St. Bernardus Blanche (Witbier)

Brewed by St. Bernard Brouwerij
Style: Belgian White (Witbier)
Watou, Belgium

[bottle] Pours a beautiful yellowish golden color, very cloudy, with a nice topping of foam on the top. Sweet wheat and citrus aroma. Flavors are excellent-- tangy wheat, citrus and some coriander spiciness, the finish seems to highlight the spices and musty yeast characteristics. A very complex beer, one of my favorite examples of this style.

] Pours a hazy straw colorwith a thin topping of white foam that recedes to a thin cap and a ring. Spotty lacing. Wheat, sweet orange, and a little hay in the aroma. Nice combination of flavor - wheat, lemon, orange, and some kind of dry spice. A slightly citrus hop bitterness is noticeable in the finish and into the aftertaste. Stirring up yeast and dumping it in strangely doesn’t change the flavor, but it does produce an inch thick head and pretty good lacing. Lighter than medium body, solid carbonation. There’s this wonderfully weird and delightful herbal and coriander and lemon and dry dusty grain flavor that overpowers the aftertaste and lingers. Then the next sip, its not there. A little later it is back. Intriguing beer. But now my bottle’s gone...

Hazy golden color with a rapidly diminishing, soapy white head. Aroma of citrus, fruit, orange peel, blueberry, spices (coriander, nutmeg), and candi sugar. Sweet fruity flavors, a strong spicy presence. Hints of citrus, orange and lemon peels, coriander, nutmeg, clove, and a bit of "fruit punch". Lightly carbonated, smooth mouthfeel with a lingering stickiness on the tongue. I’m not usually a fan of this style, but this is well-balanced, not too sweet and syrupy, and is interestingly complex.

A very unusual, savoury interpretation. Flattish, vinous mouthfeel. Heaped with rocky white suds. Sour, soapy, woody and Tripel Karmeliet-spicy, but without any countering sweetness or fruit. A hint of barrelly, Flemish ale aged sourness. Musty, spicy and quenchingly strange once you overcome the initial shock of a Wit without sweetness or the tingle of carbonation. Admirably weird and well-crafted, but not a personal favourite. Bottle at Burbage Witbier festival. Re-rate 05/02/07 Spicy, woodsy and sherbety-spritzy. Complex and refreshing.

Pours a rather dark gold color without much head to speak of. Aroma is yeasty with some hints of stone fruit and cider in the background. Pleasant, easy drinking beer.

Bottled. Orange and hazy, topped off by a white head. Apples, sweetness, fruityness and citrus in the aroma. The flavor is quite citrusy, with some sweetness and spices. Medium mouthfeel. A nice and spicy beer. (061124)

Bottle. Lemon, clove, wheat and musty aroma. Cloudy yellow-brown color with small head. Slightly sour wheat malt, heavy clove with hints of lemon, orange, corriander, pepper. Nicely blended with nice clove flavor that doesn’t overwhelm you - Pierre Celis’ fingerprints are all over this one - as good if not better than his other Witbiers.

Bottle at home. Unclear yellow/orange - white head. Aroma: Fruity, citrus, orange, coriander, yeast. Taste: Wheat, yeast, fruity, orange, citrus. Weak finish.