# The Influence of Selected Winter Wheat Cultivars Grown in Poland and the Growing Season on the Quality of Wheat Beers Produced from Them

## TL;DR

This study shows how different winter wheat varieties and growing seasons in Poland affect the quality of wheat beers, including alcohol content and taste.

## Contribution

The study identifies specific wheat cultivars and growing seasons that consistently produce high-quality wheat beers with stable characteristics.

## Key findings

- Wheat beers from Rockefeller and Gimantis cultivars had the highest alcohol content and lowest energy value.
- Gimantis cultivar produced beers with the lightest color and lowest bitterness.
- The second growing season consistently yielded the highest quality wheat beers regardless of cultivar.

## Abstract

The wheat cultivar significantly influences the quality of grain and malt, which are used to produce wheat beers, determining their potential for use in brewing. The brewing process influenced the quality of wheat beers obtained from selected winter wheat cultivars (Elixer, Lawina, Gimantis and Rockefeller cultivars) from three growing seasons. Wheat beers obtained from malt from the Rockefeller and Gimantis cultivars were characterized by the highest real extract values, ethyl alcohol content (4.14 and 4.05% v/v, respectively), and therefore the caloric content of the finished beer product (the lowest energy value was obtained for the Lawina cultivar—43.19 kcal·100 mL−1). Furthermore, wheat beers obtained from malt from the Gimantis cultivar were characterized by the lightest color and the lowest bitterness perception (14.8 IBU). The highest quality wheat beers were obtained with grain from the second growing season, regardless of the cultivar used. Cluster analysis of all quality characteristics of wheat beers obtained from malt derived from winter wheat grain grown in field experiments showed that the Gimantis cultivar, and to a lesser extent the Rockefeller cultivar, was characterized by the lowest quality variability among wheat beers brewed from malt derived from cereals from three growing seasons in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship.