Blanche de Brooklyn

Brewed by Brooklyn Brewery
Style: Belgian White (Witbier)
Brooklyn, New York USA

Had this on tap at The Oyster Bar at Grand Central in Manhattan. Nose of spice, citrus, berries, and wheat. Pours a sparkling straw. The frothy white head is mostly diminishing. The flavor is well balanced with moderate acidic snap. The finish is very fresh if likewise brief. The light body is dry and lively.

On tap at HDG. Cloudy pale yellow in color with a nice white head. Spicey fruity aroma. Coriander and bitter orange peel notes. Fruity and peppery flavor. Citrusy and tart. Crisp and refreshing. Sweet. Finish is spicey. Medium bodied. Nice beer.

This beer is a witbier or "white" beer by style. It is a Belgian beer style that is brewed with a portion of unmalted wheat, and is usually spiced with orange peel and corriander. Blanche de Brooklyn is not bottled at the moment, so this beer can only be found on draught at good beer bars where Brooklyn beers are sold. Blanche de Brooklyn pour to a very cloudy, opaque, pale golden color with a bright white head, and a moderate carbonation. The nose on this beer is wonderful, peppery aromas of corriander marry with zesty orange aromas. The palate is tart and refreshing, with lots of good wheaty malt flavors. The body is lean, and this beer is very drinkable. This beer finishes with more notes of corriander, and zesty, cirtric orange flavors. This is a wonderful summer time beer. The unmalted wheat in this beer makes it slightly tart, and very thirst quenching. Witbier goes wonderful with lighter fare and desert. Blanche de Brooklyn would make the perfect foil to a Waldorf salad, or apple pie. Seek this beer out if you can find it, it is one of the best domestic examples of the style on the market today.

[draft at MacGregor’s - Henrietta, NY] Cloudy white pour with a thin white head. Looks a lot like Hoegaarden. Very spicy aroma of coriander, orange zest, yeast and cloves. Very light and tasty. The taste is very sweet and spicy at the beginning, but the flavor goes quickly away. All in all, it reminds me a lot of Hoegaarden.

On tap at Summits Wayside Tavern, Sandy Springs, Ga. Has a hazy, light golden to white apperance - thick, white milkshake like lacing. Bubblegum and clove aroma as expected which carries over to the flavor with some added spicy notes, coriander noted as well as some lemon. Some banana notes come through in the end as well. Very thick, creamy mouthfeel, overall, an excellent wit.

GABF 2005:

Clean golden hue and a lasting head, perhaps the beer settled because I was expecting a white haze. The aroma is very floral with coriander and orange peel upfront and use of a snappy and spicy yeast character. A hint of banana, clove, and lemon detected on the nose. The flavors is a wonderfully sublime mix of earthy and wheaty notes blended with citric twang and finishing with a touch of bitters. Quite refreshing light witbier and a classic summertime brew.

BCTC 05. Pours a pale yellow cloudy with a long lasting head. Nice yeasty aroma with some hints of lemon and citrus and cloves. Lightly bready and wheat in the flavor with more citrus. Finishes somewhat tart. Good full mouthfeel.

Keg
Hazy pale blond color. Spicy aroma, with some citrus fruits. Ordinary taste, then some residual sweetness, spicy. Refreshing but nothing special.