In this blog we are going to tell you about Differences Between Hefeweizen and Witbier, so read this blog carefully to get the complete information.
Most often beer is brewed by using barley malt because the process is quite easy. But recently, wheat beers came into popularity even though they are a bit difficult to process. It contains protein and starch which are bound together and this makes it heart to draw out sugars from it. However, Hefeweizen and Witbier are two popular styles of brew which are made from wheat. These two beers are renowned by popular brands and are liked by people all around the globe. Although they both are prepared with wheat, they have a lot of differences between them. So in this article, we will focus on what Hefeweizen and Witbier are and how they differ from each other.
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What is Hefeweizen?
Hefeweizen is a German beer that was first made in South Bavaria and is brewed by using top-fermenting yeast. It has at least 50% malted wheat and the color of the drink is between pale straw and dark gold. Unlike other wheat beers, it has a little haziness in its appearance. The important feature of this beer is the overtones of bananas and cloves. Earlier, it was typically fermented by using only a large proportion of wheat malt or air-dried barley malt so its name was ‘yeast wheat’ which refers to traditional unfiltered beer. But then for removing the haziness, it was created by proteins of the grains and was named ‘kristallweizen’, which refers to crystal white beer. It has gained popularity due to its subtle bitterness and high carbonation. Additionally, the clove flavor provides it with a slightly smoky taste. It is produced by some renowned brands in Germany including Paulaner, Maisel, Erdinger, and Franziskaner which are among the most popular names in the world.
What is Witbier?
Witbier is a Belgian beer that is known for its distinct hazy and cloudy appearance. The reason behind its appearance is the yeast and wheat proteins that are suspended during its production. It has about 30 to 60% wheat and the color of the beer varies between pale straw and light brown. The beer was prepared by a traditional method that does not contain any spices. But nowadays, it is made with a variety of spices and citrus that include coriander, orange, and bitter orange. This provides it a sour taste which works well with its bitterness. Some renowned brands that produce Witbier are Ritual, Badger State, Funkwerks, 50 West, Telegraph, and Avery. The companies are well known across the world for brewing fine quality beer.
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Main Differences between Hefeweizen and Witbier
The following are the main differences between Hefeweizen and Witbier as mentioned below:
- The main difference between the two beers is that Hefeweizen is a German beer while Witbier is a Belgian beer.
- Hefeweizen is fermented by using a Bavarian yeast strain while Witbier is fermented using several strains including Belgian Witbier, Belgian wheat, or forbidden fruit.
- Hefeweizen has 50% wheat malt while Witbier has 30 to 60% wheat malt.
- The color of Hefeweizen varies between pale straw and dark gold while the color of Witbier varies between pale straw and light gold.
- Hefeweizen is about clear in appearance while Witbier is very hazy and cloudy.
- Hefeweizen has a lot of banana, clove, vanilla, and bubblegum while Witbier has a lot of spices and citruses like coriander and orange.
The final words
Both Hefeweizen and Witbier are wheat beers that are popular all over the world. But the main difference between them is their taste and appearance. Hefeweizen has a dark color and a clear appearance while Witbier has a dark color but hazy appearance. Additionally, Hefeweizen has a bitter-sweet taste while Witbier has a sour taste due to the presence of citrus in it. Another major difference between the two beers is their origin as Hefeweizen originated in South areas of Bavaria in Germany while Witbier originated in Belgium but was produced in the Netherlands as well. Last but not the least, the content of wheat malt differs in both Hefeweizen and Witbier as Hefeweizen contains 50% while Witbier contains 30 to 60% wheat malt. So we hope that this article was helpful and you have got the differences between Hefeweizen and Witbier.
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Conclusion
We Hope this blog is sufficient enough to provide the information about Differences Between Hefeweizen and Witbier. Thanks for reading this blog.