This weekend I bought some PC Blanche from The Beer Store. It is made to be a Belgian style witbier, of which Hoegaarden is the most common and well known. Loblaws’ PC-branded beers are brewed by Brick Brewing Co. Ltd. under the name White Water Brewery.

Interestingly, PC Blanche is not the first wheat beer made by Brick. In 1998 Brick got the rights to brew Celis White from the Celis brewery in Austin, Texas. Pierre Celis founded Hoegaarden in 1966.

By 1985 Hoegaarden was producing 300,000 hectolitres a year — which is about 88 million beers. That year a fire destroyed the brewery. He needed money to rebuild some of which he got from Stella Artois in exchange for a 45 per cent share.

After Stella and Piedboeuf merged to form Interbrew and what he recounts as pressure to make his beer more cheaply, he eventually sold the brewery to Interbrew.

He then started Celis Brewery in Houston and started brewing Celis White by the original Hoegaarden recipe and process. Brick later licensed Celis White for productiona dn distribution in Ontario.

So, Brick used to brew real Hoegaarden with Celis White and now it brews imitation fake Hoegaarden as PC Blanche.

PC wheat beer, Brick, and business size