White Wheat v. Wheat Malt

[kinginthenorth]

What are the differences between White Wheat Malt and a standard Wheat Malt such as Weyermann Wheat?

Should both achieve head retention, light color, smooth body? Can both be used up to 50% in a wheat ale? Or used up to 20% in an IPA? Are there any notable differences or advantages to either malted wheat?

 

[Yooper]

There are two basic kinds of wheat malt- white wheat and red wheat.

The red wheat malt tastes a bit more "flour" like, while the white malt tastes a bit doughier, but they are very similar in all of the flavor/color/diastatic power things. The red wheat malt is used in hefeweizens more commonly because of that more 'flour' flavor, but they are both used. I usually use white wheat malt in beers where I use wheat malt.

If you buy from Briess, you have your choice.

However, they are so similar that Weyermann doesn't even distinguish which they sell as pale wheat malt- could be either, or both, I guess.

Weyermann's wheat malt does come in two versions, though- the pale wheat, and the dark wheat. The dark wheat is more highly kilned and quite a bit darker, about 6-8 L if I remember correctly, compared to about 2L for the pale.