Beers in Review: Hoegaarden, Wittekerke, Allagash White, Blue Moon and Deschutes 20th Anniversary Wit
Ahhh… Spring! The birds are chirping, the flowers are blooming and the days are getting longer. It’s a time when the earth wakes up from its wintertime slumber and life begins anew. As with many of the other seasons, brewers are now heralding the arrival of Spring with Spring seasonals. While Sierra Nevada rings in the spring with its aptly titled Early Spring Beer, or ESB, many brewers also make witbiers. Inspired by a hallway conversation with a co-worker last week, I will be reviewing a number of witbiers for this week’s Beer in Review.
The witbier style has seen a sudden resurgence in popularity. A 400 year old beer style, witbiers were extinct for a number of years before Pierre Celis revived the style in the 1950s. According to the BJCP, the witbier style is
A refreshing, elegant, tasty, moderate-strength wheat-based ale.
While accurately summing up the style in general, we can further expand on what to expect. A witbier is a spiced, Belgian wheat ale. Here’s what the BJCP has to say about the style’s flavor:
Pleasant sweetness (often with a honey and/or vanilla character) and a zesty, orange-citrusy fruitiness. Refreshingly crisp with a dry, often tart, finish. Can have a low wheat flavor. Optionally has a very light lactic-tasting sourness. Herbal-spicy flavors, which may include coriander and other spices, are common should be subtle and balanced, not overpowering. A spicy-earthy hop flavor is low to none, and if noticeable, never gets in the way of the spices. Hop bitterness is low to medium-low (as with a Hefeweizen), and doesn’t interfere with refreshing flavors of fruit and spice, nor does it persist into the finish. Bitterness from orange pith should not be present. Vegetal, celery-like, ham-like, or soapy flavors are inappropriate. No diacetyl.
With that in mind, let’s go ahead and start the reviews.
Hoegaarden, Brasserie Hoegaarden, 4.9% ABV
Hoegaarden pours out a clear, pale straw color with a white head. The aroma is comprised of a slightly sweet wheat malt component, fresh citrus notes, a low yeasty pepperiness with corriander undertones and a very, very slight tartness. No discernable hop aroma. Hoegaarden has a medium-low spicy/peppery aspect in the flavor that is supported by a low, wheat malt sweetness. There is a low level of spice/herb quality that is from the corriander that persists into the finish. Very, very low hop flavor. Hoegaarden is medium-low bodied and effervescent in it’s carbonation.
Pronounced “who-garden”, this beer is considered the original Witbier. An extinct style, milkman turned brewer Pierre Celis revived the style in his hay loft. As the popularity of the beer increased, Pierre increased his production to match. Eventually Pierre sold his brewery in 1997 to InBev. He opened up Celis Brewery in Austin, Texas that was managed by his daughter Christine.
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