Hefeweizen vs. Witbier: What’s the Difference?

Wheat beers are set apart by grain bills that lean heavier into wheat than other styles with their more typical malted barley-forward recipes. The result are crisp refreshers that conjure up images of sunny German beer gardens. 

American consumers may be most familiar with domestic wheat beers like Blue Moon, the ubiquitous Belgian-style ale produced by Molson Coors. But there are several different subsets of wheat beers, and most can be traced back to one of two primary styles: the hefeweizen and the witbier. Both are wheat beers, but they have their own stories and flavor profiles.

What is a hefeweizen?

“The word hefeweizen actually reveals a lot when translated from German,” says Skip Schwartz, head brewer at WeldWerks Brewing Co. in Greeley, Colorado. “Hefe means yeast, and weizen means wheat.” 

In the 1500s in Bavaria, weizenbiers, or wheat beers, were popular, with the hefeweizen falling under the subcategory weissbier, or white beer. In 1516, the Reinheitsgebot, or Bavarian Purity Law was issued, which limited beer’s ingredients to water, hops, and barley (and later yeast, when fermentation was better understood). 

This decree was intended to protect consumers, tax ingredients, and preserve wheat for bread-making. But even the Bavarian royals missed their wheat beers and started to strategize workarounds. Initially, there was one royal-run brewery with special permission to make hefeweizen.  As more dispensations were gradually granted, broader hefeweizen production was finally allowed. 

Hefeweizens range in alcohol from 4.3—5.6% ABV and must be made using at least 50% wheat in its mash. While that high percentage of wheat shapes this style, its yeast is what sets hefeweizen apart. 

“Hefeweizen is defined by its strong yeast character giving way to banana esters and clove-like phenolics…with other notes of citrus, bubblegum, and vanilla,” says Jake Gardner, head brewer at Westbound & Down Brewing Company in Idaho Springs, Colorado. 

When yeast starts to convert the sugars in beer mash into alcohol, it creates byproducts known as esters, which are often fruity, and phenols, which tend to be spicy. The hefeweizen’s yeast also lends the beer a cloudy, medium-bodied finish, says David Deuser, chief sales and marketing officer for Radeberger Gruppe USA, which produces the Schöfferhofer line of hefeweizen and fruited ales.

“In the German market, you will find a wide variety of crystal weizen beers,” says Deuser. “These are wheat beers that have gone through the filtration process and present an appearance comparable to a lager. But a traditional hefeweizen is unfiltered.”

Crystal weizens and Schöfferhofer’s fruited hefeweizens are just two German wheat styles related to the hefeweizen. While Schöfferhofer brews hefeweizens with added grapefruit, pomegranate, and pineapple, certified cicerone and beverage director for New York City’s Treadwell Park Anne Becerra emphasizes that hefeweizens do not require added fruit as most of their fruit flavors come from those yeast esters. 

Some more traditional weissbier styles, according to Becerra, include crystal weizens, also called kristallweizens, and dunkelweizens, “darker wheat beers with lovely nutty, cocoa-tinged malt flavors.” There’s also a stronger version of the hefeweizen, the weizenbock, weighing in at 6.5—9% ABV.

Hefeweizens to try

The most classic example of the Hefeweizen is the hefe weissbier from Weihenstephaner, a German brewery that’s the oldest operating beer producer in the world.

On the more modern end of the spectrum, Schöfferhofer’s fruited offerings remain widely popular, particularly for those new to the category. In 2015, Westbound & Down debuted its hefeweizen, Don’t Hassle the Hef, which offers plenty of banana and clove aromas. WeldWerks has also been brewing its hefeweizen since 2015, putting a contemporary spin on the classic formula by employing whirlpool hops, or those added later in the brewing process to maximize oil extraction. 

“Many breweries open with some form of wheat beer because they are so approachable,” says Schwartz. “The reason WeldWerks opted for hefeweizen is that it offers a more complex flavor profile compared to, for example, a witbier or American-style wheat beer.” 

For an American craft twist on the weizenbock style, look to the Imperial Hefe from Widmer Brothers in Portland, Oregon. 

“Imperial Hefe is essentially a wheat wine, like a barleywine” says Widmer Brothers lead brewing manager Kaylen Gibbens. “Allowing wheat to be the backbone of a higher-ABV beer keeps the body smooth, and even though it’s 8% ABV, it doesn’t taste as fusel [alcohol-hot] as something normally does at that level.”

What is a witbier?

Witbiers have plenty in common with hefeweizens. 

“Both styles are brewed with a large proportion of wheat, which contributes lovely bright, bready notes, as well as a rich, creamy texture,” says Becerra. “Both are unfiltered, cloudy and pour with a big, rocky head.”

The differences come into play with the hefeweizen’s distinguishing yeast. As opposed to the German wheat style’s banana, clove-tinged character, the Belgian witbier is citrusy and tangy.

Belgian monks began brewing the witbier’s ancestor using wheat and other grains, plus herbs and spices, as far back as the 14th century. 

By the 1700s, the entire Belgian village surrounding one order of monks, Hoegaarden, was churning out the beloved beer with 36 different breweries. While those breweries all closed by 1957, local Pierre Celis soon reignited the tradition with Hoegaarden, one of the most popular wheat beers in Belgium and the United States.

Witbiers range from 4.8—5.6% in alcohol. In addition to a grain bill featuring 50% or more of wheat (typically offset by pilsner malt), other ingredients that characterize the witbier include coriander and Curaçao orange peel, as well as grains of paradise which lend notes of cardamom, juniper, ginger, citrus, and nutmeg. 

Two of the best-known American wheat beers, Blue Moon and Shock Top, are brewed in this Belgian style, making them forms of witbier. The style is also a favorite of several craft producers, most notably Portland, Maine’s Allagash Brewing Company. 

Since founder Rob Tod created the recipe in 1995, Allagash White has been the American craft beer community’s strongest connection to Belgian-style witbier. But the style remains difficult to brew, and Allagash’s success didn’t inspire an explosion of American witbiers. Brewmaster Jason Perkins credits Allagash White’s prominence due in part to its “gateway craft beer” status. 

“Allagash White is often a beer people credit with changing their minds about ‘not liking beer,’” he says.

Witbiers to try

Hoegaarden and Allagash White are arguably the most common entry points for witbier, the former representing the foundational Belgian style and the latter being the hallmark of an American take. 

Becerra recommends St. Bernardus Wit for an additional classic Belgian iteration. For those seeking another long-running American craft favorite, look to Witte from Ommegang Brewery in Cooperstown, New York.

Witbiers can come from places other than Belgium and the United States. Take the Hitachino White Ale, from Kiuchi Brewery in Japan, which emphasizes spice and orange citrus fruit rather than more overt wheated notes.

Some producers are further updating their witbiers with inspirations from other culinary traditions, like the Lemongrass Witbier from Dokkaebier in Oakland, California, which utilizes Szechuan and black peppercorn .

How to enjoy hefeweizens, witbiers, and other wheat beers

A hefeweizen should ideally be poured into a tall, vase-like weizen beer glass. This supports the style’s big, frothy head while concentrating yeast aromas, and showcases the beer’s golden haze. Witbier is traditionally served in a French jelly glass, which is not  unlike a shorter, wider water glass, that supports the beer’s aroma-packed foam.

Similarities come back into play when pairing wheat beers with food. 

“These types of beers are phenomenally diverse when it comes to food pairings,” says Becerra. “They’re a dream with a handful of fresh cheeses, salads, most brunch dishes, grilled fish, light pizzas, oysters, and so much more.”

For hefeweizens, the Brewers Association suggests the classic combo of the German style beer with weisswurst sausage. Hefeweizen also pairs particularly well with sushi, as the beer’s light breadiness, citrus character, and spice works well with seafood’s subtle and often saline flavors. 

When it comes to witbier, steamed mussels are a classic nod to the style’s Belgian background, and fruity desserts like lemon panna cotta and blood orange sorbet are also a good match.

If you prefer to tailor you beer habits by season, hefeweizen and witbier are effortless choices for sunny-day enjoyment. “On a warm day, they’re like little glasses of sunshine,” says Beccerra. “Those fruit-forward, citrusy, spicy notes make these great options for those who don’t like bitterness, and even for those who think they don’t like beer.”