Hoegaarden Clone Recipe

hoegaarden clone recipe

Hoegaarden is a beer that seems the representation of a style, the Belgian Witbier. It’s significance as a beer has somewhat waned as most do when they are so widely distributed. People claim that Hoegaarden is not as good as it once was but I do not agree, I still think it is a fantastic beer and still the best example to give to someone and say “this is what a witbier is”.

Cloning a beer like Hoegaarden may seem a futile endeavour when you can pick it up in almost every corner shop and petrol station across the land but it is still very much worth it. You won’t have a fresher witbier than the one you brew yourself.

Recipe Details

Batch Size Boil Time IBU SRM Est. OG Est. FG ABV
19 L 60 min 15.0 IBUs 6.0 EBC 1.049 1.012 4.9 %

Fermentables

Name Amount %
Pilsner (2 Row) Bel 1.938 kg 45
Wheat, Flaked 1.938 kg 45
Oats, Flaked 430.7 g 10

Hops

Name Amount Time Use Form Alpha %
East Kent Goldings (EKG) 21.2 g 60 min Boil Leaf 5
Saaz 15.1 g 15 min Boil Leaf 3.8

Yeast

Name Lab Attenuation Temperature
Belgian Wit (M21) Mangrove Jack's 73% 17.78°C - 25°C
Belgian Witbier (3944) Wyeast Labs 74% 16.67°C - 23.89°C

Mash

Step Temperature Time
Protein Rest 50°C 30 min
Saccharification 66.67°C 45 min
Mash Out 75.56°C 10 min

Hoegaarden White Ale

Belgian White Beer has been brewed in the village of Hoegaarden since around 1445 by numerous breweries before almost disappearing in the 1950’s.

Pierre Celis, a milkman set up the brewery and began brewing wheat beers using the same recipe in an effort to revive the beer style. Eventually, the brewery demand would grow until the brewery was acquired first by Interbrew and then by ABinbev.

The addition of rice hulls to the mash may be helpful to avoid stuck sparges.

Recipe Notes

  • This clone recipe is sourced from a couple of forums. Aussie HB, HBT, BYO
  • The original recipe by Pierre Celis was adapted when the brewer moved to the US and started brewing Celis White which is almost the same with the exception of adding Cascade hops.
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