White Beer is an unfiltered, top-fermented style of wheat beer also known as wit bier (Flemish) and bière blanche (French). “White” refers to the unfiltered, cloudy whiteness of the beer as it appears in a glass. This style originated in the Middle Ages in Belgium and is uniquely different from other traditional wheat beers, such as those of Germany. Whereas the German white or wheat beers are made with only malted wheat, malted barley, and hops, the white beers of Belgium usually include unmalted wheat as an adjunct, spices, and sometimes oats. The percentage of unmalted grains in the grist can approach 50%, though 30% to 40% is more common. Specifically, Belgian style white beers were traditionally produced in the Flemish region of Belgium where brewers had access to cereal grains from the region’s farms, and access to spices from the neighboring country of Netherlands.

White beer, though popular since the Middle Ages, decreased in popularity in the early 1900s, mainly due to the advent of golden lager. The low point in white beer history came in the 1950s when the last white beer brewery, in Hoegaarden, Belgium closed its doors. The revival of this style of beer can be attributed to one man, Pierre Celis. See celis, pierre. Celis was a milkman who in the mid-1960s started a new brewery called De Kluis. See de kluis (brewery). De Kluis was dedicated to brewing a white beer called Hoegaarden, named after the town in which it was brewed. See hoegaarden. Celis had worked as a young man in the Tomsin brewery in Hoegaarden before it ceased production. He remembered a lot about white beer brewing from his early days in the brewery and from talking to townspeople who remembered the taste of white beers when they were commercially available. Hoegaarden white beer soon became quite popular and has been emulated by many brewers in Belgium and around the world.

From the 1990s onward white beer production increased in volume significantly, due mainly to two commercially available examples, Hoegaarden, a traditional Belgian-style white beer, and MillerCoors’ Blue Moon Belgian White, a “Belgo-American-style” white beer.

Traditional Belgian-style white beer is made with malted barley and unmalted wheat. Some variations include other grains, such as oats or spelt. It is spiced with a small quantity of hops to keep the bitterness low. Other spices traditionally include coriander and Curacao orange peel. Further, some variations add more unique spices to achieve an even more complex flavor. The yeast should typically be a Belgian ale yeast that produces unique fruity and spicy flavor notes. During the mashing process, many traditional white beer brewers employ a long, tepid mash rest, which promotes lactic acid production. This gives the beer a slight, refreshing tartness that is no doubt a throwback to the days when many beers, especially in warmer weather, had an unintentional tang of acidity from bacterial activity. The appearance of a traditional white beer is very pale yellow in color with a slight haziness and a rich, foamy head. The haze is mainly protein with a small amount of yeast. The aroma is citrusy, spicy, and fruity and the body is light. The taste is slightly tart, but balanced with light malt and wheat flavors, as well as complex citrus and spice notes for a refreshing taste. Americans have been given to putting slices of lemon or orange into white beers, perhaps wishing to accentuate the beer’s bright citrus character. While white beer isn’t treated this way in Belgium, some bars in the Netherlands have adopted the practice, occasionally going so far as to provide plastic muddlers for those wishing even more lemon character in the beer. The alcohol content of traditional white beer is between 4.5% and 5.0% ABV.

Unmalted wheat is difficult to work with, and some brewers have produced their own variants on Belgian white beer, particularly in the United States where the popular Blue Moon brand has brought greater attention to the style. This beer is spiced with a small quantity of hops to keep the bitterness low, approximately two-thirds the bitterness of traditional white beer. In addition to hops, it is spiced with coriander and Valencia orange peel. No lactic acid production is promoted during the mashing step, the yeast flavors are clean and mild, and the beer is a very cloudy gold color in appearance. At 5.4% ABV, this medium-bodied beer is slightly stronger than the traditional version and has an overall orange-citrusy flavor and aroma. The brewery has promoted the use of an orange slice to garnish the glass since 1997.

In addition to white beer, some brewers have produced stronger “grand cru” versions of white beer for holidays or special occasions. Grand cru white beers have similar tastes and aromas as regular white beers, but are more full-bodied and intense. These usually have between 8% and 10% ABV, but if well brewed can be pleasantly balanced and expressive beers.

See also belgium.