Weiss vs. Wiess

[Bill Poster]

One is a wheat beer, one is a white beer. But with several European countries producing variations of both(weizen, witt etc), plus the close relationship of the styles, it can be confusing! Some Weiss(wheat) biers have flavours and a cloudy white colour similar to a white beer..

Do these styles overlap or are they an entirely different category?

[cdh]

I think you're meeting confusion as a result of all of similar sounding words that mean both "wheat" and "white".

There are all variety of German wheat beers that involve the word Weizen, meaning wheat. Weizenbock, Dunkelweizen, etc. There is also a particular style of German beer that contains wheat that is called Berliner Weiss, meaning Berlin White.

Then there is the Belgian style called Wit, which means "white" and also contains wheat.

There is no "wiess" except in the land of typos and misspellings.

Hope that helps.

Also, see this webpage: http://www.ozaru.freeserve.co.uk/weizen/weizenweb.htm

Edited August 6, 2006 by cdh (log)

[Bill Poster]

I thought Wiess was the Cologne spelling for white.. ?

[cdh]

That Cologne usage is only in relation to one product, and seems largely to be a local spelling that isn't correct anywhere but there.

[Bill Poster]

Thanks for that.. I won't trust Wikipedia ever again. Michael Jackson is calling one of his brews Wiess something or other

This Beer lark isn't arf complicated

Cdh, What do you think of Nest Beers from Japan?(the ones with the cute Owl logo)

Edited August 6, 2006 by Bill Poster (log)

[cdh]

Thanks for that.. I won't trust Wikipedia ever again. Michael Jackson is calling one of his brews Wiess something or other

This Beer lark isn't arf complicated

Cdh, What do you think of Nest Beers from Japan?(the ones with the cute Owl logo)

←

Love the Hitachino Nest beers. They're great.

[Behemoth]

There is some regional variation in naming. If you want a wheat beer in northern Germany, ask for a Weizen. If you are in the south, you have to ask for a Weissbier or you will get a blank confused look. (I learned this the hard way...)

[chardan]

In Munich, ordering "ein Weißbier, bitte" usually did the trick for me. I am not a beer expert and have little idea if this also resulted in me getting a totally different beverage (I don't /think/ so, but am not completely sure), but the results were delicious.

-J.

[AzianBrewer]

Thanks for that.. I won't trust Wikipedia ever again. Michael Jackson is calling one of his brews Wiess something or other

This Beer lark isn't arf complicated

Cdh, What do you think of Nest Beers from Japan?(the ones with the cute Owl logo)

←

Love the Hitachino Nest beers. They're great.

←

The Hitachino White Ale is a very smooth Belgian style witbier. The Double Wit from Southampton (Long Island, NY) is another great witbier.

Cheers..

[Bill Poster]

just tried Stella Artois' new wheat beer (4%)- i forget the name- not as 'wheaty' as a german wheat beer

[BobGermany]

@Bill Poster Wieß is a beer style. @cdh it is not a mis-spelling nor is it in relation to a single product nor is it only found in Cologne. Wießbier is/was the forerunner to modern Kölsch. It is a beer very similar in style to Kölsch, however, it has a % of Wheat in the grain bill. As wheat wasn't allowed in beer after 1516 it fell out of popularity. It is still brewed in Cologne, by a couple of different breweries and due to the Craft Beer movement in Germany its popularity is increasing. Check out Ale-Mania Bonner Wieß, a great example of a Wießbier. Light and refreshing as a Kölsch but with the banana fruitiness of a Weizen.