Brewing With Wheat by Stan Hieronymus

I was recently given an opportunity to read Stan Hieronymus’ new book, Brewing With Wheat. I wasn’t exactly sure what I would find, but I’ve always been a fan of wheat beers, and I was curious to see what a whole book could tell me about them.

Hieronymus begins the book by painting a vivid portrait of German brewer Bernard Kuhn, making wheat beer in a very traditional method, with references to processes that many modern brewers would never consider. This particular brewer does them because it’s the way it should be done. End of story.

Within the few first pages, I realized both that I knew nothing about the wheat beers I enjoyed, and that I couldn’t wait to read more.

The main chapters of the book cover the history of the wheat grain, Belgian wheat beers, German wheat beers,American wheat beers, wheat beers from the past, as well as some tips for enjoying wheat beer and brewing different types of wheat beer. Each regional section follows a fairly consistent format of identifying several breweries who exemplify the epitome of the style, interviewing the brewers, describing the brewery’s process, and providing an ingredient breakdown of one of their beers. This format provides a very enjoyable tour of the major wheat beer styles of the world, and an opportunity to experience the incredible pride each brewer takes in their product.

After each chapter, I couldn’t wait to brew my next batch of beer, and to draw inspiration from that region and style, to try to invoke the tradition of the region and the brewers who work every day to preserve the unique character that they have developed in their beer. It will be a while before I try my hand at each style, but I will be revisiting this book for guidance and inspiration when I do.

You can pick up Brewing With Wheat, along with many other valuable resources from the American Homebrewers Association website.