Hoegaarden Beer
Jan 11, 2010 0:13:45 GMT -5
Post by Beer Baron on Jan 11, 2010 0:13:45 GMT -5
Welcome back to another installment of To Beer or Not Two Beer! In tonight's second edition, I present to everyone a beer that is one of my favorites, Hoegaarden! First a little backstory to this Belgian beer. According to wiki,
"Hoegaarden is named after the village in which it was first brewed, a small town in the wheat-growing Brabant farmlands, close to Leuven, the home of Stella Artois, just to the East of Brussels in Belgium." Hoegaarden dates back to as early as 1445, 47 years before the Americas was even discovered by Columbus.
With that being said, if you've never tried this beer, what's so good about this Hoegaarden? I'm glad you asked that. Other than it's a funny name to say and order, Hoegaadren is a Belgian-style White beer. Wheat beers are pale in color and brewed using an unmalted wheat, malted barley and are spiced with coriander and orange peel. Other Belgium White beers use other spices such as clove, nutmeg, and spices that are found in the area. These beers are traditionally unfiltered with a nearly opaque haze, low to medium body, and a low to medium fruity-ester level. Which basically means, when you pour these beers, especially Hoegaarden into a glass, they are cloudy and you cannot see through it. Also these beers will not fill you up like a Guinness or other stout beers. It will, however, still get you drunk, it's only 4.9% alcohol, so you may have to drink a few more to get loaded.
First pour:
Light test:
It's a cloudy orange yellow color once poured.
Before the ceremonial tasting, let's talk about the glass to use. Like all Belgium beers, Hoegaarden has it's own special cupeth to overflow from. "Hoegaarden should be served chilled 3 °C (37 °F)-5 °C (41 °F) in its traditional, hexagonal glass. The glass’ six sides and thicker cut help the beer remain cool, insulating against the warmth of drinkers’ hands." Unfortunately, I do not own said 6 sided glass, so a normal beer mug/stein will have to do for today. The taste of the beer will not differ if you drink it from a 6 sided glass, a circular glass, etc. From a personal level, drinking from the hexagonal glass like I did in Hong Kong a year ago(it's on tap in every bar out there!), did make it seem special and it was pretty awesome. Did it keep the beer colder? Who knows. However, the taste will be the same with or without it.
Hoegaarden, like traditional style beers, has a secondary fermentation in the bottle. That's why it's so cloudy in the bottle and the glass. Yeast may settle during storage, so to awaken the yeast and head, swirl the bottle when two thirds of the contents are poured out, then pour out the remainder. Here's the diagram on the back of the bottle to show you how to swirl the beer and pour it.
I'll just be lazy and copy the steps from wiki:
1. Wash a hexagonal Hoegaarden glass, rinse and dry.
2. Open the bottle and pour out two thirds of the contents into the glass.
3. Swirl the bottle containing the remaining Hoegaarden to awaken the yeast that may have settled in storage.
4. Pour out the remaining beer, rotating the bottle as you pour, to create a thick head of creamy foam.
5. Enjoy.[/i]
Well, I'm glad they put Step 5, cause after reading the bottle, I don't know what to do after pouring. Do I stare at it? What do I do next!?! Bottoms up is what you do! Before sipping beer, I usually take a whiff of it and smell what we got in the glass (if I don't I'm buzzed/loaded and just don't care at this point of the night). I get a smell of orange and wheat on my first whiff. The orange smell is not very strong, but you should notice it when you smell the beer. It's not blocked by the powerful wheat flavor. The first thing you taste when you drink a Hoegaarden is a taste that really no other beer can say they have. Yes, you can taste the wheat and I do taste coriander with each sip. Warm is not a flavor or taste, but Hoegaarden has such a smooth warm taste, I don't know how else to categorize it. In the immortal words of Frank the Tank, "It taste so good once it hits your lips."
Ah, that was delicious. As I got to the bottom of the glass, Hoegaarden's complex flavor went from light tasting to very strong and a thicker tasting beer. It's a more condensed high powered wheat flavor at the end of the beer. Hoegaarden can be enjoyed anytime of the day and night, and the best food to accompany it would be grilled chicken with a light vegetable side. Originally Hoegaarden was a very tough beer to find stateside, but because Hoegaarden is now owned by Anheuser-Busch Companies, most super markets will carry it. In Los Angeles, I've noticed that Albertsons markets, some Ralphs(most likely the posh Fresh Fare ones) will carry Hoegaarden. You can also find it in places like World Market, Bristol Farms, and Whole Foods markets. I don't think Trader Joe's carries Hoe, but that may just be the one that I go to that doesn't. If you haven't tried a Hoegaarden yet, do yourself a favor and try one of the finest, hidden gems on the beer market. If you have tried Hoegaarden before, go out and pick up a Hoe this week, slam that Hoe, and drink the hell out of it! Well folks, that's all I got, this week is definitely a two beer or more experience! Hope you enjoyed this week's edition of To Beer or Not Two Beer!
"Hoegaarden is named after the village in which it was first brewed, a small town in the wheat-growing Brabant farmlands, close to Leuven, the home of Stella Artois, just to the East of Brussels in Belgium." Hoegaarden dates back to as early as 1445, 47 years before the Americas was even discovered by Columbus.
With that being said, if you've never tried this beer, what's so good about this Hoegaarden? I'm glad you asked that. Other than it's a funny name to say and order, Hoegaadren is a Belgian-style White beer. Wheat beers are pale in color and brewed using an unmalted wheat, malted barley and are spiced with coriander and orange peel. Other Belgium White beers use other spices such as clove, nutmeg, and spices that are found in the area. These beers are traditionally unfiltered with a nearly opaque haze, low to medium body, and a low to medium fruity-ester level. Which basically means, when you pour these beers, especially Hoegaarden into a glass, they are cloudy and you cannot see through it. Also these beers will not fill you up like a Guinness or other stout beers. It will, however, still get you drunk, it's only 4.9% alcohol, so you may have to drink a few more to get loaded.
First pour:
Light test:
It's a cloudy orange yellow color once poured.
Before the ceremonial tasting, let's talk about the glass to use. Like all Belgium beers, Hoegaarden has it's own special cupeth to overflow from. "Hoegaarden should be served chilled 3 °C (37 °F)-5 °C (41 °F) in its traditional, hexagonal glass. The glass’ six sides and thicker cut help the beer remain cool, insulating against the warmth of drinkers’ hands." Unfortunately, I do not own said 6 sided glass, so a normal beer mug/stein will have to do for today. The taste of the beer will not differ if you drink it from a 6 sided glass, a circular glass, etc. From a personal level, drinking from the hexagonal glass like I did in Hong Kong a year ago(it's on tap in every bar out there!), did make it seem special and it was pretty awesome. Did it keep the beer colder? Who knows. However, the taste will be the same with or without it.
Hoegaarden, like traditional style beers, has a secondary fermentation in the bottle. That's why it's so cloudy in the bottle and the glass. Yeast may settle during storage, so to awaken the yeast and head, swirl the bottle when two thirds of the contents are poured out, then pour out the remainder. Here's the diagram on the back of the bottle to show you how to swirl the beer and pour it.
I'll just be lazy and copy the steps from wiki:
1. Wash a hexagonal Hoegaarden glass, rinse and dry.
2. Open the bottle and pour out two thirds of the contents into the glass.
3. Swirl the bottle containing the remaining Hoegaarden to awaken the yeast that may have settled in storage.
4. Pour out the remaining beer, rotating the bottle as you pour, to create a thick head of creamy foam.
5. Enjoy.[/i]
Well, I'm glad they put Step 5, cause after reading the bottle, I don't know what to do after pouring. Do I stare at it? What do I do next!?! Bottoms up is what you do! Before sipping beer, I usually take a whiff of it and smell what we got in the glass (if I don't I'm buzzed/loaded and just don't care at this point of the night). I get a smell of orange and wheat on my first whiff. The orange smell is not very strong, but you should notice it when you smell the beer. It's not blocked by the powerful wheat flavor. The first thing you taste when you drink a Hoegaarden is a taste that really no other beer can say they have. Yes, you can taste the wheat and I do taste coriander with each sip. Warm is not a flavor or taste, but Hoegaarden has such a smooth warm taste, I don't know how else to categorize it. In the immortal words of Frank the Tank, "It taste so good once it hits your lips."
Ah, that was delicious. As I got to the bottom of the glass, Hoegaarden's complex flavor went from light tasting to very strong and a thicker tasting beer. It's a more condensed high powered wheat flavor at the end of the beer. Hoegaarden can be enjoyed anytime of the day and night, and the best food to accompany it would be grilled chicken with a light vegetable side. Originally Hoegaarden was a very tough beer to find stateside, but because Hoegaarden is now owned by Anheuser-Busch Companies, most super markets will carry it. In Los Angeles, I've noticed that Albertsons markets, some Ralphs(most likely the posh Fresh Fare ones) will carry Hoegaarden. You can also find it in places like World Market, Bristol Farms, and Whole Foods markets. I don't think Trader Joe's carries Hoe, but that may just be the one that I go to that doesn't. If you haven't tried a Hoegaarden yet, do yourself a favor and try one of the finest, hidden gems on the beer market. If you have tried Hoegaarden before, go out and pick up a Hoe this week, slam that Hoe, and drink the hell out of it! Well folks, that's all I got, this week is definitely a two beer or more experience! Hope you enjoyed this week's edition of To Beer or Not Two Beer!