When beer geeks are asked to comment about Belgian beer, many immediately recall the spontaneously fermented, sour Lambics of the Senne valley. Some will stop at that point, perhaps even stating that they don’t like Belgian beers. Given the fact that Belgium has one of the most diverse beer cultures in the world, boasting many more styles than either Germany or England, this is a short-sighted sentiment. To not like Belgian beer is to not like beer at all!
One of my favorite Belgian styles is a wheat beer called “Wit” in its native Flemish, “white” in English. Like its Bavarian cousin, Weisse (a.k.a., Weizen), it is not really white. Unlike Weisse, it is made using raw wheat rather than malted wheat. The use of spices other than hops in the brew kettle also differentiates this beer from Weisse.
Wit beers are a fascinating experience, light yellow and hazy, with bright white foam reminiscent of the deep snows we became so accustomed to this past winter. While their appearance is distinctive, their aroma is even more so: coriander and citrus dominate, with a sweet, malty foundation beneath. The flavor is very much the same, with the citrus and spice floating atop sweet malt, ending in a finish that can have a slightly acidic tang, depending on the brewer’s whim.
Refreshing and unique, Wit is often enjoyed by people who do not otherwise like beer. At the brewpub, I find it easy to convert gin drinkers to Wit beer; a sample does all the talking for me. It is a style that few Americans have ever tried, and that few breweries in the northeastern U.S. brew. Since gin and Wit beer contain some of the same spices, the transition is easy.
Wit beer was once extinct in its homeland. Shortly after World War II, due in part to the rising popularity of Pilsner beer, the last White beer brewer in the town of Hoegaarden closed, leaving the locals to lament its passing for some years. One of those locals, Pierre Celis, decided that mourning was not enough. He opened a new brewery with no less a goal than reviving the old style. His new Wit beer became known as “Hoegaarden” (pronounced “who-garden”) and was very successful.
In the mid-1980s, Celis sold his brewery to the giant Belgian conglomerate, Interbrew. He then came to the United States, where he opened a brewery in Austin, Texas in 1992. Here he brewed a wonderful array of beers, including Celis White, using a recipe very much like that of his original Hoegaarden.
Unfortunately for beer geeks, in 1995 he signed a sort of distribution agreement with Miller Brewing. The immediate result of the merger was that it became impossible to find Celis products in the northeastern U.S. The long term consequence of the merger was the closing of the brewery after Miller bought out Celis’ remaining stake.
While Celis White may be gone forever, the original Hoegaarden is still produced. The beer is spiced with coriander, Curaçao orange peel, and (supposedly) a third, secret spice. This liberal use of spices may seem odd to modern brewers, but it was the norm before hops became the prominent brewing spice some time around 1300.
In the days before hops, brewers would use any spice they had to enhance the flavor of the beer. Some of the spices that were called for in early recipes are now known to be toxic. Things like wormwood and pennyroyal were often used. In the “good old days,” if something didn’t kill you quickly, causation would probably be misunderstood. A premature death after a lifetime of drinking from lead cups could be attributed to a witch’s hex or a black cat crossing one’s path!
Like hops, these other spices were used to balance the sweetness of malt, and often to mask the sour flavors that developed in the beer as it aged. Remember, there were no refrigerators or pure yeast strains before the mid-19th century. Beer went bad very quickly, so people would do what they could to extend its shelf-life.
Hops eclipsed other spices in places like Germany and England, but many Belgian brewers used a variety of spices right up into modern times. While most brewers recognized the preservative, sedative, and positive flavor qualities of hops, many also enjoyed the unique flavors they could assign to their products using more complex spice mixtures.
The yeast selected for Wit beer brewing is as important as the spices. The strains of yeast used for fermenting Bavarian wheat beers produce too much banana and clove character to make a pleasing Wit, but more neutral ale and lager strains yield a boring product. A yeast strain that produces a restrained spiciness and accents citrus notes would be a good choice. Wyeast’s 3944 yields pleasing results.
Hops play a limited role in Wit beer. While their bitterness is necessary, it is not needed in large quantity, and their aroma should be absent. European versions of the style use European hops, sometimes Styrian Goldings (a.k.a., Fuggles). There is no reason not to use American hops for bittering, as long as the variety chosen produces a smooth bitterness.
Wit beer is a great style to brew at home, but extract brewers will find it impossible to obtain the requisite light color: all malt extracts are simply too dark. You can try using wheat malt extract from Briess or Weyermann, and you will make a tasty brew, but the color will be too dark for competition. Just share it with your friends!
The following recipe is for all-grain brewers. If you can only brew with extract, substitute 8 pounds of wheat malt extract for the malt and wheat below, and omit the oats:
Witbier
5 gallons of beer, starting gravity = 1.048
Pilsner malt, 55%
wheat, 40% (soft white winter wheat)
oats, 5%
(Exact quantities depend on your system efficiency)
1/2 ounce coriander, freshly ground
1/4-1/2 ounce sweet orange peel, freshly ground
Mystery spice: it’s up to you. Just remember: less is more, and you cannot take out what you have put in!
Hops, your favorite non-intrusive bittering variety (I like Magnum), 2.25 AAU
Mash the malt and grain adjuncts at 145°F for about an hour, stepping the mash up to 160°F prior to lautering. Boil for 60-90 minutes, adding hops in one charge near the beginning of the boil. Add the spices about 15 minutes before the end of the boil. Use a fine-mesh nylon bag to contain them.
Pitch an active starter of Wyeast 3944 into your wort and ferment at about 70°F. Bottle or keg when fermentation is complete, using your favorite priming sugar. Once the beer is carbonated, enjoy it. This is a style that is best consumed fresh!
