Saint Arnold Kristall Weizen

Saint Arnold Kristall Weizen is a refreshing, flavorful filtered wheat beer. The perfect beer to accompany a meal or for a summer's day. The wheat contributes a lighter flavor while maintaining a rich body. The beer has a light hop profile - just enough to give the beer balance and complexity. The light fruitiness is derived from a proprietary yeast strain. A chill haze may be present, which is a characteristic of wheat beers.
50% malted wheat and 50% malted two-row barley are used in this recipe. Malted wheat, which is very expensive, is difficult to mash because of its lack of husk. For this reason, it is rare in this country for wheat beers to contain more than 30% wheat or to be brewed with two-row barley (six-row barley has more husk per pound). The 50% wheat recipe is more representative of a traditional German formulation. Pacific Northwest hop varieties are used. A small addition of Perle hops early in the brewing process balances the Kristall Weizen's sweetness, while two additions of Liberty hops contribute a hint of floral character.