Hello all!! Today we are serving up a beer style fit for summer, the Witbier. Grab a glass and learn a little more about what’s behind this style.
Witbier is a beer style by many names–Wit, White Beer or Belgian White are all alternative titles for this style. By whichever name you choose to call it, it is a Belgian style wheat ale, pale in color, and usually cloudy from starch haze or yeast. A slightly sweet beer with a light creamy mouthfeel, with flavors of citrus, herbs, and spice. Many Wit beers have an addition of coriander, citrus zest, and/or chamomile. The herb, citrus and spice flavors should be subtle and not overwhelming. Witbier is a 400 year-old beer style, that died out in the 1950s. It was later revived by Hoegaarden, and has grown in popularity in the US market. Witbier is a refreshing beer, great for summer. It is often times served with an orange or lemon wedge, but of course certain beer snobs frown upon this. Not me though, hey, who doesn’t like extra vitamin C.
Smell: Yeasty with a hint of orange and camomile.
Taste: Spicy with a yeasty finish. Much more yeast forward than the Witches Wit. This beer is camomile forward, with some orange. This was much more hazy in color than the Witches Wit and less clean tasting, with a lot more spice. This was not my favorite wit beer.
I think we might have gotten a old bottle. It came from Whole Foods, which the one we go to seems to go through beer, so I’m not sure. I feel like it should have been more spice flavor.
Smell: A bit of yeasty spiciness
Taste: Very clean. Clear not very cloudy at all when poured. Almost Kolsch like in flavor, but with a heavier mouth feel. Slight hint of orange and coriander, but very little spice overall. While I feel like it could have used a bit more spice I really enjoyed this Wit. This one would be my buy again choice between the two.
What is your go to summer beer?
Our next Into The Pint Glass is Pale Ales on July 9th. A nice all American beer in time to enjoy for the 4th of July holiday 🙂
I love a good Witbier! My favorite at the moment is made by Einstok from Iceland. They also make a great pale ale!
Funny, that is the one that Erika (Quiet Girl In A Noisy City) tried. I’ve never had Icelandic beer before (at least I don’t think so). I’ll have to keep my eye out for that one.
I never tried it before our cruise in Norway, and I got addicted. It’s fresh, crisp, and has a nice little bit of citrus undertone to it!
I do enjoy this style of beer and always love to hear Fredrik say it with his pseudo accent from taking German in high school! For us at the moment we always go to back to Hoegaarden as the price is really great compared to the American import ones and a classic is a classic for a reason!
I need to start ordering it with an accent 🙂 I have not had Hoegaarden in ages. I actually can remember the first time I tried Hoegaarden, I wasn’t even 21 (shhh), it was my first time drinking at a beer at a bar too. Funny I had not even thought about that.
I first had it when I was studying abroad and 19 year old me was not impressed at all!
I didn’t really know about Witbiers until I started researching for Into the Pint Glass. But I gotta say, this is definitely one of my new favorite styles.
I LOVE LOST ABBEY. You are so lucky you live so close and get to enjoy all their beers all the time. I would be at the brewery once a month tasting their new brews.
P really likes Lost Abbey too, though we have only been to the tasting room once. We need to make a return trip, because we only shared a few tasters. It was our second brewery stop and crowded. They do nice well balanced beers. Yet another reason to visit SD.
The label is gruesome! Definitely eye catching though.
Germans drink a lot of “Weissbier” or “Hefeweizen” (literally translated “yeast wheat”), but it was always too yeasty for me. I’m excited for your next “The Pint Glass”, pale ales are my go-to beer when I drink it!
It is quite detailed. I so picky about my hefeweizen, because I hate the clover/banana yeast taste that is common to that style. Just the smell puts me off of some.
We tried the same beer this time! I did get more of the orange zest than the spices, but still really enjoyed it.
Great minds, great minds 🙂 It was nice and easy drinking.