Beer category

hardrain · 04-30-2009, 03:48 AM

Good to come back here for the occasional n00b question:

can someone give me a link or brief understanding of the difference between "wit", "wheat" and "white"? I thought I had it understood, which were the same and which were different things, but was thrown for a loop when I went into the LHBS last weekend.

HOOTER · 04-30-2009, 04:07 AM

A wit is a white, which is made with wheat.

Clear as mud?

A witbier, which is a Belgian wheat ale, is made with coriander and orange peel, along with Belgian yeast.

A Hefeweizen is a German wheat ale made with German Hefeweizen yeast and Noble hops.

An American wheat is similar to a German hefe, except it's made with an American ale yeast and not necessarily with Noble hops.

That's all I have to contribute. Your welcome.

homebrewer_99 · 04-30-2009, 04:25 AM

Good job, Hooter, but I can add some...

Weizen is German for "wheat".
Weiss, also seen as Weiß, is German for "white".
Weißbier (German) means "white beer".
Wit is Belgium for "white".

They were so named because they looked "relatively" white compared to the dark (colored) brews throughout Europe.

A pilsner (like our Bud) did not come into being until 1842 in Plzn/Plzen, in Bohemia (Czech Republic) when a malter's fire went out (overnight) and the grains weren't roasted come morning. Apparently, the brewer wanted/needed to brew that day and took the grain anyway. He brewed up a batch with lightly roasted grains and ...viola!...the rest is beer history...light colored beer...