Godspeed Goodies--Kiri Belgian Witbier

Kiri Belgian Witbier, from Toronto’s Godspeed Brewery, is a 5.1% Belgian-style wheater sold in 355mL cans. It’s an enthusiastically carbonated and slight hazy beer that pours with a crown of white suds.

Kiri has a yeasty nose, supplemented by notes of orange peel and clove—classic witbier aromatics. The flavour follows the same pattern: yeasty top note, with subtle orange rind and spice elements, as well as some banana esters. The mouthfeel benefits from ample carbonation, giving it an extra refreshing quality.

I’m not a huge witbier guy, so I approached Kiri with some trepidation; however, what I ended up with was four cans of a delightful, bright summery ale. I’d have liked it a bit more if it hit the citrus note a little louder.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Joufflue

My darling frère brought me home a couple of cans from a Montreal brewery, Archibald, following a recent work posting in La Belle Province. First up, Joufflue, a 4.2% wheat beer brewed with Hallertauer and Magnum hops and sold in 473mL cans.

Joufflue proved to be a dull gold beer; hazy with a thick and durable white head. Yeasty and a bit fruity, there was also a whisper of pilsner-style graininess in the aroma. The flavour was quite agreeable, and bigger than the sessionably low percentage led me to expect. With a yeasty profile and a bit of initial sweetness, the finish caught me off guard—slightly perfumed and decidedly bitter (seeming more substantial than the listed 12 IBUs).

This Quebecois wheat beer delivers a flavourful, light-bodied, and crisp take on the style. My only misgiving is the front end, which is a bit brittle—depth there and this would be an elite wheat beer.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Florida Cracker

Named in honour of 18th century “cracker cowboys”—a term I’d never heard that apparently refers to pioneer settlers in Florida—Florida Cracker is a 5.5% Belgian-style wheat ale brewed with coriander and orange peel. It comes (by way of brewing at Oskar Blues Brewery in Brevard, NC) from Tampa, Florida’s Cigar City Brewing, and it’s sold in 16oz cans.

The beer is slightly cloudy and pours with a layer of bright white suds. It has a yeasty nose that has elements of orange and banana. The flavour is pretty much classic witbier, with big yeast, banana esters, orange zest, and some peppery spice notes. 

Refreshing and agreeable, Florida Cracker is a pretty respectable southern take on the witbier. It doesn’t offer any surprises or departures, but it also doesn’t stray from the style guideline.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Brews From the Six: Belgian Wit

I don’t often find cause to use my witbier glasses during the winter months, but I made an exception for The Six Brewing Co.’s Belgian Wit, so that I could complete my quartet of reviews. Clocking in at 5% alcohol, 6BW is a nicely carbonated golden grog—less cloudy than many beers in the style—under a fluffy white head.

6BW has a cheery banana and yeast scent. It tastes somewhat similar, with a lot of banana esters. Like a classic witbier, this Belgian-style ale has some spicy notes, in the form of clove. However, these aren’t as robust as in some of my fave wits.

I suspect that 6BW will be a big hit in the steamy summer months. On a seasonably chilly March afternoon, it was a bit out of place, though I liked it well enough. If I were pulling the levers, I’d have upped the spice quotient, though that would have sacrificed some of the beer’s quaffability.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Northern Maverick White IPA

Happy Halloween from the Stout Man!

Northern Maverick Brewing Co.'s White IPA is a 6% alcohol brew that blends witbier and India pale ale styles. My 500mL bottle contained a slightly hazy golden beer and poured with fluffy white suds.

Its nose was fruity, yeasty, and a little bit metallic. The flavour was considerably more bitter than I expected, with a range of taste notes spanning dank hops, citrus, a bit of floral perfume, and some tinniness.

This beer definitely held my interest from first sip to last, but I'm not sure that I loved it. To me, there were metallic elements that seemed to intrude on both the nose and flavour of the beer. On the plus side, there was enjoyable dryness to the finish, a nice crisp body,

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

La Blanche du Fjord

One of the many joys of my blessed union with the Bitter Wife is a primo set of in-laws. Great folks who'll bring you beer when they visit, my mother- and father-in-law are tops. On a recent visit, they brought me a couple of bottles, including a 660mL bomber of La Blanche du Fjord. This witbier comes from Chicoutimi, Quebec, where it's brewed by La Tour à Bières. It's a 5% alcohol brew that, if my French isn't failing me, is flavoured with citrus and coriander--sounds like a Belgian-style wit to me.

The beer imitially poured cloudy gold with a milky hue, but as I got to the bottom of the bottle, some orange-brown sediment entered the mix. The aroma was yeasty, fruity, and a touch spicy. There was a thin yet smooth mouthfeel and a mild flavour that danced between wheat, yeast, orange rind, and banana. No bitterness at all featured in La Blanche, which gave it a fine level of refreshment.

La Blanch du Fjord was a pretty tasty micro from QC. It could have been a bit less sediment-heavy, and I wouldn't have minded a bit more body, but I enjoyed it well enough. I'm certainly grateful it found its way to me.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Rodeo Monk

Rodeo Monk's label declares that it's "Brussels meets Boise, Idaho". A white IPA, the stuff is a hybrid of American IPA and Belgian witbier, brewed in Toronto, by Mill St. Brewery. RM clocks in at a respectable 7% alcohol and it's sold in stylish 750mL swingtop bottles that are sealed with wax. The wax seal calls for a quick word: generally, it's a needless luxury that causes lots of grief because wax seals are a pain in the ass to open; the use of wax on this one is still a needless luxury, but because of the swingtop design of the bottle, it opens like a dream. I was genuinely pleased by the ease with which the bottle popped open. Kudos.

As for the beer within, it is a cloudy gold ale; not nearly as "white" as most witbiers, but definitely possessed of some yeastiness. It pours with a manageably thick white head through which comes a very interesting aroma: wild yeast tinged with raspberry and cranberry tartness and the suggestion of hops. Unlike its nose, Rodeo Monk's flavour didn't quite manage to achieve uniqueness, but it was certainly tasty enough, with sourdough notes providing the base, some fruit esters the frame, and a decently hoppy end note the finishing touches.

 

On reflection, this beer proved to be quite memorable for me. I've done the white IPA thing enough times that it's no real mystery to me, and I've quaffed a fair few Belgian-style-American-style hybrids. What made this beer stand out was its bountiful berry-tinged nose and, to a lesser extent, its berry-kissed flavour. I love raspberries, and a beer that can allude to that beautiful fruit without going overboard is a winner in my books.

Rating: 9.0 out of 10.

Black Bellows' White

In an extremely stylish 500mL bottle comes Black Bellows' White, a 5% alcohol beer brewed in Collingwood, Ontario by Black Bellows Brewing Co. Billed as a take on the Belgian wit, "with a hint of elderflower", this stuff sounded pretty good to me.

The brew initially poured clear, but after a swirl and a secondary pour, the beer took on the cloudy, yeasty look of a conventional wit. It's aroma was yeast-focused, but built around a potent fragrance of spices. Thin at first, the mouthfeel picked up steam on the back end. Flavour was spicy, yet refreshing.

Black Bellows' White was a tasty take on the popular Belgian style. Not particularly memorable, but certainly not flawed in any way, this was simply a well made beer.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

New Limburg Wit

My sixth and final installment from my visit to the New Limburg Brewing Co. was their wit. A Belgian-style white beer, this beer was brewed using coriander, orange peel, and camomile. The 500mL bottle features a fast-moving bride, though whether she's bolting to or from the alter is left unsaid.

The milky, yellow-gold concoction poured with a nice white head. It contained a low octane 4.8% alcohol, which made for mellow sipping. The nose had some yeasty qualities, as well as a warm blast of citrus. Fruit notes crowded the flavour as well, with notes of orange peel and banana doing the most work. The beer finished yeastily, but also quite refreshingly.

Like most witbiers, New Limburg's Wit was a classic summer beer--easy to drink, light, refreshing, and possessed of nice, cheery taste. This brew from Nixon, Ontario was a good wit, though one with little to distinguish itself from the pack. I definitely liked it though.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

White Belt IPA

During a recent visit to Toronto's Bandit Brewery, I took the recommendation of my server and ordered a 16oz pour of their White Belt IPA, billed as a blend of IPA and a Belgian wheat ale, dry hopped with an array of good green cones.

My glass arrived a cloudy pale gold ale, crowned with a lush white head. At 5.3%, it's a little on the weak side, but at 70 IBUs, it doesn't want for bitterness. The nose was hop-heavy with some understated fruit notes. Robustly bitter, the beer was quite dry, and underlaid with faint tropical notes.

Other than the lower than standard booze bill, White Belt provided me with very little to complain about. It was nicely executed, flavourful, and commendably hoppy.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Queen City Craft--Doin' Thyme

Doin' Thyme is an adorably named witbier from Charlotte, North Carolina. It's brewed by the Birdsong Brewing Co. and came to me via my pals MM and AM. It's a pretty mild brew at 4.3% and pours a milky white, yellow, with a bright white head.

There is a slightly sweet and slightly spicy nose, with a fresh, veggie feel. The flavour has some classic wit notes, with banana smoothness, but there is also a substantial thyme presence that really comes through.

Really agreeable, tasty, and unusual, Doin' Thyme is a lovely little brew. It lacks oomph and charge, but delivers a pleasing vibe. I'd have liked a bit more ballast, but I can live with it, for its subtlety and originality.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

The Four Surfers of the Apocalypso

I was immediately drawn to to tiki-meets-SpongeBob look on the label of The Four Surfers of the Apocalypso, a "tropical strong beer" brewed in Shawinigan, Quebec by Le Trou du Diable. Sold in 600mL bottles that describe it as a combination of the "elegance of Belgian whites" and the "complex, hoppy character of American IPAs", Apocalypso contains 6.5% alcohol. It's a very cloudy orange brew with a fluffy white head--it does look a lot like a witbier.

The nose of this brew is quite mild, but suggestive of pineapple and juicy hops. The flavour, too, is on the mild side, but features a portfolio of tropical fruit notes. The bass line of this beer is its bitter, hoppy foundation, and this is particularly evident in the finish.

Four Surfers of the Apocalypso is a pretty lush little brew. It has lots of fresh, fruity flavours and a decent amount of kick. It isn't as flavourful as I wanted it to be though. It felt a bit restrained to me. That said, I definitely enjoyed the stuff and I would certainly buy it again.

Rating: 7.5 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.

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.

White Picket Fence

White Picket Fence is yet another offering from Toronto, Ontario's awesome Bellwoods Brewery. This one is a Belgian-style witbier. I enjoyed a 16oz. glass on tap at the brewery. It contains a slightly underwhelming 4.8% alcohol and had a cloudy, slightly dull, yellow-gold appearance. It arrived capped with a quickly thinning white head.

It has a nice, clean scent--yeasty, with considerable orange peel notes. W.P.F. is a thin-bodied brew, but  it has a fairly bubbly nature. I found it to be excellently thirst quenching, but not quite as flavourful as I'd been hoping for. Like a classic wit, White Picket Fence has flavour notes of citrus and some (faint) spice. It also has a dose of yeastiness.

I absolutely love the aesthetic cultivated by Bellwoods Brewery

I think it's cool that Bellwoods is making a couple of sessionable, low alcohol brews. However, I wasn't totally blown away by White Picket Fence.  It's a bit too thin and not sufficiently flavourful to bring me back to the yard.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Alexander Keith's Premium White

On a summer day in which the mercury climbed to a sweltering 35C, I sat in my backyard in need of a refreshing beer. Enter Alexander Keith's Premium White. This white beer, brewed in Halifax, Nova Scotia, by the Keith's Brewery, is sold in 473mL cans and contains 5% alcohol.

It pours a straw gold colour similar to a lager, only cloudy and containing a tiny amount of sediment. The aroma features citrus, coupled with a dose of spices.  Maybe nutmeg or cloves? The flavour mirrors the smell--citrus and spice.

AKPW is not a bad likeness of a witbier for an Atlantic Candian macrobrew. It's fairly mild, but pretty thirst quenching and relatively enjoyable. Worth a try? Sure, why not.

Rating: 7.0 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.

Weiss/Wit/Wheat Week-Mill St. Brewery-Wit

Toronto's Mill St. Brewery's Wit beer is billed as a Belgian-style wit beer.  Sold in 341mL bottles, it contains 5% alcohol and, like most wheat-based brews, is highly carbonated.  The beer is cloudy and light coloured.  It features a slight white head and moderate lacing.  For a crisp beer, the Wit features a big aroma--yeasty and highlighted by citrus tones.

The flavour is bready and dominated by the undeniable taste of orange peel.  Additionaly, there is some gentle spiciness present.  Overall, the taste is good, but the beer is too thin to be elite.  My two cents is that this brew needs work on its beery foundation and place less emphasis on peripheral flavours.  The aftertaste is slightly sour and bready--quite pleasant.

Mill St. has a truly excellent lineup for a craft brewery.  It's Wit is a good addition, but hardly the top of the class.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Weiss/Wit/Wheat Week--Rickard's White

One of the main reasons I started this blog was to learn more about beer.  There are so many distinct and interesting styles of beer, each with there own characteristics and attributes, that it sometimes seems a daunting task to delve any deeper than the peripheral understanding that I already possess.  But that's what I want to do.  To that end, I think it makes sense to occasionally choose a style of beer and focus on it for a series of reviews.

The style I have chosen for my inaugural theme week is wit/wheat/weiss beers.  It's a style that I do not know much about, beyond the fact that these brews are united by the generous presence of wheat as a base ingredient, that they tend to be cloudy and that they are often paired with citrus wedges.  For an example of the level of my ignorance, I know that there is a distinction between Belgian-style witbiers and Germanic weissbiers, but what that distinction is eludes me.  What I do know is these wheaty brews seem to be becoming increasingly popular and are a summertime patio staple.

I had a pint of Rickard's White on tap at a neighbourhood sports bar.  At halftime of the Monday Night Football game, I borrowed a pen and wrote my thoughts on a napkin.  First off, RW almost always comes served with an orange wedge.  It's true that the orange goes well with the brew, but just once, I'd like a server to ask me if I want the orange, since the presence of an outside element tends to distort the flavour and make reviewing a challenge.

The beer is a very cloudy orange colour.  There is a thin white head and a little lace.  The aroma was muddled by the orange slice, but I could discern notes of bready yeast and citrus.  The taste is a blend of citrus and sourdough.  The finish is really just a continuation of the flavour.

These suds are quite thin, but mild and refreshing.  Rickard's White is a pretty solid summertime beer--it definitely tastes better on a patio.  It's really a pretty good offering for a large-scale producer.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc

I recently made the mistake of purchasing a 6-pack of Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc, a new product from the makers of the original Kronenbourg 1664, which I quite enjoy.  Born in Strasbourg, France, weighing in at 5% and sold in terribly unattractive blue 330mL bottles, the beer proved to be a big disappointment.

The first signs of trouble came as soon as I poured it.  The beer was a cloudy, milky colour that was not particularly appealing.  However, as a witbier, I was willing to overlook the colour.  The aroma was where things really started to go downhill.  It was incredibly sweet-smelling.  Peachy, but somehow artificial.  Not surprisingly, the taste was also extremely sweet.  Again, peach notes were prevalent, but also elements of citrus.  There was very little aftertaste to speak of.

The label reads "fresh and fruity" so I knew what I was getting myself into, but I was hoping for a refreshing beer.  What I got was, to my mind, barely beer at all.  There are lots of fruit flavoured or fruit infused beers that I have enjoyed very much.  The biggest problem that I had with the 1664 Blanc is that it was fruit first and beer only a distant second.  Additionally, the fruit flavour tasted artificial.  It might be possible that in the right conditions, this beer would prove more palatable.  Perhaps on a sunny afternoon, with the mercury climbing.  Certainly there is a market for this kind of beverage.  But, this beer is definitely not for me.  Now I have several left in my fridge and they may be there for a while.

Rating: 4.5 out of 10.