Hoegaarden is famous all over the world for its pale color, original taste unlike anything else and a special octagonal glass.
The history of the unique foamy drink Hoogarden is closely connected with the name of Pierre Selys. This is a real beer artist, a man who created a legend, and did not agree to exchange it for the huge profits of the world's alcohol corporations.
Main characteristics
Country of origin - Belgium.
The manufacturer is Anheuser-Busch InBev.
Existing container:
- glass bottle 0.33, 0.5 and 0.75 liters;
- tin can 0.5 liters.
Existing varieties
Interbrew currently produces three varieties of Hoegaarden:
- Wit-Blanche;
- Grand Cru;
- fruit.
Interestingly, from the point of view of modern Russian food legislation, they are all beer drinks. It would be interesting to look at Pierre Selys when he was told that, according to officials from Russia, he did not brew beer at all. I think that surprise was the softest feeling from the emotional palette that he would have experienced at that moment.
In general, this is a topic for a separate serious conversation. Now I would like to tell you in more detail about each of the Hougaarden beer brands.
Hoegaarden Blanche
This spirit is also known as Hoegaarden Original White. It is an unfiltered wheat white ale with an ABV of 4.9 degrees. It is this "beer drink" Hoogarden is widely known in Russia.
The composition of wheat ale includes the following components: mineral drinking water, barley malt, wheat, hops, hop products, orange peel, coriander and apple pectin.
Hoegaarden Wit-Blanche has a smoky pale gold color. The drink has a memorable aroma, which is made up of notes of orange peel, spices, ripe wheat and coriander. The taste is incredibly soft, fresh and light. Once you've tasted Hoogarden's white ale, you'll never forget this sweet and sour miracle. On the palate, citrus, spicy and hop nuances stand out noticeably.
After pouring into a glass or mug, a rich, dense, persistent and white foam is formed.
Hoegaarden Grand Cru
Hoogarden Grand Cru is a full-bodied top-fermented beer with an ABV of 8.5 degrees. Despite the relatively high content ethyl alcohol it is not felt at all when tasting. However, not all foam lovers attribute this fact to the unambiguous advantages of alcohol. I have also heard the opposite point of view. It boiled down to the fact that beer should still have a real beer taste.
The composition of Grand Cru in terms of its components is largely identical to the Wit-Blanche brand. However, the tasting experience is completely different.
The color of the foamy drink is much brighter. It is best to classify it as amber. At the same time, the characteristic cloudy yeast sediment is present in Grand Cru. The aroma is more intense and persistent. The main roles in it are played by wheat, malt fruit, spicy and citrus undertones.
The taste is incredibly soft and dense. It captivates the taster from the first sip. In it, notes of various spices intertwined in the most incredible way.
Hoegaarden Fruit
Hoogarden Fruit is an authentic dessert alcohol with a strength of 8.5 degrees. He is completely self-sufficient and freely dispenses with food and any snacks. This brand is also not filtered, so it can be classified as live beer.
The composition of the foamy drink, in addition to the ingredients listed above, includes orange zest.
The Fruit brand has a stunningly beautiful red color. Its aroma is dominated by fruits, which are perfectly set off by wheat and hop notes.
The taste has a characteristic beer bitterness. In addition, you can easily feel the citrus, spicy and fruity nuances. But the main flavor is wheat.
Many tasters and ordinary beer fans say that despite its composition, Hoegaarden Fruit is closer to wine than to beer in the usual sense for us.
History reference
The creator of the Hoegaarden brand, Pierre Celis, was born in Belgium in March 1925. From childhood, he worked part-time at a brewery, which was famous throughout the district for its original approach to beer recipes.
Pierre started with home artisanal brewing. He brewed alcohol for himself and his friends. Everyone was delighted with the results of his alcoholic creativity, so in 1966 he bought a small home brewery.
Unbelievable but true. Celis pale ale was so successful that it quickly replaced the famous Stella Artois lager from the Antwerp area. Then he came up with a special octagonal glass, in which intoxicating alcohol was served.
By 1985, his factory was brewing 25 hectoliters of froth. No one knows how history developed in the future, if the fire had not intervened in the matter. To cope with its consequences, Pierre had to turn to his main competitor, Stella Artois, for help.
By 1988, Mr. Celis had lost his autonomy in decision making. Wealthy companions forced him to brew cheaper beer. He refused, sold the remaining share of the enterprise and left for the USA.
After settling in Texas, he develops the production of a new beer, Celis White. Again, his creations were popular. But here, too, he failed to stay away from the representatives of the world of capital. As a result, he again had to sell his brewery. This time the buyer was Miller.
Hoogarden is a drink that can be safely called not just beer, but an old refined alcohol created by the Belgians exclusively for connoisseurs of beauty.
He, in addition to his classic, has many more common names, such as:
- glass of sun
- Belgian wheat;
- white beer;
- cold sun.
The beer has a peculiar, unlike anything soft rich taste and light, unusual color for a drink of this category. The aroma is simply incredible - orange notes wrapped in the smell of ripe wheat. That is why Hoegaarden constantly arouses the desire to try and learn as much as possible about it.
Each of the varieties of "glass of the sun" is unique in the content of ingredients. They perfectly combine wheat with oats, malt, spicy coriander, orange peel and mineral water.
The production recipe is very ancient and distribution is discouraged. Therefore, they try to hide the process from prying eyes and keep it secret. All that is known to ordinary buyers is the use of the principle of top fermentation and double fermentation technology (adding yeast cultures to finished beer poured into a container for sale).
It is very difficult to get an analogue at home. The main rule, of course, will be the orientation on the composition of the manufacturer: half of the wort should consist of germinated wheat grains, and the second should contain equal proportions of malt (barley) and oats (unmalted). The brewing process is based on mineral water and 5 minutes before it ends, zest with coriander is added to the liquid.
The history of the birth of the beer brand
- the name that gave the world a wonderful foamy drink. A man with a capital letter who opposed for a long time corrupt officials chasing wealth. A native of Belgium who was able to create a legend in the world of beer.
He began his career as a simple worker in a small Tomsin brewery, which used fruit additives and spices in its recipes. Here the young man learned a lot, gained experience, thanks to which in the future he decided to try to make beer on his own.
In the 50s. XX century the large company Stella Artois that appeared on the market replaced the smaller brewery and Pierre was left without a job, but with a huge store of knowledge. He worked as an assistant on his father's dairy farm, and in between times he treated his friends to beer. He cooked his first batch directly in a milk boiler, adding coriander and orange zest to the main recipe. Everyone who tried the creation of Selys was delighted and begged him to repeat.
Then the young experimenter decided to seriously engage in production and in 1966 he bought a small brewery. Hoegaarden began to be in demand and gained such popularity that in a few years it was able to compete with Stella Artois itself. Gradually, Pierre's beer becomes famous not only in his native small town of Hoegarden, but also far beyond the borders of the country. It is in demand in France, Holland and gradually penetrates the US markets.
About 20 years Celis was engaged in the production of white unfiltered, perhaps he would have continued the same amount, but a misfortune happened. The fire burned to the ground the brewery, all the equipment and destroyed the building. It took a lot of money to restore, which Pierre did not have, and the banks refused to lend such an amount. He had to give away part of the Stella Artois company, which later turned into a huge Inbev holding after several mergers. Nowadays, it is a major producer of the most famous brands(Stella, Hoegaarden, Staropramen, Brahma, etc.) Today, Hoegaarden brand beer is produced not in the town of the same name, but in Leuven.
Variety of beer
The modern brand Hoegarden has three types of beer.
Traditions and culture of consumption
It would be surprising if a beer like Hoegaarden didn't have its own distinctive way of drinking. Its feature- a glass, a thick octagonal glass, invented by Pierre Celis himself.
Since Hougaarden is a beer whose taste is revealed when cold, dishes were needed that kept its temperature for a long time. Pierre once saw Italian glasses for sale in a shop and realized that this was exactly the form for his foamy drink.
Pre-beer glasses hougaarden specially cooled to 2 degrees. Thanks to the thick glass, when in contact with the hands of the drinker, the heat does not penetrate into the interior so quickly, thereby keeping the cool temperature of the drink much longer.
Later, when the brand was taken over by InBev, they decided to replace the octagonal glasses with six-sided glassware, as they were more convenient and more economical.
Attention, only TODAY!
Hoegaarden is not just beer, but an old classic of Belgian brewers who gave the world such an exquisite, delicious and aromatic alcohol.
It is called not only by the name given by the manufacturer, but also by other names, for example - "white", "Belgian wheat", but most importantly - "cold sun" or "glass with the sun".
Description
Hoegarden is an enigmatic beer, unfiltered, but distinctly different from other unfiltered beers.
The color of the drink is light, but pronounced, with yellowness. It is not transparent, as if covered with a haze through which the timid rays of the sun break through. These characteristics are very well complemented by white dense foam.
Taste - without excessive bitterness, soft, refreshing, with a slight sourness, but quite rich.
The aroma is amazing. It smells of ripe wheat and the sweetness of southern oranges.
Its strength ranges from 4.9 to 8.5%
The composition of Hoegaarden is unique - it coexists with unsprouted wheat and barley malt, unmalted oats and orange peel, and complements all this with oriental coriander. Some types allow the introduction of hops and sugar, but for any of the varieties only mineral water is used.
Beer is stored with the preservation of its characteristics throughout the year.
The history of Hoegaarden beer
At the beginning of the 14th century, an unusual beer was brewed in one of the districts of Flanders, it was liked by the inhabitants of those places, and by the middle of the 15th century it became simply insanely popular. In those days, two monasteries were opened here, and according to the assurance of the Belgians, it was the monks who then were engaged in brewing here.
The Second World War led to the fact that the production of the drink came to naught, but only 9 years later - in 1966 it was revived either by Peter or Pierre (name translations differ) Celis, who opened a brewery in a small village.
From childhood, he saw how beer was brewed, but in the 1950s he had to work on a dairy farm. He brewed the first batch of his beer from memory, but it turned out to be simply luxurious, and the production of the drink was transferred to a commercial scale.
Hougarden began to buy not only the Belgians, but also the Dutch, along with the French. By the end of the 1980s, Americans appreciated its taste.
The name of the brewery changed twice, in the last version it was called "monastic".
In 1989, this brewery was sold for the first time. But its owner, Interbrew, eventually InBev moved the brewery to Leuven.
Another Celis brewery (in Texas) was acquired by the Miller company, which soon stopped the production of beer.
For the first time, in addition to Belgium, Hoegaarden was made in Russia, but because of the law of 2011 it could not be called beer (due to the fact that it contains zest and coriander), and therefore it was called Hoegaarden White beer drink.
Where is it prepared, by whom and how
You have clearly guessed the country where the brewing masterpiece Hoegaarden is made. Of course this is Belgium. It is there, to the south of the town of Tienen, that there is a small village with a worldwide reputation - Hoegarden. Here stood the famous InBev brewery, which in the new century was moved to the crowded Leuven.
Beer is prepared according to the principle of top fermentation according to an ancient, hidden from prying eyes recipe and technology, which involves double fermentation (with the introduction of live yeast cultures into already bottled and keg beer).
Types of Hoegaarden
There are currently three of them:
Hoegaarden Original White is a Hougaarden classic: unfiltered, light, wheaten, with dense foam, taste, softened fruity tint and delicate citrus aroma. Its strength is 4.9%, calorie content is 44 kcal per 100 grams of drink. It is prepared from mineral water, barley (light) and wheat malt, wheat, hops, orange peel and coriander seeds with the addition of ascorbic acid.
"Hoegaarden Grand Cru"- this beer differs from the classic white beer by its saturation of color, taste and aroma, in which fruits brightly dominate. Some compare it with mulled wine - tender, spicy, with no beer bitterness. Its strength is 8.5%, calorie content is 69 kcal per 100 grams of drink.
"Hoegaarden Forbidden Fruit"– the difference from the classics in this drink is not difficult to notice – the beer has a red color, a bright fruity-wheat aroma and beer bitterness in taste. This bitterness, of course, is complemented by spicy citrus shades, but it still dominates. Sometimes this beer is associated with wine, but this is not entirely correct. Its strength is 8.5%.
How to drink Hoegaarden
Hoegaarden beer is sold in 0.33, 0.5 or 0.75 liters in original glass bottles with a thickening at the bottom and an extension at the top. Sometimes the brand can be found in half a liter tin can, but connoisseurs say that the best Hoegaarden beer is draft.
Traditionally, it is poured into a thick-walled glass with six (or eight) sides, after cooling the drink to 2°C. Although in bars most often Hoegarden is not cooled below 8 ° C.
It is served with a sliced lemon, which is crushed on the glass with a small pestle.
Hoegarden's Homemade Beer Recipe
There is no traditional classic in this matter - everyone is “perverted” as best they can. If you want to cook something close to the famous brand at home, we recommend that you go in two ways:
- Buy a brewing kit, and with it a concentrate that matches the desired taste. You cook it according to the instructions, and it will not be bad.
- Brew beer the right way. This requires experience. But you will quickly get it if you try to brew beer 1-2 times. We will not describe in detail the entire process of brewing beer, since we have it in detail in another article.
Since we did not find an adequate recipe for the Belgian drink, we recommend that you prepare the drink using the standard technology for brewing wheat beer, focusing on the original composition.
This means that 50% of your wort will be unsprouted wheat, the other 50% will be barley malt and unmalted oats. You will cook either on mineral non-carbonated or bottled water. orange peel and coriander is added 5 minutes before the end of cooking.
If desired, you can add hops to the composition, in the usual proportion for beer, and carry out carbonation after fermentation with dextrose syrup or sugar.
Good luck in your endeavors!
Hoegaarden is a Belgian beer brand owned by the alcohol giant Anheuser-Busch InBev. Trademark present in more than 70 national markets. Russia became the first country where Hogarden is bottled under a license agreement. According to the legislation of the Russian Federation, Hoegaarden contains components (orange peel, coriander) that do not allow it to be classified as “beer”, therefore the labels indicate that it is a “beer drink”.
History reference. The very name of the beer unequivocally indicates the place of its origin: the monks of the monasteries located in the district of Hoogarden have been brewing the drink since the 14th century. The first documentary mention of this "white" beer dates back to 1445. Thanks to established trade links between the Netherlands, which then included this area, and the Danish colonies of the East Indies, brewers had the opportunity to experiment with adding various exotic ingredients to beer. Thus recipes were born, including herbs, coriander seeds, crushed peel of sweet and bitter oranges of Laracha.
Over the centuries, Hoegarden flourished, becoming a major brewing center. However, in the second half of the 20th century, the well-being of the industry was greatly shaken: the reasons for this were the post-war economic downturn and the development of lager beer production technologies. At the end of the 50s, the last brewery in the city of Tomsin, which produced unfiltered wheat beer, ceased to exist.
The revival of "white beer" is associated with the name of a native of Hougaarden - Pierre Seli, who, as a high school student, worked part-time during the holidays at the Tomsin brewery. He brewed the first batch of beer for himself and his friends, restoring the recipe bit by bit. The product was accepted with a bang and Seli, who worked as a milkman, decided to change his profession. Production at the brewery, named De Kluis, grew at a record pace, in 1984 the export of beer to the United States began. However, a major fire destroyed all the facilities of the enterprise.
After several interim deals, Celi sold his stake in the company to the Interbrew concern. Today, all rights to the brand belong to the world's largest brewing corporation Anheuser-Busch InBev.
Awards
World beer cup, Philadelphia:
- 1996 - gold (Hoegaarden) medal;
- 1998 - Bronze (Hoegaarden White Ale) medal;
- 2000 - silver (Hoegaarden Wit) medal;
- 2002, 2004, 2006 - gold (Hoegaarden) medal;
- 2008 - gold (Hoegaarden Wit) medal;
- 2012 - silver (Hoegaarden) medal;
- 2016 - gold (Hoegaarden Wit) medal.
World Beer Championship, Chicago:
- 1998 - Platinum (Hoegaarden Original White) medal.
Beer Festival, Helsinki:
- 2001 - Silver (Hoegaarden Wit) medal.
Australian International Beer Awards, Ballarat:
- 1998 - Gold and silver medals;
- 1999 - Gold (Hoegaarden Forbidden Fruit) medal;
- 2000 - Gold (Hoegaarden Original White) medal and titles Grand Champion Beer, Grand Champion Specialty Ale, Best Wheat Beer, Best Specialty Ale;
- 2008 - Bronze (Hoegaarden White) medal.
International Taste & Quality Institute, Brussels:
- 2000 - Silver medal;
- 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 - Gold medal;
- 2015 - 5 silver (Hoegaarden White, Hoegaarden Forbidden Fruit, Hoegaarden Radler Agrum, Hoegaarden Speciale, Hoegaarden Radler Lemon & Lime) and bronze (Hoegaarden Grand Cru) medals.
San Diego International Beer competition:
- 2015 - Bronze (Hoegaarden White Ale) medal;
- 2016 - Silver (Hoegaarden Wit) medal.
North American Beer Awards, Idaho:
- 2015 - Silver (Hoegaarden Wit) medal;
- 2017 - Gold (Hoegaarden White Ale) medal.
Beer and Whiskey Festival, Stockholm:
- 2010 - silver (Hoegaarden Wit) medal;
- 2013, 2016 - silver (Hoegaarden) medal.
Brussels Beer Challenge:
- 2015 - Gold (Hoegaarden Grand Cru) medal;
- 2017 - silver (Hoegaarden White) medal.
How to drink Hoegaarden beer
The manufacturer recommends chilling the drink before serving to an unusually low temperature of 2-3 ° C in order to appreciate all the features of the taste of Hoegaarden. It is recommended to drink it from branded six-sided glasses: it is believed that their tulip-shaped shape and thick glass cut allow you to keep the beer cold for as long as possible.
The right glass The Belgians themselves prefer to add a lemon slice to the container - bars even serve special pestles so that you can press it to the bottom of the glass to squeeze the juice.
Hoegarden beer types
Hoegaarden Original White, 4.9%
The most famous and titled beer of the brand, marked by many international awards. It is brewed according to the traditional monastery recipe, whose history dates back to the 15th century. It is a classic Belgian wit with a dense head of foam that rises above the rim of the glass. This sort of unfiltered beer is called "white" because of its light color and natural haze. It has a rich wheat aroma with notes of apple, banana, pastry, coriander and other spices. The composition also includes special ingredients that provide citrus tones in taste: the dried peel of curacao bitter oranges and sweet orange zest.
Hoegaarden Forbidden Fruit (Hoegaarden Verboden Vrucht), 8.5%
One of the most difficult varieties to produce and unique in taste, brewed according to old recipe. It is distinguished by a dark copper-red color and a lush head of foam two fingers high. The bouquet is filled with natural freshness and beautiful tones of sun-warmed cherries, prunes, applesauce and cloves. On the palate, there is a dense liqueur sweetness, ripe figs, chocolate, lots of raisins and nuts. The bottle label is decorated with a paraphrase of a Rubens painting, in which Adam holds out a glass of Forbidden Fruit to Eve. Because of this, the US authorities did not allow the sale of beer in the country for a long time, regarding the plot as obscene.
Hoegaarden Grand Cru, 8.5%
An unfiltered beer with no consensus on style. You can see that it is classified as a classic witbier, blond and even as a tripel (triple beer). In fact, the drink contains characteristics of all three styles, but in terms of strength and composition, it is closest to Belgian golden strong ales. Despite the relatively high declared strength, Grand Cru is soft and easy to drink. It has an initial malty sweetness with toasted biscuit and candied orange flavors. It is recommended to serve in branded six-sided glasses or tulip-shaped glasses.
Hoegaarden Rosee, 3%
Fruit beer expanded the brand line in 2007. The commercial tells that the brewers were inspired to create it by a legend about how in the old days in distant villages where there were no special glasses, beer was drunk from cans of jams and preserves. The sweet residues on the bottoms of the cans gave the drink unexpected and piquant flavors. Like other types of wheat beer, Hoegaarden Rosee is not filtered, but differs from them in a delicate pinkish-orange hue. It has a fresh aroma with tones of raspberry and strawberry, as well as typical Belgian yeast esters, which capture raisins, cloves and bread notes. The taste is fresh, with dominant tones of berries and a bittersweet aftertaste.
Hoegaarden Julius, 8.7%
After a short break in production, Julius was relaunched in 2012 in the wake of increased consumer interest in unfiltered beer. It is a classic example of a Belgian ale with an impressive strength and a rich bouquet of spices. Brewed using three types of hops, barley malt and a special strain of yeast. Great for long-term storage, as it undergoes secondary fermentation after bottling. The recommended consumption temperature is 4-6 ° C, it is customary to serve a slice of lemon with a drink.
It's hard to imagine store shelves and bar counters without a lot of bottles of drink, the color range of which ranges from light brown to almost black - without beer. Filtered and unfiltered, ale and lager, wheat
and lambic, more or less strong - in a word, there is a huge variety, and every connoisseur of good alcohol will certainly have already discovered several favorite varieties of foamy drink.
A bit of history...
Fans of unfiltered beer with a mild and at the same time rich taste should certainly appreciate the Hogarden beer. This drink is difficult to confuse with others because of its original taste and wonderful aftertaste. However, before proceeding directly to the taste characteristics of "Hoegaarden", a few words about the history of its origin. In fact, Hoogarden beer is very, very old, over 500 years old; it was first brewed in 1445 in a small Belgian village in the Hoogarden district, from where the name of the drink came from. Brewing in Belgium flourished for centuries, but during the Second World War, it was severely shaken, and as a result, the last brewery supplying Hoegaarden closed in 1957. Fortunately, less than ten years later, the production of foamy drink in Hoegarden was restored and Hoegarden beer began to appear again in pubs.
and taverns, and later - to be bottled and sold in shops. The first country to start producing "Hoegaarden" under license was Russia, which opened for the production of this drink.
Glass with sun
Hogarden beer is sold in dark glass bottles with a volume of 0.33 liters of a peculiar and recognizable shape. The vessel looks impressive: a little stocky, with a slight thickening closer to the bottom, and also slightly expanding in the place where the actual bottle goes into the neck. The silver-gray label and the same cap contrast favorably with the dark background of the glass. However, despite the attractiveness of the bottle, do not deny yourself the pleasure of enjoying "Hoegaarden" in the bar - and you will not regret it. First of all, you will certainly be surprised by traditional Hogarden glasses: thick-walled, similar to a small bucket with faceted walls, they perfectly let in light and keep the temperature of the drink inside. The fact is that Hogarden beer, the price of which is not cheap, but does not go off scale, is recommended to be drunk very chilled - this way you will better taste all the notes
this drink. A unique and unique taste is given to the drink by non-traditional ingredients: (curosao variety) and coriander. The intricacies of taste paths and aromas make "Hoegaarden" really remarkable and memorable. In addition, if you order it in that same classic glass, you will certainly understand why lovers call it “cold sun”. The color of "Hoogarden" is light yellow, bright enough, and given the recommendations for use, it is served exceptionally cold. In addition, the beer itself is unfiltered, so it seems that in your hands you are holding a glass with thick smoke illuminated by the rays of the sun.
If you really like to discover new quality drinks, be sure to try the beer "Hoegarden". Reviews of it are mostly positive, despite the fact that it has a rather mild taste - not bitter enough for a beer, as some lovers of a stronger lager or ale may say. However, it doesn't matter what others say: try it yourself and draw your own conclusion about the "cold sun".
