Southampton Double White Ale

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

on tap, Capone’s

Pours a hazy straw color with a thick white head that lasts. Aroma has some spicyness and orange scents. Flavor is crisp, slightly sweet, and pleasantly only mildly spiced and fruity. Very quaffable. Would be a great BBQ beer on a hot day.

My first Witbier at the Great American Beer Festival came from Southampton: the Double White Ale. Prior to the festival I found it difficult to find shades of variety between one Witbier and another. I started by using Hoegaarden as a comparative base by simple virtue of being my first Witbier. From there I made special efforts to dissect other white beers with meticulous attention to detail. Even these precautions and preparations failed to make it a successful tasting venture. But a little side by side sipping at the GABF has mostly corrected this, beginning with this distinguishingly unique Wit. It’s colored like any other wit – faded marigold yellow, clouded with fog and topped with a nebulous white head. The smell is the first indicator that this Southampton take on a popular style is just a bit outré. All the given components of a good white beer are there: popcorn, wheat, yeast, butter and a hint of lemon. Alongside these is a challenging smell to describe. It reminded me of odiferous pulp, the kind of effusive smell that comes from wet paper towels or napkins. Stemming from this came a slightly dusty smell, not unpleasant, but like the particulate dirt in a museum. The taste is another step more creative. It’s definitively based on the typical Wit taste, but with a welcome dimension of sour and tartness, like a lambic. Added to this is a pronounced element of lemon, spice, clove and an encompassing tanginess. It’s much more exciting then any duller witbier on account of the sour cascade, but makes a sudden departure from tradition in doing so. I can’t really decide if its superior or inferior to, say, a plainer white beer. As a more complex beer it is better, but the tongue rippling twang makes it an entirely different breed. Nonetheless, it is a welcome change and all the flavors work together for an eye opening drink It is a new twist on a plain beer that I liked, and more importantly, a tangible disparity between itself and other Wits.

From a 22 oz. bomber with no bottling date. Poured a cloudy orangey blonde with frothy, foamy white head that settled into a thin sudsy lacing, small amount of sticking. Aromas of orange zest and lemon peel, clove and coriander, spicy, honey wheaty and small whiffs of alcohol. Good carbonation and a crisp, dry, creamy smooth medium bodied mouthfeel. Great tasting, very quaffable, wheat malty with a touch of honey, sour orange with lemon peel, peppery clove, coriander, herbal with a soft grassiness, the alcohol is well masked, but provides a warming presence in the palate and a dry spicy, orangey and wheat malty finish. This was better than what I thought it would, a good take on the style, well worth trying.

Very enjoyable. Almost has a more hefeweizen like style. Difficult to categorize but easy to drink. Superbly made.

Hazy golden of color with a white head. A fresh aroma of lemon, spice and sweets. A flavor of lemon, spice and a nice dry finish.

650ml Bottle @ Decemberfest 2006; thanks to HogTownHarry: Pours hazy, yellow, with an excellent thick head; great start! Aroma offers lots of lemon, as well as cloves and citrus peel. The flavour is heavy on lemon with a side of yeast, coriander, cloves, and orange. Eloquent, tasty, very well done.

Not my first sampling, but probably the best, Deck’s Tavern in Rocky Point, NY. After a 5 hour hike on a hot, dry Memorial day, this beer hit the spot perfectly. Aroma was subtle with hints of citrus and spice balanced by a lightly grainy wheat presence. The color was a pale gold or medium straw with a finely beaded white head. Significant haze from the wheat. Small CO2 bubbles rising throughout the experience. Flavor was lightly grainy with a refined wheat character and refreshing spice additions. Body was thin, yet carbonation filled the palate making for a pleasant overall mouthfeel. Finish was a bit quick, would prefer the flavors to stick around a bit longer. I’ve sampled Double White from bottles before and I can honestly say I’ve not been impressed up ’till now, but on tap, this beer was perfect at the time I needed it!

bottle. hazy golden pour with white head. smel tart with lemon and spice taste. nice lingering swallow.