir the liquid constantly and remove the foam.
5. Add 40 g of hops to the must, boil for 70–80 minutes.
6. Cool, filter, mix with 1 package of special yeast (activated).
7. Place the container in a dark place with a temperature of +20 ... + 22 ° C for 1 week for fermentation.
8. Strain the drink, pour it into bottles, hide it back in the dark for 1 week to ripen.

Weizen

Weizen beer can be brewed correctly by following the description below:

1. Pour 15 liters of pure water into the brewing kettle and place 3 kg of Pils malt, 3 kg of other wheat malt (in a cloth bag) into it.
2. Heat the mixture to a temperature of +50 ... + 52 ° C and cook for 20 minutes.
3. Raise the temperature to + 63 ° C and cook for 50 minutes, then to + 72 ° C for 20 minutes, the next 10 minutes - + 78 ° C.
4. Take out the bag and strain. Rinse the malt in 5 liters of clean water and pour it into the boiler.
5. Cook the resulting liquid for 1.5 hours so that boiling is not visible from above.
6. Pour 30 g of hops (Hallertau) 20 minutes before cooking.
7. Cool the wort in cold water, filter and transfer to a fermentation tank.
8. Add 1 pack of activated yeast.
9. Place the container in a dark warm place for 5 days for fermentation.
10. After the drink stops fermenting, strain it thoroughly, bottle it, close it tightly and put in a cold place for 2-3 days to ripen.

Video: Making Weizen Wheat Beer

Wheat ale

The proposed recipe includes some spices that give the drink an unusual taste.

Did you know? Beer-based masks and creams smooth wrinkles.

The process of making wheat ale is as follows:

1. For 25 l of wort, it is necessary to mix 3 kg of pale ale, 3 kg of wheat malt, 0.5 kg of melanoidin malt, 200 g of Special B, 500 g of wheat groats, 200 g of oatmeal, and pre-cook cereals and cereals until porridge.
2. Separately crush 30 g of coriander, 40 g of juniper berries, 25 g of orange peel and place in a small cloth bag.
3. Mash the wort in this order: 1 hour at a temperature of + 63 ° C, 20 minutes - + 72 ° C.
4. Rinse the mash with hot water + 80 ° C.
5. Collect the wort for cooking.
6. Add 30 g of hops (Traditional) at the beginning of filtration, boil for 60–70 minutes.
7. 10 minutes before the end of boiling, place a bag of spices in the tank and leave them to cool (up to + 24 ° C).
8. Cool naturally.
9. Pour the drink into the fermenter, add caramelized sugar syrup, add T58 yeast.
10. Leave on primary fermentation for 7–10 days.
11. Transfer wort for secondary fermentation.
12. After 10 days, perform carbonization with glucose, dextrose, leave to ripen in a cool place.

Video: Homemade Wheat Ale

How to drink wheat beer

To fully enjoy the intoxicated drink, you must also know how to drink it. Experts recommend consuming wheat beer from wide, thick-walled glasses, which will keep the drink cool for a long time. The optimum flow temperature is +7 ... + 9 ° C.

To emphasize the aftertaste will help a small piece of lime. All sorts of snacks, fish dishes, seafood, pickled cheeses, pizza, grilled vegetables, salads, meat products, etc. are well combined with wheat beer.

Beneficial features

Due to the fact that wheat beer is made from natural ingredients, its moderate use is beneficial for the human body.

• Namely:
• rinsing the mouth with a natural drink helps relieve toothache;
• has a disinfecting effect;
• beneficial effect on the gastric mucosa;
• calms the nervous system, relieves stress;
• helps with rheumatism;
• increases appetite;
• has diuretic properties;
• dilates blood vessels, lowers blood pressure;
• hops, which are part of beer, helps in the prevention of cancer and tuberculosis;
• Live yeast bacteria present in the drink are rich in amino acids.

Contraindications

• But, in addition to the beneficial effect, excessive consumption of beer can also harm a person, such as:
• weight gain, facial swelling;
• not recommended for pregnant women and nursing mothers;
• the alcohol content of the drink is addictive;
• intoxication of the body;
• dysfunction of the nervous system, etc.

All these symptoms occur if you drink beer very often and in large doses.

Brewed wheat beer at home requires a lot of effort, time and patience. But the result is worth it. After all, a low-alcoholic beverage, prepared with high-quality ingredients in its own hand, will decorate any family holiday and bring a lot of pleasure to its lovers.