Berghoff Solstice Wit

Brewed by Minhas Craft Brewery
Style: Belgian White (Witbier)
Monroe, Wisconsin USA

Bottle: Pours a hazy yellow blond color, thick white head with stick lacing. Nose of very light orange and coriander, some really pale malts and needs some wheat. A bit too much like mandarin extract with the coriander notes. The flavor isn’t bad, a bit lacking in body. I like the sticky starches from some wheat to be sticking to my lips. Finishes average. Surprising for Huber.

This wit pours a light orange gold color from a 120z bottle. Medium sized white foamy head. Aroma is lightly malty, citrusy (orange and lemons) and a touch grassy. A light to medium bodied wit. Malts are grassy and citrusy. Hops are slightly spicy. Spices are mild; coriander and orange peel predominating. Light and refreshing. Crisp and clean but a little watery. Nice lawnmower beer. Mouthfeel is a touch thin. Finish is clean and crisp. Aftertaste is slightly citrusy.

In the bottle at the HyVee Oktoberfest beer tasting in Council Bluffs. Cloudy yellow with a thin white head. Big orange aroma. This is a breakfast beer! Has a milky finish like a cream soda.

Well, I’m trying to get through the rest of the Summer beers I have in the fridge. I have four more to go and this is one of them... The Berghoff Solstice Wit pours a hazy, light maize color with a fizzy white crown that disappears quickly. Visible carbonation is lively. Aroma is citrusy and slightly sweet. Flavor is mostly banana and has hints of sweet orange peel and some coriander in the distance. It also has a slight yeasty tang and a very delicate hop bitterness in the finish. Light to medium body and pretty refreshing overall. This American made Belgian Wit isn’t the best around, but it is surprisingly better than many others and probably one of Berghoff’s better brews... 12 oz bottle (5.0% ABV according to the label), $0.50 from Sam’s Wine and Spirits (on sale).

Lightly cloudy yellowish amber color with a quick head. Sweet candied orange and lemon aromas. Light and clean with an orange honey flavor. Slight bitter finish. Refreshing, not too yeasty or wheaty.

Bottle. Fairly hazy on the pour. A bit of citrus, not terribly complex or full tasting for a wit bier.

A pleasant surprise as a very drinkable bottled American version of a Belgian Wit. While Berghoff is one of the oldest beer brands in the U.S. (starting in Fort Wayne, Indiana and moving to the Chicago restaurant), the beers brewed under this label are often solid but not remarkable. Bottled it has good orange and spice and is tasty on a summer day.

Bottle. Pours out a light golden colour with lots of active bubbles and a moderate playful head that dissolves quickly. Scent is very yeasty and dry. Taste is very lightly spicy with strong yeast elements. Not much character to the beer or complexity. Mouthfeel is like drinking a soda.