How to pour
a witbier in
Rinse the glass with cold water and leave it wet. A wet, cool glass holds the head better, and witbier naturally produces plenty of foam. Grease or soap residue makes the foam collapse, so don’t dry the glass with a tea towel.
Hold the glass at an angle, approximately forty-five degrees, and pour about two-thirds of the bottle against the inside wall. Leave the last fingerful in the bottle; that’s where the yeast sediment is. Pour slowly, as witbier foams up faster than lager.
Set the glass upright and briefly roll the bottle between your hands or tilt it a few times so the yeast comes loose from the bottom. Then pour that final fingerful into the center of the beer. This gives the beer its cloudy color and builds up the head.
Leave the head as it forms; with witbier, there’s no need to skim it off, as the firm head is part of the experience. You can add a slice of orange or lemon, but you don’t have to: purists leave it out because it overpowers the coriander and orange peel in the beer. Serve at 5 to 7 degrees.
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The story
Witbier is an old Belgian style from the area around Leuven, where wheat was readily available in the fields and ended up in the brewing kettle. After the Second World War, the style almost disappeared: the breweries that made it closed, and pilsner took over the market. In the 1960s, it was revived in the village of Hoegaarden, and that glass with its six flat sides became so well known that many people immediately associate witbier with that shape. Germany has its own wheat tradition, the Bavarian weizen, which takes a different direction: no coriander and orange peel, but yeast aromas reminiscent of banana and clove.
The right glass
Witbier calls for a sturdy glass with a wide opening. Thick-walled glass keeps the beer cold longer than a thin-walled model, and the wide opening leaves room for the tall, firm head associated with the style. The six-sided model is the best-known shape: the flat sides provide a good grip without requiring you to wrap your hand around the glass. That glass comes individually in a gift box, so for a set of twelve, we have included a thick-walled Bodega glass with the same wide opening here. A tall, slender weizen glass is in the range but currently unavailable; all other models can be found among the Belgian beer glasses.
Bormioli Rocco Bodega Beer Glass 35 cl (12 pieces)
Hoegaarden Beer Glass 25 cl - Gift Box
Both sets together € 36,90.
The right tools
For a witbier, besides the glass, you need at most two things: a zester for a strip of orange peel instead of a slice, and a citrus juicer if you prefer to use a few drops of fresh juice. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 55,85.
Which spirit pairs with this?
The witbier itself takes center stage; at most, serve a spirit alongside it. Stay in the citrus and herbal realm, such as limoncello or gin, which, like witbier, works with coriander and citrus peel. On each drink page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails pair with it, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
The Belgian style is spiced: coriander and dried curaçao orange peel give it a fresh, slightly citrusy character alongside the tartness of the wheat. Bavarian German weizen contains no spices and gets all its aroma from the yeast, which produces notes reminiscent of banana and clove. Kristallweizen is the same weizen but filtered, so it is clear rather than cloudy. Both types contain roughly between 4.5 and 5.5 percent alcohol. Want to read more? View all drinks and brands.
Serving tip
Serve witbier at 5 to 7 degrees, slightly less cold than lager, because otherwise the coriander and orange peel disappear. Roll or tilt the bottle only at the end, when the glass is almost full, so the yeast mixes in all at once instead of continuing to float throughout the bottle.
Good to know
Why witbier is cloudy
Two reasons. Wheat contains more protein than barley, and those proteins remain suspended in the beer; that creates the whitish haze the style is named after. In addition, witbier is not filtered and is often bottle-conditioned, leaving yeast at the bottom. If you roll the bottle at the end, that yeast mixes in and makes the beer visibly cloudier.
Coriander and curaçao orange
The Belgian style is spiced with ground coriander seeds and dried curaçao orange peel, a bitter orange variety. Coriander seeds do not taste like the leaves but rather citrusy and slightly peppery, while the peel adds a bitter orange note. Together with the tartness of the wheat, this creates the fresh profile. German weizen does not use these spices.
Hoegaarden-style versus German weizen
Both are top-fermented wheat beers, but they turn out differently. The Belgian witbier is spiced, pale yellow and citrus-fresh, and is served in a wide, thick-walled glass. The Bavarian weizen is unspiced, usually slightly darker and fuller, and the yeast gives it clear notes of banana and clove; it is served in a tall, slender half-liter glass. Both contain around 4.5 to 5.5 percent alcohol and are served at 5 to 7 degrees.
Why you roll the bottle
A layer of yeast from secondary fermentation lies at the bottom of the bottle. That's where much of the cloudiness and aroma are found. If you don't roll the bottle, that layer remains behind and you pour a clearer, flatter beer. So briefly roll or tilt it when the glass is nearly full, and pour in the rest all at once.
The slice of orange or lemon
In Belgium and the Netherlands, it often comes with a slice of orange or lemon. That's a serving custom and isn't part of the beer itself. It adds a fresh sour note, but also masks the coriander and orange peel in the beer, and citrus juice makes foam collapse faster. That's why purists leave it out. Want a compromise? Hang the slice on the rim instead of pushing it into the beer.
Frequently asked questions
What is witbier?
Witbier is a top-fermented beer made with wheat as well as barley malt. It is unfiltered, so cloudy, and slightly sour. The Belgian variant is spiced with coriander seeds and dried curaçao orange peel. The alcohol content is roughly between 4.5 and 5.5 percent.
What is the difference between witbier and weizen?
Witbier is the Belgian type: spiced with coriander and orange peel, pale yellow and citrus-fresh, served in a broad, thick-walled glass. Weizen is the Bavarian type: unspiced, fuller-bodied, with a yeast aroma reminiscent of banana and clove, served in a tall, slender half-liter glass. Both are top-fermented wheat beers.
Why should you roll a witbier bottle?
Because there is a layer of yeast from secondary fermentation at the bottom. That layer is responsible for much of the cloudiness and aroma. By briefly rolling or tilting the bottle when the glass is nearly full, the yeast comes loose and goes into the glass all at once.
Does witbier come with a slice of orange?
You can, but you don't have to. It's a serving custom and isn't part of the beer itself. A slice adds a fresh sour note, but masks the coriander and orange peel in the beer and makes the foam collapse faster. That's why purists leave it out.
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