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What is Weizen beer?
All weizen beers are wheat beers. In fact, weizen is German for wheat. And a wheat beer it certainly is. But there are a lot of different wheat beers, and there are a lot of different weizen beers. For example, with weizen in the beer! Let's explain a little about the beer style weizen, because weizen beers are not your average lagers.
History of weizen
Weizen, Weiß, Hefeweizen or any other word for the Bavarian style of beer. One thing is certain; the beer has a murky and long history. If you type in "weizen" on Google and click on some random links, you'll quickly find out that the history of the beer style goes back to 800 BC, or 1100 AD, or 1516, or ... you know what, we'll leave that part of this story to beer historians.
What is the modern definition of a Weizenbier?
The most common version is typically Bavarian. A pale blond to amber colored beer, so cloudy it is almost impossible to see through it, with a large frothy crown of foam sitting on top like a brick. Aroma and flavor notes range from bubble gum and banana to clove and vanilla, and the mouthfeel is dominated by strong carbonation; also interpreted as "doughy." Everyone knows, of course, that the best way to enjoy a classic weizen is; on the slopes, after a plate of pasta but before the first schnapps.
Weizenglas and pouring
Pouring Weizen from the tap or bottle is craftsmanship and can only be performed by tap gurus. It requires patience, something often at odds with the hasty nature of the on-trade. Pay attention, because this is how it should be done: you fill your tucher weizenbier glass with weizen about two-thirds of its full capacity, and let the thick foam rest for a minute before refilling the glass. But then! Then we add character to the beer by swirling the bottle around (if you have one) and loosening the last dregs resting at the bottom of the bottle. This we pour into the beer. The secret, no, the soul of the weizen is where these dregs are. The famous yeasty character of clove/vanilla and banana contributes to both the aroma and flavor (and of course the haziness), which cannot or should not be missing from any true classic hefeweizen.
But we could have known that, for it is in the name!
Hefe is German for yeast, where weizen stands for wheat. So we can conclude that Hefeweizen is unfiltered and therefore contains yeast, with bottled versions being further conditioned by adding more yeast.
Weizenbier recipe and ingredients
Weissbier does not mean *white beer*, the Weiss (or Weiß) here refers to weizen, or in this case wheat malt. According to German brewing tradition, the recipe for weizenbier consists of at least 50% of the malts from malted wheat, sometimes as much as 70%. The rest typically consists of lighter pilsner malt.
Weizen vs. wheat beer
Ooh, but now white beer is around the corner! Is it the same thing, but different in name? Well, they are both beers that are most delicious when the sun shines and we get a tan on our cheeks. But even though they sound and look about the same, there are some differences. To get technical, as mentioned earlier, Weissbier contains malted wheat, while witbier usually consists of unmalted wheat in the brew, and that is "only" up to 30%. Another difference is the use of additives in witbier. Witbier, of Belgian origin, uses additional ingredients such as orange peel and coriander seeds. Not entirely coincidentally, we can find these flavors in its German cousin Weissbier, which, however, does not contain these extras. It is said that this is due to the Bavarian Reinheitsgebot, or purity law, another mystical part of beer history that we have written about in this blog (in English). For now, let's stick to the fact that the original document of April 23, 1516 prohibited the use of malted wheat and only malted barley was allowed. Wheat and rye were to be reserved for bakeries. However, Bavarian nobles were allowed to brew beer with malted wheat by way of exception. Now, a few centuries later, the traditional rules, about the omission of other additives not described in German law, are still in effect.
The overriding question here is not where a weizen comes from, when it was "invented," or what a weizen should look and taste like.
The main question is a recurring seasonal issue: lemon or no lemon?
The best time to drink a weizen
Imagine you're sitting on a terrace on a sunny day. The sun is burning through your clothes, your sunscreen is just preventing black spots from appearing in your vision, and you are as wet on the outside as you are parched on the inside. There is only one thing you really want in that moment, and that is a cold and crisp weizen. You manage to get the bartender's attention, he grabs a clean and spotless tucher weizen glass the size of your forearm, rinses the glass extra to cool it down and they start tapping. Halfway through, they stop and let that head of foam rest for a moment before refilling the beer. There is a thick 10 centimeters of foam on the beer and it proudly protrudes far above the rim. You take your eyes - with some difficulty - away from the action to grab your wallet, and before you can say * Frühlingsgefühle *, you see the bartender deposit a fresh slice of lemon into your brew. With a smile and a ridiculously short pestle-like instrument, the beer is served, now suffering the same way you did just now in the sunshine, melting on top of your beer. That once beautiful head of foam has sunk below the rim and you are stuck with a stale sip.
Can I buy Weizenbeer from Uiltje Brewing Company?
Dear reader, you may have noticed from the paragraph above how we think about this issue. If you like a piece of fruit in your beer, that's okay, but this doesn't apply to everyone! The acid from the fruit breaks down the foam, and believe us, the brewer would have thrown that piece of fruit into their kettles if they had wanted it in their beer.
So that's what we did. As a twist on cloudy weizen beer, we brought out our friend PieWee the Pineapple Weizen. Effortlessly it dives into the kettle time after time and swims around to get its tropical character into our weizen. What a topper. You can buy a variety of beers at Uiltje .
Weizen is a typical German style of beer. And while we respect and even admire the beer tradition of our eastern neighbors, we like to go just a step further than they are used to there. Because for us at Uiltje there is only one rule that counts, and that is that our beer has to taste great. Taste Owl's variations on the traditional weizen and be convinced!
Shop Piewee the Pineapple Weizen
Owl's best known and almost always available weizen is Piewee the Pineapple Weizen. Piewee is a traditional wheat beer with a tropical twist. Although strict German weizen laws actually prohibit such additions, we put pineapple in our weizen. This is because we think the sweet, exotic taste of pineapple goes great with the firm, slightly sour taste of weizen. And we are not the only ones: recently it was voted one of the best weizens in the Netherlands. The fruity taste and the alcohol content of only 5% make our Piewee a great beer for sunny days. Order it now and enjoy!
Looking for more than weizenbier?
Want to discover more great beers besides weizenbier? Then feel free to browse further in our online beer shop. For example, also try our summer session IPAs or our other fruity beers. Or taste and discover your favorite with a beer package!
Why buy weizen beer online at Uiltje Brewing?
When you buy weizenbier online at Uiltje, you are buying directly from the source, and you have all the time you need to make your choice in peace. Read the detailed descriptions and study the ABV, IBU and EBC. Or delve into the origins and development of weizenbier.