Witbier: A history of the Style

The History of Witbier

The Belgian style of “white beer” has its origins going six or seven centuries back. A monastery was established in the fifteenth century in the small town of Hoegaarden, in a region where much wheat was grown. Back then, monks liked making beer and were usually the experts.

Belgium was then a part of the Netherlands, where many spices were brought in from the colonies. One of those colonies was the orange-growing territory of Curacao. Beer was made using the local wheat, as well as Curacao orange peel, along with other spices such as coriander, in addition to hops. Wit, or “White beer” was the result and became a distinct local style. By the 19^th century, Hoegaarden had become a true brewing center for a region that included thirty breweries, all making the local “white” beer. After world War Two, the style became almost extinct until the 1960s, when an entrepreneur named Pierre Celis revived it. Pierre Celis had grown up in the Hoegaarden area and knew much about the disappearing style of beer. He bought equipment from breweries that had closed and started production in 1966. He called his brewery “De Kluis” (Cloister) as a tribute to the monastery that had started Hoegaarden’s brewing tradition. By the 1980s, other breweries were opening, feeding on the renewed popularity of the style. By the 1990s, the beer was also made in southern Holland, and northern France, as the style’s popularity continued to spread. In 1992, Pierre Celis moved to Austin, Texas (where he had friends) and opened a brewery there, spreading white beer’s popularity to the American continent. And now, it is widespread across the US and Canada for us all to enjoy. (Thank you Michael Jackson & his “Beer Companion” for much of the above info).