hoegaarden – Jellybeans in the City

6 Refreshing Ways to Enjoy Hoegaarden Witbier this Summer

Summer’s almost here and one thing that will be in everyone’s mind is how to stay cool despite the hot weather.

How about a sipping on a cold glass of Hoegaarden Witbier?

Witbier, also known as “white beer,” is a style of beer that originated in Belgium wherein a large proportion of unmalted wheat, along with malted barley, are brewed, producing a beverage that has a cloudy appearance due to the presence of yeast and wheat proteins.

Known for its light, refreshing taste and its characteristic spiciness, which comes from the addition of coriander and other herbs and spices, witbier often has a low to moderate alcohol content and is typically served unfiltered, which gives it a hazy appearance.

In addition to its distinctive taste and appearance, witbier is also known for its long and interesting history. It dates back to the Middle Ages, when monks in Belgium brewed beer using wheat, which was more abundant than barley at the time. The style went through a decline in popularity in the 20th century but was revived in the 1960s and 1970s by Belgian brewer Pierre Celis, who created the now world-famous Hoegaarden Witbier.

This summer, you can enjoy your Hoegaarden Witbier in a variety of ways:

Serve it chilled. Of course, Hoegaarden Witbier is best enjoyed when it is chilled. Store the beer in the fridge or in your beverage cooler for at least a few hours before serving to ensure that it is cool and refreshing. To get that perfectly refreshing and foamy drink, pour two-thirds of the bottle into a chilled glass, swirl what’s left in the bottle, then top off and enjoy!
Add an orange slice. Enhance the citrus notes of the Hoegaarden by garnishing with a slice of orange. Simply slice a small piece of orange and place it on the rim of your glass before pouring the beer.
Pair it with your favorite dish. Hoegaarden Witbier goes well with a variety of foods, including salads, seafood, and spicy dishes. Try pairing it with a fresh summer salad or some grilled shrimp for a light and refreshing meal.
Enjoy it outdoors. Hoegaarden Witbier is the perfect beer for warm weather and outdoor activities. Grab a few bottles and head to the park, beach, or to your backyard for a picnic or barbecue.
Experiment with glassware. While Hoegaarden Witbier is traditionally served in a tall, slender glass, you can experiment with different glassware to enhance the beer’s flavor and aroma. Try serving it in a tulip glass to capture the beer’s aromas or in a wide-mouthed goblet to enhance its creamy texture.
Use it in breadmaking. Hoegaarden Witbier can be used to add flavor and texture to homemade bread. Its unique blend of wheat, barley, and spices can add a subtle sweetness and depth of flavor to your bread, while the carbonation can help the bread rise.

Thanks to its sheer versatility, Hoegaarden Witbier is the perfect summer companion. Its light, refreshing taste and distinctive spiciness make it perfect for hot summer days, whether you’re enjoying it on its own or using it in cocktails or beer-based recipes.

Shop for your Hoegaarden Witbier and more from S&R online through MetroMart. Sign up for a MetroMart account here and enjoy Php200 grocery credit.

Hoegaarden BGC Food Crawl: i Darts DASH

#ThirstyThursday continued for me and my fellow foodies when we hied ourselves off to i Darts DASH, the third stop of the Hoegaarden x Zomato Food Crawl (the second for li’l ole’ latecomer me).

i Darts DASH is the first electronic darts bar in the country using DARTSLIVE2 machines developed by SEGA Sammy in Japan. It uses soft tip darts thrown at electronic dart boards which automatically tallies scores of players. Not confident with your darts skills? No worries because there are also friendly and helpful darts instructors on standby, ready to help you up your game.

Here, you can challenge your friends to a fun (and safer) game of darts over cool drinks and yummy eats.

And speaking of cool drinks, bottles of Hoegaarden were waiting for us as soon as we entered the bar.

Hoegaarden is a Belgian beer brand. Would you believe it has been around for six centuries? In the mid-1500s, Belgian monks have been brewing witbier (white beer) flavored with orange peel and coriander. These brews are referred to as white beer because, being unfiltered, they appear white or hazy.

Personally, I discovered that I like Hoegaarden for its crisp and refreshing mouthfeel and lack of a bitter aftertaste despite having only a mild sweetness. I found that it goes superbly with a wide variety of bar chow such as:

Corn Tempura (Php180). Corn kernels rolled in cheese seasoning (because everything is better with cheese!)

Vietnamese Rice Roll (Php200). Served with both peanut and hoisin sauce (but I love it with just the peanut sauce!)

Enoki Nest (Php240). Enoki mushrooms dusted with Japanese spice togarashi and lemon zest, served with curry mayo.

Chicken Karaage (Php260). Juicy bite-size chicken tenders served with barbecue sauce, honey mustard sauce and Japanese mayo.

Naked Nachos with add-on Chili Beef (Php255). Crispy corn tortillas served with nacho cheese sauce, pico de gallo with ground beef simmered in tomatoes and spices.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza (Php340). Features strong spicy and zesty flavors from the blue cheese, chicken breasts, mozzarella and buffalo sauce.

Great eats, cool drinks, a rousing game of darts. What more can I ask for in a night out with friends?

i Darts DASH is located at the Fourth Floor, C3 Annex Building, 7th Avenue corner 30th Street, Bonifacio High Street Central, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. For reservations and inquiries, call +63 2 8190787 or +63 917 3173926.

Disclosure: Together with other foodies, I was invited to join a foodie meetup held at this restaurant. Food items mentioned here were served to allow us to sample the fare and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.

Check out my reviews of other bars and watering holes in the Metro:

Hoegaarden BGC Food Crawl: Versus Barcade

It was a #ThirstyThursday Night for me and my fellow foodies as we met up in the second stop of the Zomato x Hoegaarden Food Crawl (the first for li’l old latecomer me): Versus Barcade.

What is a “barcade,” anyway?

As embodied by Versus Barcade, it is the crossover between a bar and an arcade: a place where you can enjoy you favorite drinks while playing old-school video games.

And here, you can also get a glass of Hoegaarden available on tap or draft.

Hoegaarden is named after the Flemish village recognized as the birthplace of the Belgian white beer, or witbier, if you will. This beer is unfiltered and flavored with coriander and orange peel, creating a crisp sweet and sour taste.

Now, I’m not much of a beer drinker, but with a sip of Hoegaarden Rosee, a sweeter and fruitier variant, beer drinkers have got themselves a new convert.

With my new favorite drink and my boisterous group of friends, I munched on the gamely named bar chow that Versus Barcade set out for us which include:

Legend of Nachos (Php345). Nacho chips topped with a combination of cheese sauce, tomato salsa and chili con carne. It’s got quite a spicy kick to it, so better have your beer handy as you take a bite into this.

Isaw the Sign (Php275). Crispy, deep-fried intestines. Another street food that will take you back to your childhood.

Q’Wek Q’Wek (Php300). That guilty pleasure street food: bright orange deep-fried battered quail eggs served with a sweet chili sauce.

Galagambas (Php440). Sauteed prawns in garlic and olive oil. The prawns were fresh and plump.

Winner 2x Chicken Skin Dinner (Php275). Marinated and deep-fried chicken skin best munched on while gaming.

Vega’s Beef Salpicao (Php400). Juicy tenderloin cubes sauteed in garlic and olive oil. This so flavorful; I found a piece of bread and scraped the oil from the bottom of the bowl to savor that garlicky goodness.

Rigatoni ala Luigi (Php320). Rigatoni pasta tossed in a creamy mushroom sauce together with shrimp and Italian sausage.

With my glass of Hoegaarden Rosee on-hand, these bar chows and my lovely foodie friends, my first Hoegaarden Food Crawl stop was a blast!

Versus Barcade is located at Ground Floor, Uptown Parade, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 8390302 or +63 995 5541412.