Background
Traditionally, beer is made with malted barley--but wheat beer substitutes a substantial proportion of wheat for the barley. This changes things greatly. The beer is lighter, both in color and mouth-feel. A wonderful acidity creeps into the brew, insuring the sensation of freshness. And insipidity's not part of the recipe. The yeasts used for wheat beer in many places provide some of the most interesting flavors in all of beerdom: spicy ones, with hints of clove, and fruity flavors, sometimes suggesting apples or bananas.

Shopper’s Tips

• Belgium is a good place to keep in mind when you're looking for wheat beer.

• Make sure to also keep in mind the Belgian names for the product; Witbier, Wit Bier, and Witte all mean the same thing. Hoegaarden, brewed east of Brussels, in a very traditional wheat-growing area is currently in large distribution in the US.

• Germany's also a great bet for wheat beer. Berlin and Munich are the hotbeds of wheat beer brewing, and you're likely to see such diverse names for the product as Weissbier, Weisse, and Weizen. If the label says "Hefeweizen," or "Hefe Weizen," or "Hefe-Weisse," or "mit Hefe," the bottle contains unfiltered wheat beer, with the yeast still in the bottle, turning the beer cloudy and the flavor more profound. Germans sometimes like to pop a wedge of lemon in their wheat beer glasses, turning the most refreshing beer of all into something absolutely essential for summer.

Serving Suggestions
To ensure that the beer you’re drinking complements the food you’re eating, it’s important to search for one that is crisp and light, and in that case, wheat beer is your best bet. It's great for heavy foods--like sausage and sauerkraut, because it cuts through the fat. It's also works well with foods that are salty (like ham or oysters), smoky (like smoked salmon.), acidic (like salad), and is perfect with spicy foods (anywhere from Thai salads, to Indian curries, to Sichuan stir-fries, to Mexican moles.)

-David Rosengarten