Southampton Double White Ale

Compared to other witbiers I’ve had, I’m not sure this one is really "big" enough to be called a "double wit." The only other beer in recent memory that wore that title was the Real Ale Limestone Wit, which somehow seemed fresher, more citrus-y, and spicier than this example. However, it was quite a nice witbier, especially for American examples of this style, which can be over-sweet for my liking. Appearance was a slightly hazy lemonade color with a good amount of soft white head. Aroma was rather citrus-y, and definitely spicy. Flavor was mostly clove, with some coriander and a nice amount of citrus. Flavor was pleasant, but not over-stated. Mouthfeel was pretty unremarkable, but not bad. Recommended. I bought this at Norm’s Beer & Wine in Vienna, VA during a visit there a few months back.

12oz. bottle. 8/11/07. Split bottle with Nate. Light yellow. A bit cludy. Nice lacing. Corriander and spice nose. Bit of malt. Malt taste to start, followed by citrus & spice, hop and lemon finish.

Wow, this doesn’t really fit into the moniker of a white ale, or witbier, or whatever you want to call it. Dry, bretty aroma, mildly spicy and tart. Great dry, tart flavor, with alot of carbonation, like a champagne. I’m not sure if the beer has aged in an odd white that allowed it to basically turn into a geuze, or if this was the intended result, but it’s great either way.

On tap at Spotted Pig. A nice white. Pour was cloudy light yellow. Aroma was spiced. Flavor was crisp with some tartness and plenty of orange. Body was very carbonated, almost too much so. A nice white, though I’m not sure about the difference in this double and another "single" white.

12 oz bottle. Poured a cloudy yellow color. Head was two fingers high, white, and reduced to a thin film about one minute after pouring it into the glass. As advertised, it smelled like a wit mostly. I say mostly, because in addition to the typical coriander, orange, and fresh bread dough, there was also a subtle meaty note. Almost like salami or bologna. Hmmm, maybe it’s just me. Dry and slightly chalky on the tongue. Carbonation was on the champaign end of the spectrum, so prickly bubbles hit the tongue first followed by orange and coriander flavors. There was only the faintest hint of the 6.8% alcohol in the flavor. Pretty good beer.

12oz bottle poured in a weizen glass. Thanks to billbeer for this one. This beer pours cloudy and has the color of grapefruit juice. The head is tall, snow-white and slightly creamy looking. The nose has a mild lemon and banana aroma. The smell of this beer makes my mouth water. Umm! This a great beer! It has a tart taste with a clean, crisp feel. The taste isn’t exactly lemon but it’s not exactly orange peel either. The advertised orange peel comes through much more mild than expected. The body is highly carbonated without being like seltzer water. The finish is dry and fruity almost like a wine. All in all this is a well rounded and unique witbier that easily "hangs with the big boys."

Bottle. Aroma of some orange rind, yeast, spice, and czech-like malt. The flavor is very similar to the aroma, with a little sourness in the finish.

Had high hopes for this one and it just didn’t work for me. I love a great witbier and with the "double" moniker, I thought this one would be phenomenal. It wasn’t. Not sure if the bottle I got was old or what, but... Pale golden color, but very little haze. Could see right through it. I didn’t get much of the orange and coriander at all on the nose. Flavor was pretty bland. Just didn’t have that good citrus bite to balance out the beer.