On Food and Cooking

other sources.
Wheat Beers German wheat beers differ from
the usual Bavarian brew in four ways. First, a
large fraction of the barley malt is replaced by
wheat malt, which carries more protein,
produces a more foamy and hazy brew, and
lightens the typical malt flavor. Second, wheat
beers are top-fermented like ales, and so
develop more tartness and fruitiness. Third,
the culture often includes an unusual yeast
(Torulaspora) that produces aroma
compounds not usually found in beer. These
volatile phenols (vinyl guaiacol, p. 738) may
suggest cloves and similar spices, but also a
medicinal quality like that of plastic
bandages, or an animal quality reminiscent of
the barnyard or stable. Finally, some wheat
beers are not fully clarified, and retain some
of their yeast, which gives them a cloudy
appearance and yeasty flavor. German wheat
beers may be called Weizen for “wheat,”
Hefe-weizen for “yeast-wheat,” or Weissen for