Moylans White Christmas 2006 (Belgian Wit)

Formerly brewed at Moylans Brewery & Restaurant
Style: Belgian White (Witbier)
Novato, California USA

Draught at Toronado, San Francisco. Clear golden, no head. Papery lightly spicy nose. Sweet and medium, bodied with rounded mouthfeel. Mild and well balanced with notes of vanilla and fudge. Low bitterness. Laid back.

(22oz bottle) Medium off-white head atop lightly hazed apple juice body. Aroma is medium sweet, pumpkin pie (nutmeg, clove), light orange, cardamom, cinnamon. Taste is medium sweet, orange, nutmeg, some cardamom, clove. Creamy light-medium body, fairly drinkable. Decent beer, but seems like they focused on the wrong season for offering it.

(Bottle) Pours a lightly cloudy amber body with a small white head. Aroma of orange peel, coriander, toastiness, smoke, and nuts. Flavor of orange peel, white pepper, coriander, nuts, and other spices.

Points off for the look of this ale. It’s the clearest, most golden bodied witbier that I’ve ever seen. Nice creamy head and plenty of lacing. The spicy aroma is a bit overpowering at first, but it settles down as the head rapidly vanishes. It’s got coriander and chamomile and ginger and a bit of orange peel. The spices totally define the flavor, as I struggled vainly to find some signs of wheat malt or barley malt or any malt at all. It finishes on a powdery spicy note. One of these was enough for me.

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Hazy golden liquid. Two fingers of off-white foam. Mild aromas of orange peel and spice (pumpkin pie mix). Wheat and what seems like pumpkin as well in the nose. Aromas seems light and green. Light croissant sweetness in the front. Some paper and mild spice of cinnamon, and mace. A white pepper bit in the finish and into the linger. Subdued and easy going. Not many fault for a difficult style. Still lacks some of the wheat characteristics.

Bottle: GUSHER! Orange color, white puffy head, nice lacing. Nose of spice, coriander, juniper and eucalyptus. Bitter hops in the flavor. Full body, plenty of citrus (orange). The finish is grassy, floral, citrus, good, vanilla.

Bottle from River’s Bend. Pours clear golden color with an average fizzy white head that was mostly lasting with fair lacing. Moderate lemon grass citrus aroma. Medium body with a sticky texture. Medium bittersweet flavor with a medium citrus bitter finish of an average duration. My expectations where met.

Bottle from a trade via PUB’N. Pours turbid bright oprange with 1-finger off-white head and great lacing. Nose is malty, with nutmeggy spice, coriander, white pepper, limey citrus. Tastes orange zesty, citric, with nutmeg and coriander spiciness, plus heavy white pepper, hops, and bready malt. palate is spicy and citric. Gets more caramelly as it warms, and loses some of its peppery and spicy notes, and the flavor falls off a bit.