Witbier

What is Witbier?

Witbier, a wheat beer of Belgian origin, means "white beer" in Flemish. In French, the term "biere blanche" is also used.

Witbier is brewed using unmalted wheat and malted barley; sometimes, oats are also added. It is typically flavoured with coriander and orange peel.

Although this style dates to the distant Middle Ages, it had almost completely disappeared by the mid-20th century until Belgian farmer Pierre Celis revived it in the 1960s. Today, the popularity of witbier is on the rise.

Origin Story

Witbier was originally brewed in Belgian monasteries, with the first beers of this style known to have been brewed as early as the 14th century. The birthplace of witbier is considered to be the Leuven region, located east of Brussels. In addition to Leuven, the production of witbier became popular in the nearby village of Hoegaarden.

Initially, ingredients available near the brewery were used for brewing beer. These included wheat, oats, and barley. In the early days of witbier brewing, the use of hops was not yet widespread, and the beer was brewed with various spices such as orange peel, coriander, cumin, and ginger.

However, consumer preferences began to change in the 19th century, with hoppy, transparent lager beers becoming popular. Witbier was the complete opposite, placing the style in jeopardy by the early 20th century.

The production of wheat beer temporarily ceased in 1957 when the last witbier brewery, Tomsin, in the town of Hoegaarden, closed its doors. Ten years later, however, local dairyman Pierre Celis, who had grown up near Tomsin brewery and had sometimes helped out there, decided to revive the production of witbier himself.

He founded his own brewery, and the first batch of beer was completed in 1966. The beer turned out to be unexpectedly popular, thus saving the witbier style. In 1985, Pierre’s brewery burned down and he was forced to collaborate with several major producers whose vision of witbier often did not align with his own. The Celis brand was owned by large corporations until 2012 when Pierre’s daughter restarted the family business to preserve the legacy along with the original recipe.