Wheat Beer (Witbier, weizen, heffe weizen)

There are a large variety of wheat beers, the only really common factor is that they all contain wheat along with the malted barley.
Wheat is not as easy to work with as malted barley and really adds very little to the taste on it's own. It does provide a thicker longer lasting head thanks to it's higher protein content.
What often makes these beers so different is the yeast that is used in the brewing process and the lightness of the beer which lends itself to the addition of other flavouring ingredients.
Wheat beers tend to be cloudy in appearance due to the additional protiens from the wheat and to suspended yeast paticles. They can be filtered to make them clear. Many wheat beers undergo secondary firmentation in the bottle and will definately appear cloudy from the additional yeast.

The tastes of this style are usually not very bitter, hops are kept to a minimum. They will often have flavours of cloves and banana or vanilla. The belgian styles often add coriander and other spices to flavour the beer. The tastes should not scream at you but should be noticeable without overpowering the beer.

Many brewers use a wheatbeer as the basis for fruit flavoured beer, raspberry and apricot being fairly popular, lemon or orange are also used often.

Alcohol content can range between 4% and 7%.

These beers make great summer beer thanks to their light and refreshing tastes. There are also some darker versions of these beers like "Dunkel Weizen" which are fuller versions and make very nice winter beers.