Hoegaarden Grand Cru

Brewed by Brouwerij Hoegaarden (InBev)
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Hoegaarden, Belgium

330mL bottle. Pours a cloudy gold - that slowly clarifies - with large particles of suspended sediment and a persistent, fine white head. Strong floral aroma, slightly malty with some earthiness. Spicy and orange peel flavours, medium sweetness, mild bitterness and very slightly tart. Some alcohol on the palate, medium bodied, reasonably smooth with initially lively carbonation and a spicy, dry finish.

Hazy orange beer with a low head. Sweet yeasty aroma with notes of mandarin. Sweet flavours - like orange and caramel with some final bitterness and a clear presence of alcohol.

Smells slightly sweet and spicey. Pour a cloudy honey-gold with a bit of white head. Mild sweet and spicey taste; tripel-esque and a bit of a dry finish. Much better than the white.

After a champagne like explosion of white foam out of the bottle, this beer pours murky light yellow with a lot of large particles covered by a white head. Although the apperance was not very inviting, the aroma made up for that. A nice fruity smell with clove and dried citrus peel. Taste lightly sweet and acidic with a bitterness all the way through to an alcoholic finish. Medium bodied, creamy and a lively carbonation. (Bottle, courtesy of tarjei 12.12.2009)

Bottle, 33 cl. Yellow-orange ahzy beer with a medium creamy white head. Smells grainy (some notes like you have in Tripel Karmeliet, but then much weaker), citrus and spices. The taste is simple: grainy start, grainy in the middle with a grainy finish. Very nice beer!

bottle, yellow hazy colour with white and stable head. Smell: grainy, coriander, citrus. Taste: roasted malts? grainy, yeasty, alcohol, artichoke. Very nice ale!!!

BEST BEFORE: 19/12/09 When I opened this bottle, it was a ’foamer’. I quickly got it over my glass and poured it in, only losing about a swallows worth. In this process, the sediment has come loose and is now rising and falling within my glass. I’ll give it 10 or 15 minutes to settle back down before I taste it. It pours a nice, dark golden, honey color. Slightly hazy. BIG, thick, creamy head of white foam. Thick enough that it rose above the rim of the glass. I love when a beer can do that. Retention is very good. Lacing is sticky little clumps. Smell is very much of wheat. Some nice citrus notes. Hints of corriander and clove. Very slight band-aid phenols. Smells like a nice early summer afternoon. Nice. It’s like a regular Hoegaarden, only better. Which is exactly what I was hoping for. This is so much for balanced and flavorful than their ’regular’ offering. Big wheat notes are here. They are balanced by a very nice, smooth citrus sweetness. Juicy, ripe, oranges, pears and peaches. A very appealing butteriness. The spice notes, while still present, are much more subdued, than in the ’regular’ offering. Very solid medium bodied brew. Not overly creamy, yet not overly crisp, either. A very nice balance between the two. Smooth and easy to drink, yet rich and decadent enough to save for special occasions.

Color dark gold with beautiful head. Intense aroma, fruit and fresh. Middle body, full taste and bitterish final.