I like to shorten the names of beers and breweries. For
example, instead of saying “give me a Yuengling” I will say, “give me a Yueng”
or “Heineken” may become “Heine.” You can understand my concern when I first
thought this Original White Ale was made by a brewery called HO-GAR-DEN. The
possibility for confusion by my friends and family when I would inevitably
refer to this beer as a “Hoe” could be disastrous; even worse than when I
started referring to Goose Island’s Honkers Ale as just “Honkers.” Thankfully,
the box explains that it’s WHO-GAR-DEN. Whew!
Now that that is cleared up we can have a Who without
confusing anyone, except for any Dr. Seuss aficionados out there wondering if
this was the beer they drank in Whoville. If they did have Hoegaarden White Ale
in Whoville, it would provide an alternative explanation for why the Grinch
wanted to “steal Christmas”—he wanted all the beer!
To the point, Hoegaarden is an unfiltered wheat beer, which
means there are little floaters in it, so don’t be surprised, they are supposed
to be there. The first sip of this beer reveals a little bit of spice that some
people won’t like, but I found this to become more subdued after a few sips.
Many craft beer Belgians will offer more full-bodied flavor than the Hoegaarden
White Ale, but it’s moderate temperament could make the White Ale a good
springboard into higher-intensity Belgians. Perhaps you might call it a gateway
beer.
All in all, this is a good, mild, Belgian wheat beer. Try
it, it’s kind of refreshing. All the Who’s in Whoville are doing it.
Stay Classy,
-Captain Z
No comments:
Post a Comment