If you were to plan a flight of Belgian beers, you would likely open with a Belgian Witbier (as they are known in the Flemish dialect – they are called Biere Blanche in the French half of Belgium).
Quintessentially Belgian, this is a style that nearly disappeared by the 1960’s when clear lager beers were preferred over the cloudy white beers. It was thanks to Pierre Celis’s creation Hoegaarden that this style regained the affections of beer drinkers.
The aroma has lots of orange and lemon citrus, with the characteristic coriander joining in. This follows through in the flavour, with the citrus dominant up front.
A crisp wheat body and a little prickly hop note make for a light, refreshing beer. Slightly sweet in the middle, it finishes quite dry with a prickly hop bitterness.
This is one of the few times you want to drink your beer quite cold. It is a great thirst quencher on a warm summer afternoon.
Witbier with grapefruit and orange zest, kaffir lime leaves and coriander
The 'Witteke' is a typical beer from the past; a cloudy unfiltered, aromatic witbier.
Great example of a Belgian Witbier, voted 'Worlds Best Wheat Only Wheat Beer' in 2009.
Brasserie Du Bocq's classic witbier with fresh raspberry juice added
by Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs
An intriguingly moreish Double Witbier from Abbaye des Rocs
by Brouwerij Corsendonk (at Brasserie Du Bocq)
The Belgian witbier from Corsendonk
A powerful yeast creates a sweet and dry wheat beer, technically classed as a 'Double White'.
An interesting Belgian Witbier, adhering to the Gruit style of using herbs and spices instead of hops
Four grains are used to produce this fantastic 'Double White' from KleinBrouwerij De Glazen Toren.
An imperial witbier, brewed with barley, wheat, oats and buckwheat, and the addition of coriander and curaçao
by Brasserie de Jandrain-Jandrenouille
A tasty Belgian style witbier, with a slightly heavier hopping for a lingering bitterness
A refreshing witbier 'hopped' with a healthy dose of jasmine
A tasty little Witbier from the province of Limburg in north-east Belgium
A witbier with orange peel, dry hopped with Mosaic hops
A biggish witbier, with the typical aroma and flavours of banana, citrus and coriander
A cross between a Belgian Witbier and a German Weisse Bier, with the addition of the juice from blood oranges
A Belgian witbier originally made in 2012 as a one-off special, revived in 2020
This traditional Witbier has been developed in cooperation with Master Brewer Pierre Celis, the Godfather of Hoegaarden.
by Brouwerij Palm (Swinkels Family Brewers)
A classic Belgian witbier, brewed with a great mix common for all the Steenbrugge beers
by Brouwerij Palm (Swinkels Family Brewers)
A Belgian witbier made using 40% unsalted wheat, 60% barley, coriander, curaçao orange and a mix of spices
A witbier with barley, wheat and oats, with added real watermelon
A classic Belgian witbier from our anything-but-classic Dutch brewery
A traditional Witbier, from the 'Brewer's Town' of Watou; crisp, light and refreshing.
The original beer from Brasserie Caracole, a fruity, malty amber ale
A bold, strong dark ale edging toward a quadrupel style beer
A light and lively Belgian blond beer from the rustic Brasserie Caracole
