Southampton Double White Ale

Brewed by Southampton Publick House
Style: Belgian White (Witbier)
Southampton, New York USA

Bottle from Beer Yard. Poured hazy gold with a sizable frothy, white head. Big aroma of multiple citrus fruits, hops, some spices. Tastes somewhat tart, with some bready malts, more hopcit and spices in the finish.

The witbier, my secret pleasure - a style so simple, a duality of flavors, refreshing year round and available almost anywhere thanks to the machine Hoegaarden has become. Indeed every wit I’ve had is itself merely by comparison to Hoegaarden, regardless of the "descent" (to put it euphemiously). When I finally found a beer that could transcend the delicate balance of Hoegaarden, namely Abbaye des Rocs’ double white, I felt somewhat cheated by the strong Tripel connotations it held for me, and while I enjoyed the brew, I felt that reaching the pinnacle of this style could be better done by remaining confined to its limitations. Des Rocs’ creative approach, though delicious, simply doesn’t feel witty enough, and here I mean both clever and wit-like. Enter Southampton, a sphinx among brewers, suddenly producing one of the truest Belgians outside of Belgium (in the form of Grand Cru) and, to me, esoteric as can be. This interpretation glows of a bright buttery hue and shines with a smooth opalescent top that erodes to an even sheet of lace. Lemon curd appears upon the nose, reconciling the sharp citrus with a buttery softness. Nutmeg and of course coriander appear prominently while hints of pineapple and artichoke heart add to the succinct but balanced complexity of the aroma. Orange peel, coriander as well as the slight sourness of pineapple and apple create a depth and character that is true to the style but enhanced and veritably made double. The palate is adorned by the very authentic hint of chalk and a dry but refreshing burst of fine carbonation. Southampton has nailed the style perfectly and taken it to the next logical level with a sophisticated allure, while retaining the primordial quenching quality of the wit. Bravo!

22oz bottle. Poured hazy and golden, darker than other wits. Spices immediately waft up from the glass. A little sour lemon and alcohol presence are also in the nose. The flavor of this one puts it somewhere in between Hoegaarden and Allagash 10th. It’s stronger than the Hoegaarden, but not as overdone as the Allagash. The curacao orange peel is a nice touch and gives it a little something extra in addition to the usual wit suspects (lemon, banana, wheat). Very refreshing and it goes down very easy.

Pale gold with a slight haze and bubbly white head. Aroma is super sweet whole kernel corn and the traditional Belgian Wit characteristics (lemon, coriander, pepper, etc.) Flavor reaffirms most aroma suspicions, drawing out lemon, orange zest, coriander, cloves, sourdough, pepper and vanilla. It’s like they hit on all the elements that ring my bell with this style. Bright on the palate; very lemony citric and effervescent. Cloves, indeed. Slick and sweet. Very citrusy. Big thanks to JCapriotti for sharing!

Pours a slightly hazy golden with an average foamy white head. Aroma if your standard Witbier, just stepped up! Citrus, spices, banana, wheat and yeast. Taste is very smooth and refreshing, a great Witbier.

12 Oz Bottle. Aroma is gentle, infused honeycomb, chamomile, ripe orange zest and sugared peaches. Gentle and faint. Pours a hay colored cloud, topped with a soft, silky foam of white. Flavor is an intricately nuanced soft fruit. There’s plum skin, puckering pear nectar, gentle orange blossom, jasmine rice and a strong whack of sour orange peel. Great character. Even the coriander plays clean. So, do the yeast. None of that coarse, rubbery phenol action. Just a gentle infusion of soft, low mineral notes. Light breadiness and rich texture. Alcohols brings a level of depth to this beer. It really came across a "single" Wit, with a bit more chewiness. It retains excellent quaffable aloofness and gentle, yet refined character. Another well brewed beer for the style.

This one seemed to pack a punch with fine wheat beer qualities of coriander and fruit (lemon and orange) along with a mouthfeel which was effervescent. The alcohol content definately makes a stand with this one. Taste-wise it could have used a bit more but its a great beer as far as palatte, aroma, and balance are concerned.

Sept. 2007 - Beer pours cloudy yellow, nice head and lacing. Well, for people who want a "Big" witbier, this is the one. Bold strong wheat base, sweet citrus, bubblegum and a lot of spices. An amplified version of a good witbier. It might have been a little too heavy for my likings (not refreshing like most wits), but a really good beer regardless.