Celis White

Tasting Notes

The aroma leads with fresh coriander, orange peel, and a faint wheaty tartness — the hallmark aromatics of a well-made witbier. On the palate, it's softly spiced with a gentle citrus brightness balanced by the lactic tang that comes from unmalted wheat. The body is light and slightly hazy, with a dry, clean finish that doesn't linger too long. It's an approachable but genuinely characterful example of the style.

About the Brewery

Celis was founded by Belgian brewer Pierre Celis, who is widely credited with reviving the witbier style in Belgium in the 1960s at his Hoegaarden brewery. After selling Hoegaarden to InBev, he relocated to Austin, Texas, and launched Celis Brewery in the early 1990s, bringing the same recipe and philosophy with him. The brand went dormant after Celis sold it to Miller, but his daughter Christine relaunched the Austin brewery in 2017, restoring the original witbier recipe to production.

Food Pairings

Mussels steamed in white wine are a natural match because the beer's citrus and spice echo the briny, herbaceous cooking liquid. A simple roast chicken with lemon and herbs plays well against the coriander notes without overpowering the beer's delicacy. Soft, fresh cheeses like chèvre or mild feta complement the wheaty tartness without competing with it. Shrimp tacos with a light slaw work because the acidity and spice in the beer cut through the richness and mirror the lime in the dish.

Style Guide

Witbier is a Belgian wheat beer brewed with a significant proportion of unmalted wheat alongside barley malt, and traditionally spiced with coriander and dried Curaçao orange peel rather than hops. The style originated in the Flemish region of Belgium and was nearly extinct before Pierre Celis revived it in Hoegaarden in the 1960s. It sits in the 4.5–5.5% ABV range and is distinguished from German hefeweizen by its use of adjunct spicing and a crisper, more citrus-forward character rather than the banana-and-clove yeast profile of its German cousin.