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Strong American Ale / 22D

Wheatwine

Unfiltered BJCP Styles Style Profile

This BJCP record is outside the Certified Cicerone® Level 2 beer-style list and is included for Advanced Cicerone® review.

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Advanced Cicerone® BJCP Beer Judge Entrance Exam
Source
BJCP 2021 Beer Style Guidelines

Overall Impression

A richly textured, high alcohol sipping beer with a significant grainy, bready flavor, and a sleek body. The emphasis is first on the bready, wheaty flavors with malt, hops, fruity yeast, and alcohol complexity.

Aroma

Hop aroma is mild and can represent just about any hop variety. Moderate to moderately-strong bready, wheaty malt character, often with additional malt complexity such as honey and caramel. A light, clean, alcohol aroma may be noted. Low to medium fruity notes may be apparent. Very low diacetyl optional. Banana-and-clove Weizen yeast character is inappropriate.

Appearance

Color ranging from gold to deep amber, often with garnet or ruby highlights. Low to medium off-white head. The head may have creamy texture, and good retention. Chill haze is allowable, but usually clears up as the beer gets warmer. High alcohol and viscosity may be visible as legs.

Flavor

Moderate to moderately-high bready wheat malt flavor, dominant in the flavor balance over any hop character. Low to moderate toasty, caramel, biscuity, or honey malt notes can add a welcome complexity, but are not required. Low to medium hop flavor, reflecting any variety. Moderate to moderately-high fruitiness, often with a dried-fruit character. Low to moderate bitterness, creating a malty to even balance. Should not be syrupy or under-attenuated.

Mouthfeel

Medium-full to full body. Chewy, often with a luscious, velvety texture. Low to moderate carbonation. Light to moderate smooth alcohol warmth optional.

Comments

Much of the color arises from a lengthy boil. Some commercial examples may be stronger than the Vital Statistics.

Characteristic Ingredients

Typically brewed with a combination of American two-row and American wheat. Style commonly uses 50% or more wheat malt. Restrained use of dark malts. Any variety of hops may be used. May be oak-aged.

Style Comparison

More than simply a wheat-based Barleywine, many versions have very expressive fruity and hoppy notes, while others develop complexity through oak aging. Less emphasis on the hops than American Barleywine. Has roots in American Wheat Beer rather than any German wheat style, so should not have any Weizen yeast character.

Vital Statistics

IBU
30 - 60
SRM
6 - 14
OG
1.080 - 1.120
FG
1.016 - 1.030
ABV
8% - 12%

Commercial Examples

  • The Bruery White Oak
  • Castelain Winter Ale
  • Perennial Heart of Gold
  • Two Brothers Bare Tree

Style Attributes

amber-color balanced craft-style hoppy north-america strong-ale-family top-fermented very-high-strength wheat-beer-family

Similar Styles: How to Tell Them Apart

Use these guideline-based sensory contrasts to organize comparative tasting practice.

These strong, full-bodied sipping ales share rich pale-to-amber malt, fruit, warming alcohol, and low-to-assertive hops. English Barleywine leans toward British malt, fruit, and age complexity; American Barleywine is more bitter and hop-driven; Wheatwine puts bready wheat and sleek texture first with lower bitterness.

Compare with: 17D. English Barleywine; 22C. American Barleywine

By aroma

  • Wheatwine leads with moderate to moderately strong bready wheat plus possible honey, caramel, fruit, and mild hops.
  • Its hop aroma is lower than American Barleywine's, and its malt lacks the deep British caramel-and-dark-fruit emphasis of English Barleywine.

By taste

  • Wheatwine makes bready wheat dominant over low to medium hop flavor and low to moderate bitterness.
  • A sleek, luscious, velvety body and grainy wheat core distinguish it from barley-based richness even when toast, caramel, honey, or dried fruit appear.
  • Banana-and-clove weizen character is inappropriate; the fermentation profile belongs to an American strong ale.

Quick tell: Dominant bready wheat, sleek texture, and restrained hops identify Wheatwine.

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