When it comes to spring and summer beer, it’s difficult to beat the appeal of Allagash White. This iconic brew from the Portland, Maine-based brewery is always ranked among the best wheat beers in the US beer marketplace. This award-winning Belgian-style wheat beer is balanced, flavorful, and a crushable 5.2% ABV — perfect for an unseasonably warm spring day, or a humid, hazy summer night.
Made to pay homage to traditional Belgian witbiers, this year-round favorite is brewed with malted wheat, oats, and raw wheat. It’s cloudy, unfiltered and gets added flavor from the addition of Curaçao orange peel and coriander. The result is a sweet wheat, yeasty, cloudy, gently spiced wheat beer you’ll never want to put down.
If you ever do decide to put it down but want to try something similar, there are at least a few beers that will appeal to you. Instead of making you find them, we did the work for you. Below, you’ll find eight of the best wheat beers (some American, some Belgian, and even one from Germany) to buy if you already love Allagash White. Keep scrolling to see which wonderful wheat beers made the list.
8.) Hoegaarden Wit
ABV: 4.9%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
When it comes to Belgian witbiers, there are none more well-known than Hoegaarden Wit. This timeless wheat beer is brewed with water, barley, wheat, and hops as well as orange peels and coriander. The result is a classic, cloudy, yeasty, lightly spiced, citrus-forward wheat beer.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is filled with aromas of yeast, freshly baked bread, fruit esters, ripe bananas, cloves, coriander, and other light spices. The palate continues this trend with notes of sweet wheat, yeasty, bready malts, orange peels, fruit esters, bananas, wintry spices, and bubblegum. It’s sweet, spicy, and very memorable.
Bottom Line:
There’s a reason Hoegaarden is such a popular beer. It’s simple yet balanced and flavorful. It’s a great choice for fans of Allagash White.
7.) Ommegang Witte
ABV: 5.2%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Brewery Ommegang’s whole concept is to create the closest thing to an authentic Belgian-style brewery in Central New York. While it makes a variety of award-winning brews, one of our favorites is its Ommegang Witte. This Belgian-style witbier is brewed with malted and unmalted wheat, flaked oats, and Hallertau Spalter Select hops. It gets its classic flavor from the addition of sweet orange peel and coriander.
Tasting Notes:
Before your first sip, you’ll be greeted by aromas of yeasty bread, sweet wheat, cloves, coriander, bananas, and more light spices. The palate is loaded with citrus zest, yeasty freshly baked bread, wheat, cloves, coriander, bananas, and gentle spices. The finish is sweet, yeasty, and has very little bitterness.
Bottom Line:
Ommegang Witte is the kind of beer you imagine when you think of authentic Belgian-style witbiers. It’s that good.
6.) Hitachino Nest White Ale
ABV: 5.5%
Average Price: $5 for a 12-ounce bottle
The Beer:
This Japanese-made Belgian-style witbier is the perfect choice for fans of Allagash White. Brewed with ale yeast, wheat, flaked wheat, torrified wheat, as well as Perle, Celleia, Amarillo, and Styrian Goldings hops. This popular beer gets extra flavor from the addition of not only coriander and orange peel but also nutmeg and orange juice.
Tasting Notes:
A nose of bready malts, yeast, sweet wheat, orange zest, tangerine, and gentle wintry spices greets you before your first sip. Drinking it reveals notes of bready malts, yeast, sweet wheat, lemon zest, orange peels, coriander, cloves, fruit esters, and other light spices. It’s filled with citrus goodness.
Bottom Line:
While it has the classic witbier spice element, it’s heavy (in a good way) on citrus aromas and flavors.
5.) St. Bernardus Wit
ABV: 5.5%
Average Price: $19 for a 750ml bottle
The Beer:
If you’re looking for a classic Belgian witbier, you can’t go wrong with St. Bernardus Wit. The highly-rated witbier is loaded with sweet malty flavors as well as coriander, orange peels, and gentle spices. It’s as well-balanced as a wheat beer gets. What do you expect from a classic Belgian beer?
Tasting Notes:
Complex notes of funky yeast, bready malts, ripe bananas, orange peel, clove, coriander, cracked black pepper, and light fruit esters. The palate is a mix of yeasty bread, sweet malts, orchard fruits, esters, bananas, pepper, coriander, and clove. The finish is lightly floral, and hoppy, and has just a hint of pleasant bitterness.
Bottom Line:
When it comes to balance and overall flavor, you can do much worse than St. Bernardus Wit. This is an outstanding beer.
4.) Avery White Rascal
ABV: 5.6%
Average Price: $11 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This popular Belgian-style white ale is brewed with Sterling hops, 2-row malts, wheat, and wheat icon as well as house Belgian wit strain. This classic, award-winning, unfiltered witbier gets its iconic flavor from the addition of coriander and Curaçao orange peel.
Tasting Notes:
Classic aromas of yeasty bread, sweet wheat, coriander, clove, candied orange peels, and light-cracked black pepper make for a memorable start to this beer. The palate is a symphony of yeast, fresh bread, caramel malts, orange peels, clove, coriander, and sweet wheat flavors. It’s malty, fruit, and highly memorable.
Bottom Line:
Spicy, fruity, yeasty, and loaded with wheat, what’s not to love? This is a great example of a well-made American-made Belgian-style witbier.
3.) Jolly Pumpkin Blanca
ABV: 4.8%
Average Price: $14 for a 750ml bottle
The Beer:
Also known as Calabaza Blanca, Jolly Pumpkin Blanca is a farmhouse-style witbier crafted to taste like the traditional Belgian beers that came before it. It’s sweet, tart, dry, and perfectly spiced. This is due to being brewed with Tettnang hops, pilsner malt, wheat malt, and raw wheat as well as coriander, sweet orange peel, and bitter orange peel.
Tasting Notes:
A lot is going on with this beer’s nose. It’s kind of funky, yeasty, and filled with sweet wheat aromas. There are also notes of cracked black pepper, coriander, and candied orange peels. On the palate, you’ll find notes of funky yeast, bready malts, orange peels, lemon zest, coriander, clove, fruit esters, pepper, and lightly floral hops. The finish is dry and lightly bitter.
Bottom Line:
This one is for the witbier fans who enjoy more funk, yeast, and unfiltered flavors. It’s a great choice for Allagash White drinkers.
2.) Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier
ABV: 5.4%
Average Price: $13 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Weihenstephaner is the oldest brewery in the world with a genesis in 1040. In that time, the brewers have done a pretty good job perfecting their brews. One of the best is its Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier. This award-winning German beer is known for its unfiltered appearance and notes of bananas and cloves.
Tasting Notes:
This beloved beer begins with a nose of orange peels, lemon zest, yeasty bread, wheat, fruit esters, gentle spices, and a nice kick of ripe banana. The palate continues this trend with yeasty bread, sweet malts, ripe bananas, clove, bubblegum, sweet orange peels, and light fruit esters. It’s sweet, spicy, and leaves you craving more.
Bottom Line:
When it comes to German-made wheat beers, you’ll have a hard time finding one more well-balanced and flavorful than Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier.
1.) Unibroue Blanche de Chambly
ABV: 5%
Average Price: $11 for a six-pack
The Beer:
If you’ve never tried Quebec’s Unibroue, now is the time. Its Unibroue Blanche de Chambly is a great choice for Allagash White fans. This award-winning, year-round Belgian-style witbier is known for its yeasty, wheat flavor, orange zest, and light spices.
Tasting Notes:
A nose of bready malts, yeast, wheat, cloves, coriander, orange peels, and lemon makes for a traditional start to this beer. Drinking it reveals hints of caramel malts, fresh bread, yeast, sweet wheat, honey, fruit esters, coriander, orange peels, and light acidity. Sweet, malty, yeasty, fruity, and perfectly acidic.
Bottom Line:
When it comes to well-rounded wheat beers to drink if you love Allagash White, you’ll have a tough time finding one better than Unibroue Blanche de Chambly.
