If you are like me you might have thought Hefeweizen and Witbier were the same for a long time. The lack of distinction actually turned me off to Hefeweizen my favorite beer! Lucky I’m here so you don’t make the same mistake I did.
Hefeweizen and witbier are both brewed with over 50% wheat. But, they have three major differences. Hefeweizen is German and witbier Belgian. Witbier is brewed with spices like coriander, while Hefeweizen is not. Hefeweizen has banana and clove esters, while Witbier has fruity esters.
Most beers are brewed with malted barley, which makes wheat beers very different most most other styles of beer. While there are some major differences between Hefeweizen and witbier there are also very subtle ones.
Beer Styles Separated By Location
Germany and Belgium while located right next to each could not have more distinct and different cultures. Germany actually enacted strict laws when it came to the ability to brew beer with specific ingredients.
Belgium by contrast had less strict guidelines when it came to brewing beer. This made Belgium much more innovative when it came to creating different styles. This is probably why spices are commonplace in Belgian witbier.
You will likely see many more witbiers around than true Hefeweizens, because of the sharp contrast in the ability to experiment. The ability to experiment with fruit flavors is likely why you will see many witbiers with fruit infused into them.
Weissbier and Hefeweizen
Weissbier and Hefeweizen are both German in heritage, weizen means to be brewed with wheat. While both beers could technically be brewed with wheat Hefeweizen is brewed with over 50% wheat.
The Hefe part of Hefeweizen means yeast. This is because Hefeweizens are unfiltered and will often have yeast and sediment at the bottom of the glass.
Witbier is also unfiltered which makes it closer in resemblance to a Hefeweizen than a Weissbier. The confusion comes from witbier and weissbier translate from different languages to white beer in English.
How Wheat Beer is Different Than Barley Beer
The defining characteristic of Hefewiezen and witbier is the use of wheat instead of a full grain bill of malted barley. But, its a bit more complicated then that, because a lot of wheat beers include barley in the grain bill. Why is this?
The culprit here is the proteins and starches. It’s actually near impossible to brew only with wheat. Therefore, adjuncts and needed to increase the ability to convert those starches into fermentable sugars.
If you decide to try and use only wheat to create a delicious brew it will be a long and difficult process. Your mash will begin to turn into glue and be very difficult to sparge or brew in a bag.
The Brewing Process
Step mashing is a popular practice when brewing with wheat. Mashing at different temperatures will draw out different proteins so they are evenly distributed throughout the grain mixture.
If you wan’t to make a traditional wheat beer you will need to use unmalted wheat or flaked wheat, many recipes rely on malted wheat since it is easier to work with.
Even with the use of malted wheat it is still important to add ingredients that will not ferment to make the lautering process easier while not affecting your beer. This differs from step mashing although you can do both to ensure a smooth process. Some examples of ingredients to use in your grain bill to reduce protein problems include:
- Rice hulls
- Oat hulls
The use of flaked wheat instead of malted wheat creates a much less sweet and more of a lighter drinking experience. This is the beer I tend to enjoy more, so I will experiment more with the use of flaked wheat.
The drawback of using flaked wheat is that it is more expensive than malted or raw wheat. I’ll have to factor it into my overall recipe price range.
Head retention
Wheat beers have the amazing ability to create a much more glorious head. Traditional witbiers and Hefeweizens will also retain this foamy head for much longer.
If you are creating a thicker beer like a porter or stout, your head won’t be nearly as glorious as you want it to be. One way to do this is to add wheat to your mix.
While wheat could be a way to add more head to your beer you also have to anticipate the flavors. Oats also have good head retention and are likely a more popular choice for dark roastier beers.
Temperatures
If you are using barley malt in your wheat beer you will need to keep the temperature contained and below 170 degrees Fahrenheit. But if you go all wheat you can actually increase the temperature to near 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
Normally sparging at higher temperatures will create sugars that are hard for the yeast to eat. Wheat sugars are much more difficult to turn into fermentable sugars, so sparge water at higher temperatures will make it easier for them to convert.
This process could increase your energy costs though, so it may not be worth it. The much cheaper alternative is to mix barley malts into you wheat mash.
I would definitely skip this process if you are using a low voltage electric brewing method. The energy to get this to a boil could be far to much for your pocketbook.
The Hop Profile Differences
Generally the hop profile for both witbier and Hefeweizen are the same. They both concentrate on lower levels of IBU. The hop bitterness specifically with witbier does not work well. You will want to stay away from any American style hops on this one.
German Hefeweizens may be able to hold up better to the hops since there is less spice flavor added with the yeast. Overall both beers will need low IBU hops in order for the yeast profile to really shine.
Tettnang hops are often used with Hefeweizens for a soft bitterness. If you are using stronger hops with a Belgian witbier you definitely won’t want to add spices as the subtle flavor intention will soon turn into a fight for superiority between the hops and spices.
Are Hefeweizens and Witbiers Served with Glorius Head
Witbiers are more likely to be served with a slice of lemon or orange. This is because of their fruit experimentation heritage. It is technically blasphemy to fruit the beer in good German fashion.
If you wanted to fruit a good german Hefeweizen you technically can, but you need to make note of the flavors that Hefeweizen posses. A lemon might be a good choice for the subtle banana flavor already present within.
Head Retention on the Pour
Both Hefewezen and witbiers will have a strong head retention. Try to pour these beers at an angle so you don’t have a full glass of foam. Different beers require different strategies in the pour.
If a beer is too difficult to pour it may be because of the makeup of the grains used or the CO2 induced to carbonate while bottle conditioning. If you want the head to be creamier you might utilize oats in the grain bill or just use less overall wheat in the build to lesson the foam.
Spice or no Spice
The banana flavored esters tend to be much less pronounced. So Hefewiezens will most notably not add spices to the boil. While witbier a brewer can generally add spices to the beer to add a spicy character to the fruit ester flavor the Belgian yeast produces.
This isn’t to say that you can’t add spice to a Hefeweizen, but it really depends on what flavor you wan’t to achieve. The most notable flavors of banana and clove could quickly become overpowered.
Even when it comes to spicing up a witbier many brewers tend to not even spice the beer with coriander or orange zest. This is where the fruity esters of a Belgian style beer tend to shine.
It’s probably best to not add spice to either of your first time trying to make a wheat beer. The process is difficult enough as it is.
All Hefeweizen is not Cloudy
One of the defining characteristics of wheat beer is that it is unfiltered. These beers are super cloudy and gritty. I thought it was the only way to enjoy this style of beer, but there is another.
Krystalweizen is the clear form of Hefeweizen. It is essentially filtered whereas Hefeweizen is not. This will make the beer crisper and light, but it will also make the banana flavor more subtle as well.
If the unfiltered part of Hefeweizen is a turn off, then try out Krystalweizen, although there is nothing to worry about when drinking yeast or wheat grist. Just think of the yeast as delicious protein.
I have yet to find a filtered version of witbier and it may be even less common than Krystalweizen, so this may be another difference between how the yeast interacts with both styles of beer. Maybe yeast extracted from a witbier makes it taste terrible?
What Style is Better for Fruit?
Often fruit is added to wheat style beers, but I wonder why this seems to be the go to beer style to add fruit. Beyond that, does German yeast or Belgian yeast work better with actual fruit added to beer?
Realistically it all comes down to the flavor profile you are trying to achieve. You will first need to pinpoint the flavor your beer accentuates without adding any fruit. As with a Belgian beer you can achieve many different flavors, flavors that need to be identified before adding any fruit.
Hefeweiezens tend to be a bit easier to add fruit, since the yeast profile seems much less complex. For example I’m planning on adding peaches to my next Hefeweizen since both banana and peach are subtle flavors.
Hopefully by using peaches I can develop a nice peach aroma with a banana flavor and a hint of peach. Depending on how that turns out a more bold flavor could be added to increase the potency of the peach.
Fruit can essentially be added to any style of beer but depending on what you want from the beer one style could serve you better than the other.
American Wheat Beer
American wheat beer is yet another variation of the Hefeweizen and witbier styles. Its grain base is essentially the same as the above two, but with a major difference in how it pushes hops to the forefront of the flavor.
Traditional witbiers tend to rely on much more subtle flavor, but still achieve a filling drinking experience. American beers by contrast push that subtle drinking into a refreshing and bitter experience.
American style wheat beers will also use a different yeast. The yeast strain will not have a banana or fruity ester to them. It will actually resemble something like a pale ale.
Depending on the hops being used it could be a clean subtle flavor without the aforementioned characteristics, or it could be extra bitter pacific style beer.
These Beers do not Come Cheap
Trying to find an excellent low priced Belgian or Hefeweizen can be difficult to do. These styles of beer tend to be much more difficult and expensive to brew.
This makes them more sought after and in less supply. The best way to enjoy an excellent authentic wheat style beer is to brew your own. You will be able to save some serious cash brewing your own all while creating a much more delicious product.
I’m working on developing a series of articles to make it easy to put together your own recipe. Next time you want to reach for a tall foamy wheat beer think about making your own. Enjoy the glorious wheat beers they way the were meant to be enjoyed.
If you are interested in starting your own homebrew journey take a look at our recommended equipment page.
