Top 10 Belgian Witbiers brewed in North America
This Top Ten Belgian Witbiers list is from the U.S. Open Beer Championship, Great American Beer Festival, and World Beer Cup. The top 10 Belgian Witbiers / Belgian white ales are very pale in color and are brewed using unmalted wheat and malted barley and are spiced with coriander and orange peel. Coriander and light orange peel aroma should be perceived. Phenolic spiciness and yeast flavors may be evident at mild levels. These beers are traditionally bottle conditioned and served cloudy. An unfiltered nearly opaque haze should be part of the appearance. The style is further characterized by the use of noble-type hops to achieve a low hop bitterness and little to no apparent hop flavor. This beer has low to medium body, no diacetyl, and a low to medium fruity-ester level. ABV: 4.8-5.6%. IBU: 10-17
1. Walloon Witbier – Badger State Brewing – Wisconsin
2. Wild Wacky Wit – Moon River Brewing – Georgia
3. Suntrip – New Terrain Brewing – Colorado
4. Whiteout Wit Bier – Anchorage Brewing – Alaska
5. Witte Ale – Brewery Ommegang – New York
6. Spotted Cow – Amsterdam Brewing – Ontario
7. Kili Wit – Logsdon Organic Farmhouse Ales – Oregon
8. Scattered Sun – Southbound Brewing – Georgia
9. Wonka’s Wit – Block 15 Brewery – Oregon
10. Calabaza Blanca – Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales – Michigan
History of Belgian Witbiers
Belgian Witbier, or “white beer,” traces its origins to the medieval brewing traditions of Belgium, particularly in the region of Brabant. Emerging around the 14th century, these beers were brewed with a significant portion of unmalted wheat, giving them a hazy, pale appearance and a light, refreshing character. Unlike the heavily hopped beers of the time, Witbiers were seasoned with a blend of spices and herbs, such as coriander and bitter orange peel, a practice known as gruit. Monastic breweries, like those in Hoegaarden, played a pivotal role in refining this style, with the village becoming synonymous with Witbier by the 19th century. However, the rise of industrial brewing and the popularity of lagers in the early 20th century led to a decline in traditional Witbier production, and by the 1950s, the style had nearly vanished, with the last traditional Witbier brewery in Hoegaarden closing in 1955.
The revival of Belgian Witbier began in the 1960s, largely due to the efforts of Pierre Celis, a milkman and former brewer from Hoegaarden. In 1966, Celis resurrected the style by founding Brouwerij Celis and reintroducing Hoegaarden Witbier, using traditional ingredients and methods, including wheat, oats, coriander, and Curaçao orange peel. His beer, with its cloudy appearance and spicy, citrusy profile, gained international acclaim, sparking a global resurgence of interest in Witbiers. By the 1980s, Celis’s success inspired other Belgian breweries and international craft brewers to produce their own versions, cementing Witbier’s place in modern craft beer culture. Today, Belgian Witbier remains a beloved style, celebrated for its light body, effervescence, and distinctive spiced flavor, with Hoegaarden still regarded as the benchmark.
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