Empyrean Better World Belgian-Style Wheat Ale

Brewed by Empyrean Brewing Company
Style: Belgian White (Witbier)
Lincoln, Nebraska USA

Bottled. Pours cloudy yellow with a white head. Aroma is sweet citrus orange, some banana, and yeast. Flavor is a sweet yeast with orange notes. Light body with a smooth semi sweet finish.

Bottle-conditioned version with Celis-yeastclone Bit copper-shot yellow gold; smallish white rim. Spicy nose, faint citrus (lemon, grapefruit, Ugli). Dry grains taste, even cornflakes. Not more than a hint of citrus in the palate, no sourness taste-wise. A bit of dry-out effect, faint tart-like, and a faint retronasal flavour of pineapple (ester), and later bitterish green leaves. Dry-out as stated, long lingering main taste. Surprising original wit. They have one thing that I recognise: the grains taste as in the very first Celis Oud Hoegaards (pre - De Kluis). At the same time, relief-free of the obnoxious herb. Big thanks to MattD

on tap at the nebraska craft brewers festival. gold in color, tasted a bit like eggnog. I’m not convinced that this really tastes like a belgian, but it is good that empyrean is trying new things. the spice/citrus mix works well... there just isn’t the wild yeast taste that I would have expected.

On tap at the 2007 Nebraska Craft Brewer’s festival in Omaha. pours clear dark gold to light amber with a medium quickly dying white head. Has a mild coriander aroma. The flavor is unexpectedly cloying and leaves the mouth dry, but in just an understated way. Richard the brewer tells me that this has orange peel in it, but it does not taste of it. A big bolus of wheat flavor hits you at the finish. This is pleasant, but nothing special. UPDATE 5/2008: Empyrean is now bottling this beer and selling it as 12 oz sixers. The new name is "Better World Wheat" because green sells, don’t you now? This is a beautiful beer from the bottle- Empyrean’s first mass-marketed unfiltered beer, I think. Cloudy flaxen color with a giant white head that remains to the last foamy gulp in the bottom of the glass. The aroma seems to now have more of a banana scent than any coriander. The flavor is a horrendous disappointment. It truly has the palate and flavor of a slightly orange-tinged Alka-Seltzer. Too salty and fizzy. Just not the taste that the delicate aroma promises.