What’s Belgian White Beer?

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Belgian white beer, sometimes called witbier or biere blanche, is a popular drink in the summer for its slightly bitter taste and high levels of carbonation. Originally brewed in monasteries, the drink is usually spiced with various flavourings. Revitalized after a major reduction in breweries in the 19th century, Belgian white beer is once again popular across the European continent and around the world.

The area east of Brussels, Belgium became known for wits in the 14th century. The original varieties were brewed without hops, instead using a spice blend called gruut to impart flavor to the beer. While there were some substitutions for local grain availability, most witbiers traditionally use equal portions of barley and wheat. Belgian white ale is technically a beer, as it used top-fermented yeasts and is brewed at a higher temperature than bottom-fermented lagers. It is called white beer because the yeast and grain particles remain suspended in the final product, giving it a pale appearance, especially when served cold.

With Belgian white ale’s excellent reputation, many breweries producing the beverage have sprung up in eastern Belgium, particularly around the small town of Hoegaarden. At the height of popularity in the 18th century, over thirty breweries were in operation throughout the area. However, over the next century, the preference for lagers and sauteed ales outgrew the traditional forms, and by the 1960s, not a single Belgian white ale brewery was left in operation near Hoegaarden.

In 1966, a Hoegaarden milkman named Pierre Celis revived Witbier with the founding of the De Kluis Brewery. Using techniques he learned as a boy, Celis created a version of the beer and began releasing it to the public. By the 1960s, beer drinking was no longer considered unrefined, with aficionados interested in flavor, texture, and innovation, rather than just taste and alcohol content. This new culture of beer appreciation made Celis white beer unexpectedly popular. In the 1990s, Celis established a brewery in Austin, Texas and introduced Belgian white ale to America with the release of Celis White.

The character of witbier is often compared to the German hefeweizen, due to its fruity and slightly sweet taste. Hops are often added to modern beers, imparting a slightly bitter taste, but traditional spice blends are also used. Bitter orange, coriander and cumin are popular additions to the sharper production. The drink is distinctive in that it often uses raw grain instead of the more typical malted varieties. The pale straw color is a result of the pale barley used, most often of the Belgian or two-row varieties.

Belgian white beer is especially popular as a cold summer drink. The thick head and silky body complement the smooth taste of the drink. Thanks to the efforts of Celis, Witbier has become very popular and is now offered by many large commercial breweries. Witbier is an excellent addition to a summer barbecue or picnic and is now available in most grocery and liquor stores in Europe and the United States.

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