This week: Samuel Adams White Ale, Boston Beer Co., Boston, Mass., www.samueladams.com

The Belgian witbier, or white beer, style is one that is highly enjoyable in warmer months with its fruity, spicy character and crisp carbonation. I've always thought that the imported Belgian Hoegaarden was the best of the commonly available brands and thought it was time to see how it compared with America's Samuel Adams White Ale.

Hoegaarden's straw color was noticeably lighter than the pale amber hue of the Sam Adams (SA), both of which were poured in similar Belgian tulip-style glasses. Both had nice aromas of orange peel, coriander and grains, although SA had more of a wheat smell.

The bright white head that formed from the Hoegaarden quickly dissipated to about one-eighth of an inch, while SA poured a thicker, creamier head of about 2 inches that had staying power. Both had similar crisp carbonation, but SA was the one that kept a steady stream of bubbles making its way from the bottom of the glass, which accounted for its durable head.

The most common spices for witbier are orange peel and coriander, and the lemon and orange flavors from their use in Hoegaarden were more prominent than the SA. Hoegaarden also had a more acidic tartness that complemented the fruit flavors well and left a clean, crisp aftertaste. SA had a creamier body while still maintaining good carbonation.

The makers of witbiers also use a multitude of other spices, but which ones and in what amounts are usually closely guarded secrets. Samuel Adams does tell that it uses dried plum, grains of paradise, hibiscus, coriander, anise, rose hips, tamarind and vanilla in its beer, while Hoegaarden gives no hint at all. Both witbiers had complex spice notes that became more noticeable as the beer warmed a bit.

Samuel Adams is a nice example of a witbier, but I gave Hoegaarden the edge because its tartness seemed better suited for the lemon-orange character of the style.

It's worth noting that another common witbier that I tried the same day, Coors' Blue Moon, did not stand up well, mostly because of its prominent corn aftertaste and the flecks of dark sediment floating around in the bottle.