The wheat beer revival reached America in the form of exports, and home brewers and beer connoisseurs began to be interested in wheat beers. To the best of my knowledge, the first new commercial American wheat beer was brewed by Anchor Brewing Company of San Francisco in 1983 for the fifth anniversary of its new brewery. The rest, as they say, is history. Most micro and pub brewers use a conventional ale yeast, but doubtless there are bottom-fermented versions in use. The quick production cycle of conventional ale fermentation is welcome in the summer brewing crunch.
Filtration is optional.
The wheat malt character is much more pronounced in unfiltered beers. In wheat beers, the wheat malt is a major flavor component rather than a minor grist constituent to improve head retention. Dextrin malt and the paler caramel malts may be used with restraint in pale wheat beers. Amber, dark, bock, and high-gravity variations are possibilities for the adventurous wheat beer brewer. Finishing hops may be absent, restrained, or fairly pronounced but are seldom used as lavishly as in West Coast pale ales.