Grasshopper Wheat Ale is a cross between a European and a North American style wheat beer; its flavour notes and esters are more in line with the traditional European style while the filtering process is more characteristic of the North American style.

Wheat can be difficult to work with in the brewing process but it has been used In Europe for centuries. Historically, wheat beers were never filtered but in recent years these brews have generally been bottle-conditioned (the way bottled beer was carbonated years ago; it’s a process that allows a bit of fermentation to take place inside the bottle leaving yeasty sediment on the bottom, hence the term “heffe” or “with yeast”.

Wheat beers originated in Europe and today brewers from around the world are trying to achieve their level of expertise in the field. With the development of tight filtration methods Germany and Belgium have produced some world class Crystal Weisse or Witt beers as well some scrumptious unfiltered wheat beers.

In North America there are also some well-made and delicious Heffeweissen beers but North American wheat beers are typically associated with filtered crystal wheat beers.

The differences between the two styles of wheat beer typically stems from the process used, the equipment and the raw materials (i.e. yeast).