American Wheat Ale
By Mark Tichenor and Bruce Lish

You know those really hot summer days? The kind where your tires stick to the blacktop and, once you get out of the shower in the morning, you never really get dry? Those sweltering days cry out for the refreshment only a beer can bring.

But not just any beer. No one wants to sit on their sun-spattered patio with a mouth-coating imperial porter. Better off with something light and quenching. The Germans had the right idea when they invented Hefeweizen, the quintessential wheat beer of Bavaria. The wheat which substitutes for a portion of the brewer’s barley lend the beer a lightness and mouthfeel that’s beyond compare.

Likewise, on the rare occasions when the sun peeks through the omnipresent cloud blanket over Belgium, the thing to do is sit at an outdoor table with a witbeer, the indigenous pale, wheat ale with hints of clove and orange zest.

Hefeweizen and witbier are now well known in the USA; you can find Fransiskaner and Hoegaarden all over the place. Unsurprisingly, American brewers have taken up the challenge of recreating these European styles with zeal.  In fact, Pierre Celis, the Belgian guy who created the now-famous Hoegaarden, moved to Texas to open up the Celis Brewery (which he eventually sold to a major conglomerate that destroyed it).

More still have done to wheat beers what they did to IPA a decade earlier: they turned them into a brand new, uniquely American style.

American wheat ales may share the light body and crisp finish of their continental ancestors, but that’s about it. Gone are the banana and bubblegum notes of Weizen. Likewise, the distinct orange peel and clove flavors of Wit make little more than cameo appearances. Hardcore beer geeks might sneer at the style because of its lack of explosive flavor or character, but that might be missing the point. The strength of American wheats is their refreshing body and light mouthfeel.

And as is so often the case with American breweries, our wheat beers show only a passing commonality among each other. Some might have a gentle sweetness, while others might be a slight hop bite due to the use of high alpha acid domestic hops,

Some, Like Long Trail Blackbeary Wheat and Saranac Pomegranate Wheat, are brewed with fruit. These tend to be extremely light in body, and neutral in hop character so as not to overwhelm their delicate flavoring. They’re a great choice for people who really don’t like the grainy and hoppy flavors of traditional beer.

Dark wheat beers also pop up from time to time. Odd Notion, from Magic Hat, is a unique caramel-colored winter wheat ale that combines chocolate notes with fruitiness.

The latest trend is wheatwine- a take on very strong ale that uses wheat to impart a lighter consistency than its all-barley cousin.  Two years ago, you couldn’t find a friggin’ wheatwine anywhere, But since American brewers are slightly more fad-oriented than 13 year old girls, wheatwines are popping up like dandelions.

Trendiness aside, American wheat beer is a very good introduction to craft beer for people used to mass-market lager, it also makes a compelling alternative to high-status, overpriced imports from south of the border. You won’t even need a lime.

In other beers:
Fishfest is in full swing at The Old Toad. Rochester’s long-standing signature beer bar is showcasing the beers of Dogfish Head, one of the moment’s trendiest breweries, and the undeservedly obscure Rooster Fish brewery in Watkins Glen.

Some Dogfish Head beers, like Chateau Jiahu and Raison D’etre, you just never see on tap. The Toad has them. They’re also pouring Indian Brown Ale and 90-minute IPA straight from the Randalizer, a DFH invention that filters the fresh draft beer through fresh hops and into your glass for an extra grassy kick.  The Rooster Fish offerings are casked, bringing out their subtleties and showcasing what this small Finger Lakes brewery is capable of.  Try the Hop Warrior and odds are you’ll order a second pint.

The Tap and Mallet will be featuring the next installment of its Beer Social series on Wednesday, April 30. The theme: dark beers. This is so open-ended that big surprises are almost a certainty. A brewer (unspecified) from The Southern Tier Brewery of Lakewood, NY, will be guest presenting.  Tickets are $12 and you should buy them in advance to guarantee a place at the social.

Bruce is a certified beer judge and commercial brewer. Mark owns a laptop and likes beer. For more on beer, check out the beercraft blog, updated regularly, at http:://www.beercraftsite.com. Send your questions, suggestions, or comments to beercraft@rochester.rr.com.