American Wheat

From Formula Brewing in Issaquah, Washington, here’s a recipe for the contemporary American wheat beer that won gold at the 2025 Great American Beer Festival.

Based more on an ingredient than an existing tradition, American wheat is arguably the United States’ first truly native modern beer style. Refreshing and easygoing, attractive and flavorful, it arrived just in time to help American craft beer grow.

Ayla Kapahi, head brewer at Borderlands in Tucson, Arizona, shares this recipe for their easy-drinking wheat beer with German aroma hops, some light fruity esters, and a Southwestern twist: the addition of prickly pear.

In case the colder months get you down, this brightly hopped wheat beer offers a taste of Southern sunshine.