We talk a lot about the various beer styles that are well-suited for spring drinking. They run the gamut from bocks, Goses, lagers, pale ales, saisons, Kölsch-style beers, IPAs, Helles lagers, sours, and more. While we can debate which one is the best for days, today we want to tout the highly drinkable, flavorful spring staple: wheat beer.
While we aren’t trying to disrespect those who came (and brewed) before and we understand wheat beers have deep roots in Europe (specifically in Germany and Belgium), today we’re going to dive into American-made wheat beers exclusively. This top-fermented beer style made with a higher amount of wheat as opposed to the usual barley is known for its yeasty, wheat, citrus, and sometimes banana and clove flavors (depending on the beer itself).
Not only is it a great spring beer, but it’s the type of complex, crushable, thirst-quenching beer you’ll want to imbibe well into the summer months (I’d argue that like IPAs, wheat beers can be year-rounders). Keep scrolling to see eight widely available American wheat beers you’ll want to stock up on this season, ranked on flavor alone.
8) Blue Moon Belgian White
ABV: 5.2%
Average Price: $10 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Before every brewery in America seemed to make its own wheat beer, there was Blue Moon. Launched in 2005 by Coors, this witbier is known for its hazy, unfiltered appearance with orange peels, coriander, and sweet wheat.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is fairly generic with aromas of orange peel, wheat, and light spices. Overall, it’s kind of muted and bland. The flavor is a little better with wheat, cereal grains, orange peel, lemon zest, and maybe some coriander. It’s not a bad beer, it’s just a little light and boring.
Bottom Line:
If you’re simply looking for a wheat beer to crush this spring and summer, go ahead and grab some Blue Moon. If you’re looking for even the tiniest amount of complexity, look elsewhere.
7) Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat
ABV: 4.4%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Brewed since 1990, Boulevard’s Unfiltered Wheat has been imitated by countless brewers throughout the country in the last few decades. This sessionable, hazy beer is known for its orange peel and spice flavors and crushable nature.
Tasting Notes:
Caramel malts, orange peels, lemon zest, and wheat highlight this beer’s nose. The palate continues this trend with more wheat, tangerine, lemongrass, cloves, and light banana. Due to its low ABV, it’s a little lighter in flavor than it could be.
Bottom Line:
This beer is known for its sessionable nature. This makes it both crushable, but also a little muted overall.
6) Sierra Nevada Sunny Little Thing
ABV: 5%
Average Price: $11 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This wheat beer variety of Sierra Nevada’s popular “Little Thing” line, Sunny Little Thing is brewed with ale yeast, two-row Pale malt, wheat, oats, Cara-Pils malt, Crystal hops, and orange and grapefruit. This hazy, fruity wheat beer is known for its bold, bright, refreshing, spring-like citrus vibes.
Tasting Notes:
While there are aromas of sweet wheat, rolled oats, and cereal grains, this beer’s nose is dominated by grapefruit and tangerine. Drinking it reveals more notes of orange peels and grapefruit zest up front along with wheat and a creamy, sweet mouthfeel from the addition of oats. The finish is dry and lightly tart.
Bottom Line:
This is a wheat beer for citrus fans, as it’s dominated by grapefruit and orange. If you prefer a beer with a slightly less heavy hand, buy something else.
5) Goose Island 312
ABV: 4.2%
Average Price: $11 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Referred to as an “urban wheat ale”, this 4,2% ABV, crushable, sessionable beer is brewed with wheat and 2-row malts. It gets its bright, hoppy flavor from the addition of Hallertau, Millenium, and Cascade hops. It’s known for its wheat, hoppy, citrus flavor profile.
Tasting Notes:
The nose leans heavily into lemon zest, orange peel, cereal grains, wheat, and lightly floral, earthy hops. The palate is a little thin but has notes of wheat, biscuit-like malts, orange peels, lemon zest, and light spices, The finish is dry and slightly bitter.
Bottom Line:
Another crushable, sessionable wheat beer, Goose Island 312 isn’t the most exciting beer on the market. But, even though it’s a bit watery, it has all the flavors wheat beer fans crave.
4) Revolution Sun Crusher
ABV: 5.3%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Available from April through July, Revolution Sun Crusher is an aptly named beer because this spring and summer wheat beer is totally crushable and thirst-quenching on a warm (or downright sweltering) day. Brewed with Carapils and 2-row malts as well as red wheat and flaked oats, it gets its floral, citrus flavor from Apollo and Amarillo hops in the kettle and dry-hopping with Crystal, Amarillo, and Mosaic hops.
Tasting Notes:
Cracker malts, lemon zest, orange peels, and lightly floral hops are present on the nose. While the nose isn’t overly exciting, the palate makes up for it with notes of wheat, oats, orange peels, lemon zest, wet grass, crackery malts, and lightly bitter, floral hops. Its finish is sweet, wheaty, citrusy, and lightly hoppy.
Bottom Line:
This is one for the hop fans. It has all of the classic wheat beer flavors that are only heightened by the addition of hops in the kettle and dry hopping.
3) Allagash White
ABV: 5.2%
Average Price: $10 for a four-pack
The Beer:
When it comes to American-made wheat beers, there are few (if any) more well-known and acclaimed than Allagash White. This 5.2% ABV Belgian-style wheat beer gets its classic flavors from being brewed with oats, malted wheat, and raw wheat as well as coriander and Curaçao orange peel.
Tasting Notes:
Classic aromas of caramel malts, oats, wheat, orange peels, and coriander make this a very welcoming beer. The palate continues this trend with notes of funky yeast, bananas, coriander, wheat, and bright orange zest. Although American, it has the classic flavor of authentic European wheat beer.
Bottom Line:
There’s a reason brewers and drinkers alike love Allagash White. It’s simple, classic, and highly flavorful. It’s the kind of wheat beer you’ll stock all year long.
2) Bell’s Oberon
ABV: 5.8%
Average Price: $11 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Like Canadian geese returning from their winter vacation in the southern parts of the US, you can count on Bell’s releasing Oberon every spring. This eagerly-awaited, citrus-filled wheat beer is brewed simply with the brewery’s signature ale yeast, wheat malt, hops, and water.
Tasting Notes:
Complex aromas of wheat, honey, orange peels, banana, and yeasty bread are prevalent on the nose. The palate is a gentle mix of wheat sweetness and hop bitterness with hints of orange, lemon, banana, and light spices. Sweet, lightly spicy, hoppy, and delicious.
Bottom Line:
Simplicity is the name of the game when it comes to Bell’s Oberon. This beer doesn’t rely on any over-the-top flavors. It’s simple, elegant, and perfect.
1) 3 Floyds Gumballhead
ABV: 5.6%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
3 Floyds is well-known for its limited releases and its iconic Zombie Dust Pale Ale. But you definitely shouldn’t sleep on its highly flavorful, well-balanced Gumballhead wheat beer. This 5.6% ABV, year-round wheat beer is brewed with white wheat and dry-hopped with specifically chosen hops from Yakima Valley.
Tasting Notes:
A very inviting nose of fresh pine, lemon zest, orange peel, wheat, and funky yeast greets you before your first sip. Drinking it brings forth notes of yeasty bread, sweet wheat, orange, honey, and a final bite of floral, piney hops.
Bottom Line:
Wheat, fruit, citrus, hops… what’s not to love? This is the epitome of an Americanized wheat beer. It has all the wheat flavors from Europe with an American, hoppy spin.
