Abbaye des Rocs Blanche des Honnelles (Blanche Double)

Brewed by Brasserie de l’Abbaye des Rocs
Style: Belgian White (Witbier)
Montignies-sur-Roc, Belgium

750mL, Best before end 2007. I open the cap and the cork is wet. Is this bad? I dunno, let’s see. Pours a hazy light golden with many floaties and a small white head. Aroma is of light ripe oranges, spices, yeast. They must use the same yeast in this as the Grand Cru? Maybe I’m talking out my ass, but something in the aroma reminds me of that beer. There is also some yeasty funk and dust in there. Light black pepper. I think a little bit of cork got into the flavor of my beer. Highly carbonated, light bodied, dry finish. Considering the ABV (6%), it was noticeable. Good, not fantastic.

Thin white head that reduces quickly to a thin foam. Great carbonation keeps a thin head on top. Light spicy aroma with some wheat and yeast. Zippy bitterness in the aroma also. Color is a slightly cloudy bright orange. Spicy and yeasty flavor. Plenty of pepper and corriander in there. More wheat and some rye. Sharp bitterness again. Fizzy in the mouth and pretty dry. Finish is dry and slightly bitter. A decent belgian whitbier but a very spicy one.

Bottled. A very hazy orange coloured beer with minimal head. The aroma is very yeasty and spicy with a little lemon noted. The taste is also very yeasty and spicy. It is full bodied and tasty and seems to carry more alcohol than most Witbiers. I was very suprised that there wasn’t a plethora of protein floating about in the glass as is typical of AdR.

Bottle. Golden hazy colour with a huge mostly lasting white head. Aroma and taste of coriander and citurs. Good wit

Bottle Courtesy Niels Jørn at Wintercoat. Fantastic Witt.Creamy white excellent fully lasting head. Yellow colour. Powerfull hoppy aroma, almost not wit-like, but delicate understading every little aromatype. Fantatic complex flavor, not that powerfull but exstremely delicate. Oily palate. One of most interesting beers I have ever tasted.

33 cl bottle. Hazy nice orange colour with a good white head. Strong coriander aroma. Sweet flavours from the outset, then coriander takes over. Well-carbonated and full-bodied. A beer that looks and feels perfect, but ends up a little on the sweet and overspiced side.

From a 750ml bottle.

Pours an absolutely lovely light orange with a beautiful robust head. The aroma is intoxicatingly delicious - think witbeer meets barleywine - strong citrus and coriander and rich malty depth, peaches and hints of alcohol.

Unfortunately, the flavor and mouthfeel don’t carry through on the promise offered by the appearance and aroma. The flavor, while pleasant enough, comes off as rather bland in its absence of spicing and in the relatively subdued expression of the citrus hops. The mouthfeel is thinner than anticipated from the aroma, and despite the attractive head, my bottle was relatively limited in carbonation at least for the style.

The end result is a beer that is well crafted, with notable strong points and without any glaring flaws --- but it’s also a beer in a curious almost hybrid style that I have a hard time envisioning as the perfect match for any particular food or mood.

The concept of a double witbier piqued my curiosity, and from a brewer I have learned to adore, I really had no choice. The body is darker than any wit I’ve seen, a luminescent ripe apricot orange, shrouded by the usual des Rocs chunks. A pillowy meringue head sits atop initially revealing a surprising smoky aroma, that leads to a dusty, chalky scent of sweet cereal grains. Orange peel, coriander and nutmeg emerge as the classic witbier blend but these scents become delightfully dense and rich. Hints of chocolate and paper add to the complex aspect of this beer, rare in this style but oh so enjoyable. The first sip is smooth, drinkable, not as hefty as the nose might assume. Strong coriander and pepper flavors match the light, airy texture that retains a refreshing quality despite its thicker malt and ester profile, highlighted by banana and a sweet honey finish. An excellent witbier, that profits considerably from its rather corpulent palate, that allows a very appropriate gain in complexity.