Hoegaarden

Grand Cru

ABV 8.7% • Vol 330 ml • bottle • Belgium • Expensive • Flavour 7.5
Other beers from Hoegaarden
Other beers from Belgium

This is a tripel-style (or possibly Belgian golden) ale from the producers of Hoegaarden Wit Bier. Although the beer is very different, it shares some characteristics with weissbiers, particularly in the spicy, lightly fruity aroma. The beer is also slightly hazy, but its colour is more golden. The palate gives away the strength much more obviously than the nose, but still contains hints of spice - coriander? Complex fruit notes are present in abundance, pineapples being a particularly noticeable (and unusual) contribution. There is a bite in the back of the throat, suggestive of a liqueur (or perhaps a wheat beer with a shot of schnapps in it). Aftertaste is fairly light, with a touch of vanilla amongst the fading fruit and spice. This is a terrifically complex and well-balanced beer, ideal as an aperitif or for savouring in small quantities.

OBBD reviewer: Sparks

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Review updated 21 June 1998

Comments

It's the best tasting beer around. The king of beers. No doubt about that!
David Apon

Very good beer.
Luc Colsoul

Smooth drinking, tingling after-taste, and an eligantly relaxing beer.
Matthew M.L.

I prefer Leffe or Westmalle or simple Hoegaarden Witbier.
Jon Snow

In my opinion, Hoegaarden is the most agreeable, smooth and tasty beer I've ever drunk.
Graham

I like Hoegaarden, but this beer is much better. In my opinion the nicest beer I've ever tasted.
Ian Richardson

Great beer! Not good for driving though.
Rutger

Loved it. Smooth and strong. Just like how I like my women!!!! Trying to get hold of it in England's a nightmare though.
Si

Discovered this one at last year's Derby Beer festival, where it was definitely my choice for 'Beer of the Year'. Absolutely wonderful, if only it wasn’t so hard to find...
Gavin Campbell

Very nice, lovely flavor and balance. A great example of the Tripel style - but not the best. Worth a try, but pick up a Westmalle Tripel instead, if you get the chance!
Matt Azzara

For my taste, Grand Cru is 'the champagne' of all beers. Excellent! Hard to find in Houston, Texas :)
Dr. F. Romero

Recently been to Belgium, tried many many beers and this was my favourite although Leffe Blond was very good also, any ideas where to get it in the UK for cheap :) ?
Simon

rotten, up the bud.
colin saunders

www.beerritz.co.uk and www.cavedirect.co.uk both do this beer.
[Also look at our shop list for more web distributors - Ed]
Neil Hargreaves

Simon: almost all the UK specialist beer shops do this and Leffe Blond, and they're increasingly available in pubs here too, since they're both Interbrew brands, and Interbrew now owns half the British brewing industry too. See the list elsewhere on this site. I have to say, though, that there are far better beers in the blond/triple style, and the specialists listed elsewhere should be able to offer a range. Start high with Westmalle.
Des de Moor

OMG I'm in love!! I love Karmeliet and Westmalle tripels, and the wit. But this shocked me on the first taste. Bags of malt, bags of yeast and a warmth to follow. Better than sex.
Jez H

HOEGAARDEN ! BEER OF THE GODS . . .

enough said
Vince

Got to agree with Des - whilst this beer is very pleasant it os not the most complex of the style. Increasingly I'm tending to stick to Hoegaarden Witbier, which (whilst lacking spiciness these days) has at least the virtue of being refreshing.
Oliver

I agree with the aperitif idea. It's not something I could ever really drink in quantity, but as a one-off drink of majesty, it always wins with me.
Colin Roberts

For me, this ist the best beer I have ever tasted. Love it very much!
Erika

bloody fantastic
matt anghi

THE Greatest Beer ever to have existed. Lovely Smoth taste, but with an aroma simaler to nail polish remover lol, fell in love with this beer at my local rock club (The witchwood ashton-under-lyne Manchester for those struggling to find it, i can only drink it out of the bottle though because the cloudiness in a glass kinda puts me off lol, once again, this is the KING of beers, super strong too.
Danny

It s%*ts on Australian beers which are mostly cr#p!!!!!!
laura & erin

In some respects, a more subtle beer than its weaker and more widely promoted sibling; the alcohol can creep up on you if you're not careful! Good to drink with mussels and available at a very reasonable price (£1.29, when I last checked) in Waitrose and Sainsbury's.
Martin Brady

Short lived head. Great fruity smell and taste. The sweetness is so well balanced with the rest of the beer. When poured , looks like a lite ginger beer.Its subtly seems to enhance the fruity flavours- but not too much. The alcohol is strong in the aftertaste. But for mine, beer is all about balance. Good, solid all-round beer.Enjoyed it. Cheers Big Ears!
HopsHappy

availible in Waitrose stores in england and very tasty it is too
happy

I'm surprised that Sparks didn't mention the genuine orange taste which seems to come through for me. Very dignified for a fruity beer.
P Wilton

In Britain we gozzle beer.Why? Because our beers don't taste as good as Hoegaarden Grand Cru. If they did we would learn to savour every mouthfull, and revel in the flavour that washes over our tastbuds. I'm never this poetic - it must be the beer that's to blame!
Henry Black

Luckily found some of this in England, its a taste to die for but beware if you have more than two it might make you a little crazy! an Equal to Delirium Tremens!
Kanza

I included Hoegaarden Grand Cru in a blind tasting of wheat beers that I organised for friends. It was very popular on both nose and mouth but, bizarrely, nobody but me noticed that it was stronger than the others (none of which was stronger than 5%). Maybe extra-strong beers are not as intimidating to the average drinker as one might expect. I agree with P Wilton that there is a noticeable orangey flavour. It's not my favourite witbier but it's certainly not bad.
Mike Griffin

(33 cl bottle, bought in Denmark). Pours cloudy golden with floaties, large head. Strong yeasty and flowery sweet aroma , some spices (pepper) and herbs too. Flavour is fairly malty with a distinct peppery touch, hints of oak. Some alcoholic warmth, not unpleasant. Moderate but sufficient bitterness. Not bad at all.
Sigmund, Norway

wow. tonight i tried the witbier and the grand cru. The witbeir was a lovely refreshing beer. But this is something special, it kicks with the alcohol taste but the spice is obvious. Seemingly sweeter than the witbier which i found dry. Two great beers. Makes a change from the swill im often forced to drink in pubs.
Andy Woolley, Stoke

I've been a fan of white Hoegaarden for years but this blew my socks off. Downright gorgeous (and the only bottle it's ever taken me an hour to drink because I wanted to savour it so much!) The fruity notes are delicious - but one bottle feels like three normal beers!
Liz

Little bottle, big hit. If you downed one quickly, the effect would probably be equivalent to having a case of 24 dropped on your head from a fifth-floor window. Ok maybe that's exaggerating things a bit. Like the Julius, this is a real sipper. If anything, the strong alcoholic content and finely bubbled texture make it harder to get the flavours clearly, nevertheless I agree with Starks' pineapples and vanilla comments. I would probably plump for a Julius over this, but it's still a top choice. I would recommend waiting a little while after pouring, to let some of the gas dissipate before savouring it, in case anyone hadn't thought of that. My bottle (Nov 04) says it's now 8.5%, instead of 8.7% in your review, and that it's brewed by Interbrew for Hoegaarden - this always makes me feel depressed, I don't know why - if anyone can reassure me that the word 'Interbrew' is not necessarily a bad thing on a bottle of beer, I would appreciate it.
Osama

Excellant beer and only £1.50 at my local Tesco.
Nov

Very Nice and as stated only £1.50 in local Tesco. Had a neighbour give me a bottle on First Footing on New Years Morning. Bought two last Friday, will buy another couple this weekend...
Glen Urquhart

Every beer from Hoegaarden is great.
Juraj

No Osama, InBev on the label is always a bad sign . Although I don't mind this at all. I agree with Des that it is an unchallenging Belgian blonde, but not offensive. For some reason I really don't like the Westmalle Blonde, I have drunk quite a few but the peppery notes are a little too aggressive for my palate. It doesn't seem balanced to me.
Benj65

Great beer!, The aroma alone took me back to the bar of the Soffitel T'oison d-or in Brussels where I first tasted this beer over a year ago. Got this in Tescos at Burgess Hill for about £1.60 for a 33cl bottle
Caligula, Brighton

the henrik larsson of beers.....
gary,glasgow

Has to be cold. Don't decant it, pour everything into the glass. It's good for you! Beautiful taste, the strength makes it the beer to have when you're only having one. I can't decide whether this is my favourite or Duvel.
Dennis Creation - Newcastle

had my first taste of this last night and it's by far the best tasting beer i've had - i was starting to get bored of the normal hoegaarden, but didn't quite like the roughness of leffe blonde
Mark

Serve at the correct temperature, in the correct glass. Kick off your shoes and relax, nuff said.
Matt - Kent

All i have to say is that this beer is GREAT! i had the chance to first taste it in brugge then tongeren in belgium. i want to know how to get it here in texas, please help.
paco sharte

best thing ever!
mark

I still prefer anice 40 oz like olde english 800, country club or colt 45.
Easy E

Excellant beer in little bottle
Iwe-Jakarta

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