Miami Weiss White Pale Ale

Roll up your blazer sleeves! I’m reviewing Miami Weiss White Pale Ale from Toronto and Great Lakes Brewery. According to the pitch on the can, the beer isn’t a weiss and they’ve never even been to Miami—rather, the name is “just something the guys in marketing came up with.” MW is a wheat beer, though, and at 4.5%, its a pretty sessionable one. And at 35 IBUs, it has some pale ale bitterness, too.

MV is sold in 473mL cans that feature lurid pink and turquoise colour scheme and a palm tree scene. It’s a hazy, pale gold beer that pours with a hefty fluff of white suds. It has a vivid nose rich in sweet, tropical fruit notes and a whiff of yeast. The wheat ale is plenty flavourful for a low alcohol number, with fruit up front and some citrus bitterness at the back end, but it also has a mellow, smooth wheat beer mouthfeel.

I liked MV quite a bit. I’m not always warm to wheat ales (unless they’re exquisite), but the pale ale hybrid nature of this little, low-booze buddy got me pretty close to where I wanted to be.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Vedett Extra White

Vedett Extra White comes from Puurs, Belgium, where it's cranked out by Duvel Moortgat. This light-bodied wit is sold in green 330mL bottles that sure have a lot going on. There's a cool stubby shape, and on the back label, are black and white photos, seemingly all of hipsters, with information about a website where you can submit your own photos. Down the side are instructions for pouring a witbier. Also, there's a logo with a polar bear inside a 10-pointed star.

 Vedett contains 4.7% alcohol and has the yellow-white colour of fresh butter. The brew pours with a bright white head that faded disappointingly fast. A very yeasty aroma has a bit of a tang. Despite the strong aroma, the mouthfeel is extremely thin, verging on watery, and there isn't much flavour for me to write about. There are some yeast notes, a touch of orange, and not much else.

Almost no aftertaste and a low alcohol content make this an extremely guzzle-able beer, and a thirst-quenching one, but the aroma promised a rich flavour that just wasn't delivered. I don't really see myself buying this stuff again, though if crisp, light beers are your jam, you might like it more than I did.

Rating: 5.0 out of 10.

White Rascal

From the Avery Brewing Co. in Boulder, Colorado comes White Rascal, billed as a "Belgian-style white ale" and as an "ale brewed with spices". It comes in a 355mL can that features some kind of white and red demon. W.R. contains a reputable 5.6& alcohol. According to the can, this stuff is brewed with coriander and cura
-->çao orange peel.
It has a whitish, straw coloured hue and is pretty cloudy. The Rascal pours with a substantial white head. The orange peel really comes through in the aroma. This beer has a thin body and mouthfeel, but makes up for it with considerable flavour. As expected, it's amply spiced, but there is also lots of sweetness and a juicy citrus quality. The finish has pleasant, slightly bitter orange peel notes.

This is a pretty nice white ale. I found it to be a touch too sweet, but I certainly enjoyed it. Pretty decent strength, too.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Don de Dieu

Don de Dieu comes from Chambly, Quebec. It's a triple white ale brewed by the incomparable Unibroue. I enjoyed a 341mL bottle at a tucked away and really excellent little Toronto gastropub called Hair of the Dog. The label has a beautiful image of Samuel de Champlain's ship, Le Don de Dieu, circa 1608. It's billed as an extra strong beer on lees and contains a hearty 9% alcohol.

The "Gift from God" is a cloudy golden brew that pours with a thick blanket of white head. An assertive yeastiness in the nose is accompanied by a malt-heavy fruitiness and a boozy kick. This is definitely the strongest white ale I've ever chanced upon.

Don de Dieu is very flavourful, with a Belgian-style yeast profile, a tart apple subtext, and a short malt and booze finish. It's a nice strong beer with some character.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Red Racer Craft White Ale

Another brew included in my mixed six from Surrey, British Columbia's Central City Brewing Company, Red Racer Craft White Ale contained a standard 5% alcohol and came in a 355mL can. It poured a pale, swampy golden colour--cloudy and topped with a white head that faded almost instantly.

It has a very faint aroma with a whiff of citrus and some mild yeast. The flavour has orange notes--not surprising, since the can says its brewed with dried orange peel and coriander. However, the coriander flavour is not particularly prominent.

Truthfully, I found this beer quite disappointing, particularly compared to the other two quality brews in the mixed six. It's thin and not wildly flavourful. It's a refreshing enough beer--one that will soothe you on a hot day--but it is far from my favourite white beer. I'd need a bit more carbonation and a lot more spice and flavour to make this stuff worthy of a repurchase.

Rating: 5.5 out of 10.

Shock Top

Shock Top is a "Belgian-style White Ale" produced by Shock Top Brewing Co. out of St. Louis, Missouri. It comes in a pretty cool looking 473mL can featuring a shades-sporting, mohawk-wearing orange wedge. S.T. clocks in at 5.2% alcohol. According to the can, the beer is "[b]rewed with coriander, orange, lemon and lime peel."

S.T. is  a cloudy, golden straw coloured ale with lots of carbonation and a white head. Citrus rind is the prominent aroma. It has an effervescent mouthfeel--perhaps a bit thin. It's a fair impression of a Belgian witbier--corriander and citrus flavours are both present and accounted for. There is very little aftertaste--it's nice and fruity, but short.

Shock Top is a convincing white ale.  It's not showstopping, but it is undoubtedly refreshing and tasty. It makes a great complement to a hot day. For a widely available American ale, this stuff has some style. Plus, I appreciate the 5.2% alcohol.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.