The Hoegaarden monks were the first to discover the unique wheat beer recipe in 1445. Historical sources tell us that the first wheat beer was incredibly sour - until the monks of Hoegaarden started experimenting with orange peel and coriander. This divine discovery makes today's beer one of the world's most famous Hoegaarden recipes.
In 1709, the village had 12 breweries and the number tripled within 17 years. Of the 36 breweries at that time, the last one in Hoegaarden closed in 1957. The residents decided to preserve the original recipe and in 1965 the milkman Pierre Celis took the bull by the horns and started brewing.
Just as he was about to start exporting to the United States, a huge fire destroyed his dream and with it the beer.
Of course, there are also secrets and legends in this case: it is said that in some cases a huge wrench had to be used to get the hexagonal glasses from Hoegaarden out of the hands of the guests because they were unwilling to leave. It is also said that people with a vitamin deficiency were treated with wheat beer in the 17th and 18th centuries.
