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Hoegaarden is a Belgian beer brand owned by the alcohol giant Anheuser-Busch InBev. The brand is 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”.
Historical reference.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 1445th century. The first documentary mention of this “white” beer dates back to XNUMX. 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 50th 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. In the late XNUMXs, 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, Балларэт:
- 1998 – Gold and silver medals;
- 1999 – Gold (Hoegaarden Forbidden Fruit) medal;
- 2000 – Gold (Hoegaarden Original White) medal and titles of 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 серебряных (Hoegaarden White, Hoegaarden Forbidden Fruit, Hoegaarden Radler Agrum, Hoegaarden Speciale, Hoegaarden Radler Lemon & Lime) и бронзовая (Hoegaarden Grand Cru) медали.
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, Стокгольм:
- 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 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.
Hoegaarden 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 XNUMXth 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 on the palate: the dried peel of curacao bitter oranges and sweet orange zest.
Hoegaarden Forbidden Fruit, 8,5%
One of the most difficult varieties to produce and unique in taste, brewed according to an 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 hints of raspberries and strawberries, 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. Excellent 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.
