5 months since my last beer review! Wow, time flies by so fast! But I've actually been really busy lately. Anyway, today I'm reviewing the classic Hoegaarden Wit Blanche from Belgium.
Description of the beer:
"The Original Belgian Wheat Beer. Almost 600 years ago in the Belgian village of Hoegaarden, a band of monks experimented by adding oddball botanicals from halfway around the world to their traditional wheat beer. Our recipe, inspired by their creation, is a beer with a refreshing flavor and captivating aroma, unlike any in the world. Let the refreshing citrus and earthy coriander alleviate the stresses of modern living and whisk you to another place entirely. You might call it divine inspiration... we call it Hoegaarden."
- Records of brewing in the village date back to 1445, when the local monks were enthusiastic brewers.
- In the nineteenth century, the village had thirteen breweries and 9 distilleries. However, in 1957, the last local witbier brewery, Tomsin, closed its doors.
- 8 years later, milkman Pierre Celis decided to take over. He started a new brewery called de Kluis, in his hay loft.
- In the 1980s, with demand for the product continuing to grow, Celis bought Hougardia, a former lemonade factory.
- The brewery was destroyed by a fire in 1985. Celis then decided to move to the United States, where he set up the Celis Brewery in Austin, Texas, to continue making witbier.
- Nowadays it is owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev and the production is back in Hoegaarden.
This is my absolute favorite witbier. There are a lot of good witbiers out there but it's really hard to match Hoegaarden. The flavor is so unique and the mouthfeel is incredibly smooth. This was a can version review, but if you have ever the chance to drink it from draft, do it! It is even better!
