June 2026: Instead of a newsletter… Wheat beer

Andreas Krennmair has a new book out focusing on ‘Bavarian white beer’, AKA Hefeweizen, AKA wheat beer. And it’s reminded us to check in with this intriguing style. Out and about in Bristol’s pubs yesterday one thing that struck us was that German wheat beer is a style that’s become quite mainstream in the UK since the UK Weizen craze of the 1990s. The Barley Mow near Bristol Temple Meads station had a draught wheat beer from Ayinger and multiple examples in bottles in the fridge. But even mainstream neighbourhood pubs like The Langton often have at least one wheat beer on offer, even if it’s only Erdinger, the blandest of the lot. Supermarkets, too, seem to carry it by default. There are multiple wheat beers on offer at our local Sainsbury’s (three, we think, from memory) and Lidl, a German company, has its own-brand perfectly decent Patronus for less than a couple of quid a bottle. It’s not frequently seen on draught these days but that doesn’t matter because it’s a style that is…