Heavier wheat beers must be carefully designed. Not even Belgium’s brewing wizards have established a reliable style of wheat beer much above 6% ABV, unless you count Oude gueuze – which many would consider cheating, in this context.
Weizenbock
Wheat bock (6.5-9.0% ABV) is a relatively recent arrival, in German brewing terms, dating from the early 20th century. It shares the grain-driven body of a Dunkles Bock , but takes a banana and clove character from its wheat-pointing ale yeast. These are not easy beers to make, the avoidance of cloying sweetness relying on decoction mashing and the fermentation temperature needing careful control to avoid a phenolic character. That said, a well-made one is a good experience and keeps far longer than a typical wheat beer.
Wheat wine
First brewed in 1988 in the US, in contrast to other wheat beers Wheat Wine can take a high hop content and taste frankly hoppy without going weird on the palate. The best are complex and robust sipping beers (8.0-12.0% ABV), some good enough to withstand ageing in oak. Its roots are in American wheat beer, with more than 50% of the mash likely to be malted wheat, though its ambitions are aimed firmly at American barleywine. It is not a style that has travelled much – though it should.
See also: Schoeps.
