Leelanau Whaleback White

Leelanau Brewing Company
Brewed at Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales
Style: Belgian White (Witbier)
Lake Leelanau, Michigan USA

RBSG 2007. Yellow color with a thin head. Aroma of coriander, orange and wheat. Lots of wheat in the flavor with a bit of lemon. Nice to have some lemon in a wheat without having it come from a slice.

Generously shared by beastiefan2k (in spite of all the abuse he took for bringing it). Very hazy white/yellow beer. Aroma is sweet and honeyish with lots of prominent orange peel, lemon and coriander. Light yeasty spice as well predominantly clove and light nutmeg. Very bready flavour with heavy spicing. Lots of citrus and coriander. Juicy flavour with a hint of tropical character. Fairly sweet throughout with a bit of wheaty/citrus acidity on the back.

Bottle. Sample from the Minnesota distributor. Pours hazy yellow with a thin bright white head. Definite witbier nose: spice (cardamom, orange, lemon zest) with some dry yeast and peppery spiciness. Very lively carbonation: almost champagne-like effervescence. Interesting flavor: it’s fairly light with the carbonation dominating over lemon, oak and yeast notes. It’s got a bit of interesting sourness in it, though. Finishes fairly acidic and dry. Interesting.

Bottle from Beastiefan2k at Spuytin Duyvil. All anyone wanted to do was make fun of this beer, but I thought it was quite decent. Very nice, super pale pour with a good white cap. Almond and nut aroma, slightly tart, with notes of lime and good complexity. A bit harsh and minerally in the mouth, though retaining decent tartness and a good, wheaty body. Hardly anything to complain about.

Slightly hazy pale golden pour has a frothy lacing white head. Mild aroma of slightly bready Belgian yeast and lemon peel. Body starts with a light citric tartness and good sweet pale malty balance with effervescent carbonation and a smooth lightly tart finish. An enjoyable and unique witbier.

750ml bottle, little cloudy gold with dense white bubbles, light spices and floral fragrances, faint sweet and pilsner malt with a citrus sour, pilsner, grapefruit juice tartness and spice taste, dry on the palate, lots of carbonation, light on the tongue.

Very cloudy light straw color with a huge stark white cloud of head sitting stop. Big dense bubbles cascade through the glass. Sweet, light floral funk aroma, some spice, some pepper, a lot of lemon. Light, airy palate. Sharp tart start moves to mildly sweet, dry citric finish. Light, sour, and dry.

This beer was most striking just plain sour. It was much more tart and citrusy like a "lemon lambic" if there ever was one, which I wouldn’t voluntarily drink anyway, but...this beer looked like an inviting witbier, with a cloudy yellow body and a lush, frothy head. Lemons in the aroma. It is bitter from the very first aroma. This one wasn’t for me. Perhaps there was infection in the bottle? I do typically love Jolly Pumpkin beers, so this one is an anomaly.