b'Most of the wheat used for malting in the U.S. is Canadian hard spring wheat. Shown above is wheat malt germinating at Independent Barley & Malt. A Beer of Many Names winter wheat.James Hutton Institute in Scotland. The No matter what its calledwitbier,Michael Cooper, executive directorproject breeders aimed to identify traits weissbierwheat beer is a very old bev- and CEO of the premium malting com- that contribute to high alcohol yield and erage, as old as 2,000 years. Wheat beerpany Independent Barley & Malt (IB&M),also locate the genetic and environmental is generally bubbly with a unique tangynotes that aside from some craft brewer- factors controlling these traits. High alco-flavor and pale color. German versionsies that seek out specific varieties, mosthol yield (related to amount of nitrogen tend to have banana and clove flavors,wheat malt, roasted wheat, wheat flakesin the grain) had already be shown to be while Belgian wheat beers are flavoredin the U.S. are not marketed as varietal- influenced by environmental factors. with coriander and orange.specific. Indeed, most of the wheatSenior James Hutton Institute Scientist The website, Craft Beer, is dedicatedused for malting in the United States isJoanne Russell reports that 38 gene to showcasing the differences amongCanadian hard red spring wheat, but theregions were identified as accounting for beers, describes American wheat beerstrouble is that type of wheat is primar- variation in the 11 measured traits. as among the most approachable beersily used for baking or milling and notSince GreenGrains finished, we have in the craft beer world because withoutmalting. Among other qualities, wheatfocussed on barley and projects that have access to the specialty Bavarian weizenfor baking purposes has higher levelsboth a wheat and barley component, yeast, American brewers of wheat beerof protein, and thats not desirable forshe explains. Such as a recently-funded were forced to use clean-fermentingmalting. This situation is the reasonEuropean Union project developing American ale and lager yeast. TheVince Coonce, IB&Ms director of malt- genomics tools for legacy collections of American wheats composition gives iting, is working with scientists at Michiganboth crops. a particularly inviting style, accepting ofState University and the Michigan Craft additional ingredients, particularly rasp- Beverage Council to select a soft winterLooking Forwardberries, watermelon and even chilis. wheat that is better for malting. Wheat has certainly earned itself a perma-Bells Brewery in Michigan makes anent place in the making of the many spir-wheat ale called Oberon, and AnchorGenetic Developments its and beers we enjoy. Both large firms Brewing Company in San Francisco,The study, now in its second year,and small craft distilleries and breweries Americas oldest craft brewery, makesinvolves the measurement of traits of fourare still experimenting with wheat in their several. Anchor was the place whereMichigan wheat varieties grown underproducts, and its future seems bright. the first wheat beer in America sincedifferent fertilizer treatmentsagro- However, a perennial grain cousin of Prohibition was made, in 1984, callednomic traits as well as traits that lendannual wheat called Kernza, developed Anchor Summer Beer. The brewery alsothemselves to high-quality malt produc- by the Land Institute in Kansas may have offers Anchor Mango Wheat and mosttion such as grain plumpness, friabilityan even brighter future. Its so far being recently launched Anchor Winter Wheat,and extract.used in a beer offered by Patagonia of a blend of malted barley and four varie-In terms of breeding wheat specifi- Portland, Ore., and who knows what other ties of wheat from Belgium, Germany andcally for distillation, some years ago thebeverages will follow.SWthe Midwest, plus a locally-grown soft redGreenGrains Project was initiated at the 14/ SEEDWORLD.COMOCTOBER 2020'