DURBAN - AB InBev has brought two Belgian beers, Leffe Blonde,and Hoegaarden to the South African market.
Leffe Blonde, the most popular beer style in the award-winning Leffe beer range, and Hoegaarden, the most awarded wheat beer in the World Beer Cup history.
Leffe Blonde is made using the finest natural ingredients and top fermentation brewing techniques. Leffe has a fascinating history dating back to 1240, when it was produced by Belgian monks living in the Notre-Dame de Leffe.
Due to the French Revolution the brewery closed in 1809, and although the abbey was re-established in 1929, the brewery remained derelict. In the 1950s, the abbey’s Father Abbot Nys, upset about the brewery’s slow decline, vowed to bring the Leffe beer back. He set about the challenge with master brewer Albert Lootvoet and established the beers, which AB InBev has made world renowned.
"Leffe Blonde is an authentic blonde abbey beer which is full bodied and multi layered with hints of vanilla and clove, with a slight bitterness," said Vijay Govindsamy, High End Marketing Director. It has an alcohol content of 6.6 percent.
Leffe Blonde costs between R23 and R45 for a single unit depending on the size while the four pack of the 330ml bottle costs R90 and a case of the 330ml bottle costs R450.
Hoegaarden is the original Belgian Witbier, with a 600-year history. Hoegaarden monks have been credited as being the first to discover the unique recipe for wheat beer around 1445, when it was used to treat people with vitamin deficiencies.
"Today it might not be prescribed by doctors but it is a beer brand enjoyed by both men and woman, and has become a mainstay in households across Europe, Asia and the Americas," said Govindsamy.
The naturally different wheat beer with a medium light body is brewed with orange peel and coriander, which imparts a distinctive, bright and refreshing flavour. It has an alcohol content of 4.9 percent.
Hoegaarden is served in the iconic hexagonal glass. Legend says that the shape of the glass is derived from jam jars. Back in the day, when you ran out of clean glasses you used jam jars, where the taste of leftover fruit was a definite plus.
A single unit of Hoegaarden costs between R21 and R42 depending on the size. While the four pack 330ml bottle costs R85 and a case of the 330ml bottle costs R420.
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Leffe Blonde
Hoegaarden
Style
Belgian style pale ale
A naturally different Belgian wheat beer
Colour
Deep golden colour
Pale yellow, naturally cloudy, unfiltered finish
Taste
Full of flavours and pleasant malt and clove-like after taste
Brewed with orange peel and coriander which imparts a distinctive refreshing flavour
Aroma
Malty aroma
A coriander note dominates with an underlying vanilla note
Alcohol content
6.6 percent ABV
4.9 percent ABV