Serve in a snifter at 10-14 °C
What it tastes like
Wheat wine is a modern American invention, from the craft breweries of the 1980s and 1990s that wanted a barley wine with a different texture. Half or more of the grist is wheat malt, and that changes the whole beer. It feels rounder and softer, with flavours of bread, honey, biscuit and light caramel instead of the darker toffee and raisin of a barley wine.
Hopping varies a lot. Some brewers keep it restrained so the wheat leads; others add a solid dose of American hops for citrus and a firmer bitter finish. Either way the alcohol is high, so you get warmth and often notes of stone fruit or orange marmalade from fermentation.
A clean ale yeast is the norm. You should not taste banana or clove; this is not a strong hefeweizen. Many wheat wines are aged in bourbon or wine barrels, which adds vanilla and oak. Like other big beers, it rewards small pours and slow sipping.
Style profile
- Look
- Gold to light amber, sometimes hazy from the wheat. A soft, off-white head of moderate staying power.
- Aroma and flavour
- Bread, honey, biscuit and light caramel. Stone fruit or marmalade from fermentation. Hops range from gentle to assertive American citrus.
- Mouthfeel
- Full, soft and slightly chewy, with low to moderate carbonation and noticeable alcohol warmth.
- Ingredients
- At least half wheat malt with pale barley malt and some light crystal. American hops. A clean, alcohol tolerant ale yeast. Barrel ageing is common.
In India
Wheat wine is hard to find anywhere in India, and with good reason: it needs a lot of malt, long conditioning and a buyer willing to pay excise on a 10 per cent beer. For a brewpub with a barrel or two, it is a strong candidate for an anniversary release. Store it cool and dark. In a warm room it will turn sweet and dull within weeks rather than ageing gracefully.
At the Indian table
Food pairings contributed by Anuradha Rao
- Hyderabadi chicken biryaniSaffron, fried onion and whole spice match the honeyed malt, and the strength stands up to the richness.
- Malai koftaA creamy cashew gravy suits the soft wheat body, and the alcohol warmth cuts the cream.
- Mysore pakGram flour, ghee and sugar meet the biscuit and honey notes head on.
Brewed in India
We could not verify an Indian commercial version yet. Strong ales are rare here because excise is charged on alcohol and long ageing ties up tanks, so ask your brewpub about a winter one-off.