It’s summer: time to kick off your shoes and lighten up. And the same goes for your beer. When you reach into the cooler, look for something light—no, not, God forbid, “lite.” We’re talking white beer, the refreshing, Belgian-born style of brew that’s made a comeback recently among local craft brewers.
“They’re nice, light, very easy-drinking beers,” says beer guru Matt Guyer, owner of The Beer Yard in Wayne. “They’re cloudy with a little spice, coriander or Curacao orange peel, and they’re lower in alcohol.”
According to Guyer, it was the return to fashion of Hoegaarden—the summertime draught favorite oft served with a wedge of lemon or orange—that sparked this white beer renaissance. A Belgian milkman, Pierre Celis, is credited with single-handedly reviving the region’s traditional witbier when he started his first brewery in 1966 using old dairy equipment.
Now, local brewers are crafting their own versions of the Belgian beverage. Downingtown’s Victory Brewing Co. offers a Whirlwind Wit each April through August. At Weyerbacher in Easton, the Blanche witbier has been a favorite for several years now. Reading’s Legacy Brewing Co. uses a blend of five spices in their popular Midnight Wit, available year-round. And the Kensington-based Philadelphia Brewing Co.—only recently available in bottles—has put together a poetically inspired Walt Wit, an unfiltered brew infused with citrus and spices.
Use these beers—priced around $35 to $40 a case—to cook mussels in, or sip them with light fare like salad or grilled chicken. These refreshing Belgian-style brews are a more than just a summer fling. The Beer Yard, 218 E. Lancaster Ave., Wayne; 610-688-3431; beeryard.com.

1. The Beer Yard of Wayne PA is about 100 degrees in the old auto garage during the summer. The beer at the Beer Yard boils and goes bad. Matt Guyer of the Beer Yard needs better air conditioning. Drive to Kunda in King of Prussia for better beer.

   Posted by Peter Thomas | November 20, 2008, 1:00 pm