Hoegaarden was a small brewery in a Belgian town bearing the same name. In 1985 a fire struck the brewery and Belgian custom is for other breweries to offer help. One of those was Interbrew, the largest brewer in Belgium. Interbrew would merge with AmBev and become known as InBev, part of the Anheuser-Busch corporation. One of the beers that Hoegaarden has produced is their Wit Blanche which is a traditional style wheat beer.
Wit Blanche pours a milky yellow, almost like a lemonade, with a thick, white, frosty head that stood at about two fingers at its height. The aroma is yeast, malt, wheat, spice, and a note of caramel. There is a fair amount of carbonation as one would expect with a wit.
The flavor of the beer follows the nose to a degree. There are notes of wheat, malt, citrus, caramel, and a touch of banana. The beer is medium-bodied with a crisp, refreshing finish. There was minimal lacing until about halfway through the beer when suddenly it coated the glass almost entirely. The head had dissipated but left a nice layer that gave the beer a creamy quality on the tongue at times.
Overall, this is a decent beer. It is a little different from American adaptations of wit beers in that it is slightly less sweet. It is a good wit and has a repeat drinkability to it and at 4.9% ABV it can easily be a session beer if you so desired. While this beer won’t knock your socks off it won’t really disappoint either. Wit Blanche is a steady wit that is a little more true to the style of Belgian wits than your typical American production. I would definitely have this again.