Beer Blogging - Hoegaarden

Hey, two beer blogging posts in one day! The NFL playoffs must be on or something. Anyway, tonight I'm drinking a beer that I've had many times in the past, but never wrote about for some reason: Hoegaarden.



Hoegaarden is an unfiltered Belgian witbier that has been brewed since 1445. It pours into the glass a very, very light golden color that is almost actually white. There's a big fluffy head that dies down to nothing within a minute. Surprisingly, this is not a great smelling beer - it smells almost like a lager, Heineken maybe. There's a little sourness and a little malt, but nothing remarkable.

The taste is something else, however, something much better. The malt in this beer has the toasted flavor that's typical of Belgian ales, but it's far lighter (since this isn't actually an ale). That comes out at the beginning, followed closely by a very faint hop taste and the flavor of orange peels and coriander. The sourness in the aroma also comes through right at the end, but it's not a bad sourness. Overall, it's a lighter, very refreshing beer that actually has some flavor and character to it.

Rating: 8/10. Recommended for people who like hefeweizens but aren't crazy about the fruity flavors.