Hoegaarden Wit/Blanche-Belgium

OK, here is a beer that just about every lover of beer will have tasted, it was (and I suppose still is) regarded as an archetypal Belgian Wit Beer.

Hoegaarden is named after the town in which it is brewed. The recipe, including some coriander and dried orange peel, is similar to that used since 1445 when this style of beer was first made. It is not an exact replica as the beer is now mass produced with one eye on pleasing the masses. The beer is made using malted wheat and barley and is top fermented using traditional yeast strains. Hoegaarden is fermented at a higher than usual temperature because of the top fermentation process used.

This is a very good "wit bier" it is a refreshing beer, the presence of coriander and orange peel is just barely perceptible. The beer is partially bottle conditioned (some yeast & sugar added at bottling) giving it a tightly beaded head. It is also unfiltered giving the cloudy appearance. As you can see from the photo my wife also enjoys this particular beer.

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