Hoegaarden Wheat Beer (witbier - biere blanche)

Today I'll be reviewing the Hoegaarden Original Witbier. This is a uniquely brewed wheat beer with added spices including orange peel and coriander. Brewed since 1445, according to some records, this wheat beer now practically owns the market on wheat beer in Belgium, where 9 out of every 10 sold is a Hoegaarden. The brand is owned by AB InBev and is available pretty much worldwide. Hoegaarden is brewed in a 9-step process that starts with Belgium's natural spring water, as is tradition, and through a series of fermentations, filtrations and coolings, it is crafted into a one of a kind witbier. The unique flavor is largely due to the addition of high-quality wheat, coriander and Curaçao Orange Peel. Let's crack one open...


Color: This beer is a very cloudy, almost milky, pale straw-color. It is so opaque, in fact, that when held to the light you can cast shadows in it by placing your hand behind the glass.

Pour: I poured the beer according to the pouring directions on the back of the bottle (that's convenient). Pouring 2/3 of the beer into the glass, swirling the bottle to collect particulate and pouring the rest to form the head. The head was very nice and white, 2 and a half fingers thick and creamy, settling to an island of light foam after a few minutes. There is also a small amount of dark colored particulate that comes to rest at the bottom of the glass.

Nose: The smell of this beer is wonderful. Very sweet and pleasant with hints of citrus and apple accompanied by the rich warmth of wheat and spice showing through.

Taste: This beer hits you with all of it's flavor at once. Rich, warm wheat flavors mingle with a hint of honey and citrus. It becomes a bit cidery, with hints of spice appearing courtesy of the added coriander, as it sits in your mouth and then just as you're wondering if it's too sweet, it hits the brakes with a subtle but effective bite of hops. It finishes with a lingering citrus-like sweetness and a cooling herbal bitterness both sharing dominance over the palate.

Feel: At first, the carbonation (which is subtle) tingles the tongue slightly. The brew is light and drinkable without being thin. It is also very clean, leaving no noticeable residue or slickness despite the (pleasantly) long-lasting residual flavor.

Over-all: What a unique beer! There's no doubt about it, in regards to a beer I can sit and enjoy by itself, this is my favorite so far. Absolutely delicious, not overly filling, both sweet and bitter without compromising either. The experience of the smell, taste and feel all combining as you take a big sip of this beer is one of a kind and I'd recommend it to anyone. That being said, if you're not a wheat beer person, you may not be as into it as I am as it does have certain characteristic properties of wheat beers. Also, if you're a major "Hops-Head" chances are this just isn't going to do it for you. Something about this beer is really festive, the added orange peel and coriander are reminiscent of holiday cider. The most pleasant aspect over all for this beer is that it's a light-colored wheat beer that isn't too thin, and you have to appreciate that. Drink one.



What Am I drinking this week?





That's right, Hoegaarden witbier beats out
Sierra Nevada for this week's favorite.

König Pilsener

My set of new beer glasses arrived just a few days ago, they look excellent and what's better is that having the proper glass is actually bringing out the full character of the beer. I always wondered what all the fuss was about selecting the proper glass, apparently there's something to it! At any rate, today I'm tasting the König Pilsener.

König Pilsener is the centerpiece of the König Brewery product line. König is located in the Beeck area of Duisburg, Germany. Apparently the brewery has been around since 1858 when it was founded by Theodor König. The Pilsener-style brew was unique at the time, but pilseners became fairly widespread towards the end of the 19th century. As a matter of fact the first records of the König Pilsener brand was in 1911. During the early 21st century, the brewery changed hands a few times and finally ended up owned by Bitburger Holdings.

So, let's get a Pilsener glass... and check this thing out...

Color: The beer has a pale, golden color, characteristically crystal clear. It looks crisp, no clouding at all, no particulate.

Pour: It poured nicely, not very aggressive which meant no sneak-attack from the head, which was a thin, fizzy head that dissipated quickly to a film. Bubbles continue to appear well after the pour, almost champagne-like. (Note: The thin, bubbly head will slowly reconstitute as the beer reaches the bottle-neck of the pils glass. Swirling will cause showers of bubbles to fall into the beer and then rise back into the head)

Nose: Very subtle nose with just the hint of hops and pine.

Taste: The brew starts with a sharp bite of bitter hops which swiftly blooms into a combination of more complex flavors, which came as a pleasant surprise. The first of the flavors is an earthy one, presumably the character of the malt coming through, this lends to balance the beer. A slow sip also presents subtle hints of honey and pine. It finishes gracefully with a lingering bitterness from the initial hops flavors. There's something over-all floral about this beer, but I can't place it.

Feel: Very crisp, soft carbonation but not soda-like. A slight sharpness on the tongue but very drinkable.

Over-All: This was a pleasant surprise for me. The Pilsener has always been an interesting beer to me, it's pale color and crisp feel are certainly characteristic of it's lager brothers, but it is punctuated with a strong "hoppiness" that isn't present in most pale lagers, and lends a little more 'umph' to the drinking experience. This is a good all-around beer for the beer taster. Very refreshing, good collection of flavours, and just enough hops to really stand out. Is it my all-time favorite pils? Probably Not. Is it a darn good traditional pils? absolutely. If you're bored of your "smooth drinking" go-to beer and need a wake-up call for your taste-buds that won't fill you up in the process, I'd say this is a good way to go.

What Am I drinking this week?