Brews and Blues Beer and Smokin’ Blues

Hoegaarden Original White Ale

Brewery: Brouwerij van Hoegaarden
Where: Hoegaarden, Belgium
Style: Witbier
IBU: N/A
ABV: 4.9%

You won't often find a brewery that has been in business since 1445 A.D., but when you do, it's always a good idea to try what they have to offer.  Even though Hoegaarden is now owned and operated by Anheuser-Busch/InBev, it seems that the beer production and techniques for this brewery have remained mostly true to the original ideas. 

This beer poured with the typical pale golden color of the style with a nice foamy head that subsided rather quickly, but the carbonation level was high as dictated by this style.  The beer has a light body with a crisp flavor and a fruity aroma.  I can't really get a sense of the spices included in this brew, but they are slightly present in the flavor but don't create any significant impact.  This is also a rather good beer to use in an introductory context for someone who is not used to drinking home brews or craft beers.  It's on the sweet side with minimal or no hop presence in the flavor. 

Weeping Willow Wit

Brewery: Mother Earth Brewing
Where: Kinston, North Carolina
Style: Witbier
IBU: N/A
ABV: 5.0%

I'm usually a fan of this style of beer in the warm summer months, but today I'm sampling Mother Earth Brewing's Weeping Willow Wit. Weeping Willow is an example of a Belgian Witbier (white beer). For those who may not be familiar with this style, here's beeradvocate.com's style description:

A Belgian Style ale that's very pale and cloudy in appearance due to it being unfiltered and the high level of wheat, and sometimes oats, that's used in the mash. Always spiced, generally with coriander, orange peel and other oddball spices or herbs in the back ground. The crispness and slight twang comes from the wheat and the lively level of carbonation. This is one style that many brewers in the US have taken a liking to and have done a very good job of staying to style. Sometimes served with a lemon, but if you truly want to enjoy the untainted subtleties of this style you'll ask for yours without one. Often referred to as "white beers" (witbieren) due to the cloudiness / yeast in suspension.

This beer fits the style very well, but the presence of spices is rather weak. My bottle appears to be 'defective' because the carbonation level is very low and the head retention was quite poor. The flavor, however, is good. This style of beer is a great choice for people who aren't used to drinking homebrew and microbrews because it has a flavor that stays on the sweeter malty side of the range rather than showing strong hop bitterness and aromas. My rating on this beer compared to others I have tried in the style is mid to lower range on the scale. It's not a bad beer at all but I did not find it to be exceptional in any way.

Shock Top Belgian White

Well, I saw this beer on the shelf. I wasn't sure what to do. Michelob Brewing Company making a Belgian Wit? Hmmm.... I put it part of a mixed six pack with some other stuff just so I could say I gave it a whirl.  Looking at the bottle, I sorta had a hard time taking it seriously.  I chilled it and popped the cap and poured...

This beer is unfiltered, which is normal for the style.  As you can see in the photo, there is a cloudy appearance from the yeast sediment in the bottom of the bottle.  The head formed rather nicely, but it was very short lived.  It's gone and I'm not even half way through the glass yet.  I went to the Michelob website to see what there was to see, and it seems that they are making some beers these days that might appeal to the craft and micro crowd.  The Belgian White has a nice citrus aroma from the additions of orange peel and coriander.  The website boasts a medium body for this beer, but my my personal standards, I don't think it quite makes it.  It's a little on the light side for sure.  This beer has an ABV of 5.2% and an IBU of 10 which is normal for the style.  It's definitely a sweet beer. 

I'm glad I took a look at the Michelob website.  They have a couple pale ales, a porter, an irish red, amber bock, dunkel weisse, honey wheat, and a few others I might give a whirl if I can find them...

This beer isn't the best Belgian Wit I have had, but it's decent.  It's definitely worth a try.

White Rascal Belgian Wheat

The sun is finally out and it looks like it's going to be a nice day. I thought this would be a good occasion to open up another wheat beer, so I decided to try the White Rascal Belgian-Style Wheat Ale from Avery Brewing Company out of Boulder, Colorado.  After yesterday's tasting disaster with the Stella Artois, I thought I would go on to show that all great Belgian-style beers aren't brewed in Belgium.  Some of the best beers I have ever tasted are born in Colorado.  From the website:

A truly authentic Belgian style wheat or "white" ale, this Rascal is unfiltered (yup, that's yeast on the bottom) and cleverly spiced with coriander and Curacao orange peel producing a refreshingly fruity thirst quencher.

Coriander is a spice that is very easily overdone in a beer, but the White Rascal has a beautiful touch of this spice without the overpowering flavor.  This is definitely an excellent choice of drinks for a beautiful summer afternoon.  This beer rings in at 5.6% ABV and 10 IBU for a very nice sweetness and hop balance for the style...

Rogue Ales – Mom Hefeweizen

I was a little concerned that I wasn't going to care much for this hefeweizen after my last experience with New Belgium's Mothership Wit. The spiced hefeweizen is definitely and interesting brew, no matter which brewery it comes from. I wasn't very impressed with the flavor of the Mothership Wit, but upon sampling Rogue's Mom Hefeweizen, I think I might continue to sample spiced wheat beers.  The Mom Hefeweizen is spiced with coriander and ginger, and it has a very pleasant taste and feel in my mouth.  This hefeweizen also has a slightly higher hop level than most hefeweizens I have tried in the past.  Ringing in at 30 IBU, this wheat treat has about twice the level of hops as the average hefeweizen while still maintaining the smooth characteristics of the style.  My photograph above doesn't really do justice to the color of the beer because my beer glass only holds 16 ounces and I didn't get down to the bottom of this 22 ounce bottle to get the wheat sediment stirred up before pouring for the photo.  This beer is actually slightly cloudy, as it should be. 

From the website:

Dedicated to the Mom in each of us.  Mom Hefeweizen is a refreshing, unfiltered fusion of wheat and Northwest Harrington malts, coriander, ginger, and Saaz hops in the Belgium style. 

This is yet another Rogue Ale that impresses me.  I have yet to taste a Rogue that I didn't like.  I do have to admit that I haven't ventured into the styles that aren't my favorites yet, but I will eventually. 

My beer drinking has been non-existant for the last several weeks due to a difficult school schedule and a couple battles with some brief illnesses.  I don't get sick very often, but in the last three weeks, I have suffered through a GI tract infection and a cold, but I think I'm on the up swing again finally...