Hoegaarden - did I just have a bad one ?

[Peter Hryczanek]

I had a bottle of a Belgian beer called Hoegaarden last night. It had a very
sour taste, unlike anything I've tasted before (and I've tasted a few...).
I'm just wondering wether I picked up a bad bottle.
Anyone else out there had this beer ?

Pete

[Marc de Jonge]

Hoegaarden has a 'tertiary fermentation' with lactic bacteria, this produces
a little acidity. Before bottling the beer is pasteurized to wipe out the bacteria
and stop further souring.
So a little sourness is just right for this beer.
But...
About a year ago I bought a case of Hoegaarden that had a problem:
all bottles were extremely hazy and very sour (like Berliner weisse or Cantillon).
The beer was not stale (it should have been good for at least another half year
according to the labels).
I 've cultured the sediment, and it was teeming with lactobacilli.

Apparently the pasteurization Hoegaarden uses is not always reliable.

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Marc de Jonge dej...@geof.ruu.nl
Utrecht University, Geophysics dept, Utrecht, the Netherlands
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[Thomas H. Aylesworth]

Sounds to me like you had a very _good_ bottle! :-)

Seriously, you just had a Belgian Wit beer - it is supposed to taste
like that. They are made with a healthy portion of unmalted wheat and
spiced with various herbs and spices, but very few, if any, hops.
And, of course, special yeasts are used to add their own varieties of
strange flavors.

This is not a style that everyone likes - I enjoy it occasionally, but
couldn't drink it as a session beer. You should also try Celis White.
Pierre Celis used to own the Hoegaarden brewery before moving to
Austin, TX to open Celis. You can probably find a fresher bottle of
Celis than of Hoegaarden if you are in the States - but it will still
taste sour!

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Thomas Aylesworth | t_ayle...@lfs.loral.com
Space Processor Software Engineering |
Loral Federal Systems, Manassas, VA | (703) 367-6171

[Jeff Wilson]

In article <2rhq0h$1...@hpwin055.uksr.hp.com> hryc...@hpwin061.uksr.hp.com (Peter Hryczanek) writes:
>From: hryc...@hpwin061.uksr.hp.com (Peter Hryczanek)
>Subject: Hoegaarden - did I just have a bad one ?
>Date: 20 May 1994 07:48:33 GMT

>Pete

I drink Hoegaarden on a semi-regular basis and enjoy it very much. On one
occasion, I also experienced that shity taste. I think that guy in Utrecht
must be on to something(sorry I forgot your name). Overall Hoegaarden is a
very good beer, in fact I got some in the fridge right now. Thinking about
it, I think I will get one. Though I do hope it is not that RARE bad strain.