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Have you ever been in a situation where you see Wit Beer and Weizen (or Weiss or Weiß) Bier in Menu or in the Stores and wondering what is the difference between the two?
I’ve Heard A Lot Of People Ask What Is The Difference Between Various Wheat Beer Styles, Specifically: WitBier And WeizenBier. While They May Seem Similar, There’s Actually Quite A Lot Of Difference Between These Two Styles.
They’re United By The Fact That They’re Brewed With A Large Proportion Of Wheat And Both WeizenBier And WitBier Are Actually Of The Ale Family, They’re Basically Composed Of 50% Wheat And That’s About Where The Similarities End.
So what are their differences? Lets take One Bier Type at a time.
Weizen Beer:
WeissBier, WeizenBier or Weiß Bier is the same name and is a style of beer which originated in Bavaria, Germany. A WeizenBier despite it’s name, isn’t always white as it can also be golden and amber in colour.
There are many references to wheat beer in German history. In fact evidence of wheat fermentation in Bavaria dates back to 800 B.C. It is however only in the 1500’s that it made a more substantial appearance.
It Is Important To Note That WeizenBier Encompasses A Few Sub-Styles – Hefeweizen, Dunkeweizen, Krystalweizen, Weizenbock, Berliner Weiße And Gose. The Most Common Is The Hefeweizen (“Which Literally Means Yeast Wheat”). Notable Brands Include Paulaner, Erdinger, Schnider Weiss And Weihenstephaner. WeizenBier Are Characterized By A Strong Presence Of Aromas And Flavors Of Banana, Clove And Even Vanilla Or Bubblegum. These Flavor Compounds Are Created By The Bavarian Yeast Strains Used To Ferment Them.
WeizenBier can be clear, as in a krystalweizen, hazy as in a hefeweizen or even amber to mahogany in color as in a dunkelweizen
Wit beer
The word literally translates from Dutch as “white beer”. Say the word “Witbier” and most people automatically think of Hoegaarden.
It is wheat that produces the typical sourness of this beer. Wheat contains less starch and more protein, which results in a robust head and they are typically brewed with coriander and citrus or other spices. Spices should never be over the top, but just enough to have you wondering, what is that? Belgian yeasts tops up additional fruity and spicy flavors
WitBier also encompasses a few sub-styles – Wit and Witte Trappist are the most common as Wit. Notable brands include Hoegaarden, Blanche De Namur and Namaste White (Yes “Namaste” you read it right”).
YEAST
The type of yeast also plays an important role in differentiating these two beers. Though both beers are top fermented, but WeizenBier is brewed with a special Weizen yeast, a yeast culture which produces clove and banana Flavours. WeizenBier complies with the Reinheitsgebot (Germany’s first food purity law) which allows the use of only the main key ingredients in the brewing process and that herbs, spices and fruits are prohibited.
This Is Where WitBier Gets More Interesting As It Is More Likely To Contain Citrus And Coriander. During The Brewing Process Coriander Seeds And Curaçao (Orange) Peel Are Added.
If you smell both theses beer, you’ll notice that Witbiers have a refreshing, fruity aroma of citrus. Whereas a Weissbier contains spiced and sweet aromas from the yeast, such as clove, banana and vanilla. On the otherside, Witbiers are also sweet with with acidic hint, citrus tones and herbal flavors of coriander and other spices. When breweries describe something as “white” beer, example-White IPA, they simply mean that there is a decent portion of wheat in the beer. It is definitely not a Wizen Bier, but you can closely relate it to WitBier.
Are you still wondering which Beer would taste better?? I personally love both the Beers, but if you want learn more about how to differentiate the two, the best thing to do is start tasting as it is completely a matter of taste.
To make it more easy, I have made a small table that would help you easily understand both the Beers better.
So this was about WitBier Vs WizenBier. If you are confused with any two types of beer or any type of Beer, then do write to me on beerwithsid@gmail.com and I would love to share my experience on the same.
Hope you liked my article and please do share your thoughts.
