United Nations of Beer

History of Beer: Wheat Beer

by John Warbuck
(Beer Delegate, IL, USA)

History of Beer: Wheat Beer
by Illinois beer guide, John Warbuck

Wheat beer has not always been as popular as it is now, despite being one of the oldest styles of beer history. The history of wheat beer follows a rollercoaster ride of twists, turns, rises and falls; from rising to the top to almost falling off the face of the earth in near extinction.

Wheat beer in the history of beer: Babylon, 2000 BC

Wheat beer originated in Babylon around the year 2000 BC. Marduk, the Babylonian beer brewing god, wielded a pickaxe — the earliest known brewer's emblem. Marduk was rumored to brew and drink a beer that combined wheat mash with barley mash in the brewing process. Babylon occupied the same area that the Mesopotamians had occupied, which could be why the Babylonian wheat beer was so similar to the first beer ever created; using the same methods to germinate wheat into malt and then allow natural fermenting in water that early Mesopotamians used to create beer out of barley.

Wheat beer in the history of beer: Egypt, 1600 BC

It is believed that the Egyptians also brewed wheat beer during this time period. Clay tablets detailed the existence of breweries and recipes that support the possibility of beer being produced in that region dating back as far as 1600 BC. Babylon is thought to have been the pioneer in wheat beer brewing, which eventually left traces in Egypt as well in later years. Evidence displays the existence of wheat beer during the time of Christ as a "drink of savages" that was consumed by Germanic tribes.

Wheat beer in the history of beer: regional styles

There are a great number of wheat beer styles that fall into two main categories (with an exception here or there). Region divides these two main categories— the historical witbier comes from the Brussels area in Belgium and the historical weissbier comes from Munich, Germany. The most renowned weissbier style is referred to as a hefeweizen— the German term for wheat beer in its natural, unfiltered form.

Wheat beer in the history of beer: Germany, 800 BC

Wheat beer reached German soil around 800 BC. Natives referred to the style as "weissbier" which meant simply— wheat beer. Periods of famine and abundance caused the repeated rise and decline of the style for centuries. The availability of weissbier at this stage was solely dictated by the amount of wheat made in excess of the area’s need for bread.

Munich’s first beer brewery was established in 815 AD. Political events and the aforementioned food shortages made it extremely difficult for many brewers to establish themselves, and the wheat beer style almost died away completely. Franziskaner was established in 1363 AD and is now the oldest privately owned brewery in Munich, still brewing wheat beer to this day. The brewery was built on the opposite corner of a Franciscan monastery— the name "Franziskaner" and the monk on all their products were derived from the location of the brewery.

Wheat beer in the history of beer: Belgium, 1445 AD

There is no documented evidence of wheat beer in Belgium until 1445 AD, east of Brussels. The witbier was extremely popular throughout the 1500s, and separated itself from the flock with the use of coriander and orange peel in the brewing process. The witbier only remained prominent for a short 100-200 years before wars and famines threatened the Belgian style.

Wheat beer in the history of beer: Purity Law, 1516 AD

During the early golden age of the witbier, the weissbier ran into troubles. In 1516, Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria issued the Bavarian Purity Law, which outlawed any beers brewed with anything other than malt, hops and water. Although wheat could be used in malt form, the new law severely limited weissbier by not allowing the use of yeast. With weissbier already struggling, a near fatal blow was dealt in 1567 when Duke Albrecht IV of Bavaria declared that weissbier was unhealthy and outlawed it entirely.


Wheat beer in the history of beer: Purity Exception, 1602 AD

In 1602, Duke Maximilian I of Bavaria reversed the previous positions of Wilhelm IV and Albrecht IV by placing all of the weissbier breweries under state ownership after determining that not only was weissbier safe, but it was refreshing. The true motive of this move was to balance the budget with tax revenue generated from beer, and due to violation of the Bavarian Purity Law, Duke Maximillion I agreed to pay a fine to the chamber of representatives.

By the mid 1700s the populace began to move to brown ale and other dark beers. In 1798, Prince-Elector Theodore of Bavaria suspended the state ownership of weissbier breweries; as they were no longer profitable to the state. Although weissbier had a much longer heritage than witbier and more periods of prosperity up to this point, the witbier style would be the style to revive the wheat beer movement a century and a half later.

Wheat beer in the history of beer: Lager Lager Lager, 1900 AD

By 1900 lagers dominated the market, pushing many other styles into obscurity. Although many styles of beers survived the lager movement, its effects on the wheat beer styles were almost catastrophic. Witbiers were extinct and the relatively few German weissbier brewers struggled to the point of near bankruptcy.

Wheat beer in the history of beer: Hoegaarden, 1966 AD

In 1966 Pierre Celis established the De Kluis Brewery next to his home in the small Belgian town of Hoegaarden. He would later be known as one of the greatest and most influential minds in modern brewing and his product would set the industry standard for Belgian Style witbiers. The sweet and spicy elements of coriander and orange peel in the brewing process began to attract beer drinkers across the entire globe.

The resurgence of witbier on the world scale brought interest back to the German weissbier as well, allowing breweries such as Franziskaner to begin to flourish once again. Since then the Belgian and German recipes have been imitated or replicated in many other countries including the United States, with the most notable names being Blue Moon, Leinenkugel's and Sam Adams. Mainstream macrobreweries have also presented their own renditions of wheat beer, such as Bud Light Golden Wheat.

Wheat beer in the history of beer: today

Despite the rough journey our favorite wheat beer styles have taken, we can all be thankful that wheat beers have made a comeback. The sweet, spiced, and crisp qualities of a witbier and the clean, smooth, sweet taste in a weissbier will continue to provide refreshment to all on those warm, sunny, summer days.

Reviews of Wheat beers on the UNOB site

Hurricane Reef Raspberry Wheat
Garrison Raspberry Wheat
Rock Bottom Chicago Walleye Wheat
New Belgium Sunshine Wheat
Flying Dog In-Heat Wheat
Waiheke Island Wharf Rd. Wheat
Boulevard Wheat
Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat
White Mountain Weasel Wheat

References

About.com

WikiPedia

Wise Geek

Beer Advocate

Beer Wikia

BBC article on Irish monks rebrewing ancient Wheat recipe

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