Briess CBW Dry Malt Extract (DME) Bavarian Wheat 3 LB Review (2026)

What it is made from

This is a 3 lb bag of Briess CBW Bavarian Wheat dry malt extract, and retailer product data for this line describes its composition as 65 percent wheat malt and 35 percent barley malt combined with water, distinguishing it from Briess's all barley extracts like Pilsen or Golden Light. That wheat heavy blend is what gives it a character suited specifically to wheat beer styles rather than general purpose use, since wheat malt behaves differently from barley in terms of protein content, head retention, and mouthfeel. Briess produces this extract domestically in Wisconsin, which several retailers note as part of the product's sourcing.

Color and flavor profile

Product listings for this extract give it a color rating of roughly 3 degrees Lovibond, a pale gold shade consistent with the light color expected of wheat beer styles like hefeweizen and American wheat ale. Retailer descriptions note it carries a malty sweet wheat character and roughly 75 percent fermentability, meaning most but not all of its sugars are fermentable, which helps support the fuller body and mouthfeel wheat beers are known for. This flavor and color profile is a deliberate match to traditional German and American wheat beer styles rather than a general purpose light extract.

Body, foam, and haze

Wheat malt is well known in brewing for improving head retention and giving beer a fuller, silkier mouthfeel compared with an all barley malt bill, and retailer descriptions of this extract specifically call out enhanced foam and body as benefits. The same wheat protein content that produces those benefits is also what causes the persistent haze typical of hefeweizens and American wheat beers, since wheat proteins do not clear the way barley malt proteins do. That haze is desirable and expected in the wheat styles this extract targets, but it would be an unwanted flaw in a clear style like a pilsner or a clean pale ale.

Batch size considerations

A single 3 lb bag is a partial ingredient rather than a complete recipe, and brewers building a full 5 gallon wheat beer from extract typically need more than one bag, often combining it with additional Bavarian Wheat extract or a barley based extract depending on the target wheat to barley ratio for their recipe. Retailers also sell this line in a smaller 1 lb bag, which can be useful for topping off a batch or fine tuning gravity without buying a full additional 3 lb bag. As with other dry extracts, all grain brewers can also use it in smaller amounts to boost gravity or add wheat character to a mostly barley based recipe.

Who it fits

This extract suits brewers making hefeweizens, American wheat ales, or other styles that want the characteristic haze, body, and foam wheat malt provides, whether brewing entirely from extract or using it to supplement an all grain wheat beer. It is not the right choice for brewers targeting clear styles, since the same wheat protein that builds body is what causes the haze. Anyone planning a full 5 gallon batch should budget for more than a single 3 lb bag, either of this extract alone or combined with a complementary barley extract, to reach a typical target gravity for the style they are brewing.

Frequently asked questions