Water Street Belgian Style Witbier

Brewed by Water Street Brewery
Style: Belgian White (Witbier)
Delafield, Wisconsin USA

On tap at the downtown brewpub on 6/21/07: Pours a cloudy pale golden with a thin covering of wispy-lacing white head. Aroma of pale Belgian malt with a touch of floral hops, coriander and faintly bready yeast. Body starts a little thinner with a lightly bready texture and a mild lemon citrus flavor and doughy, but not very sweet malted barley and wheat. Finishes drier and semi-tart, although easy-drinking.

On tap in Delafield. Slight haze, decent color for the style. Nose is oranges. Head very thin with little to no lacing. Taste is thin at first with a decent sour finish. Not that great for the style. Reminds me too much of Blue Moon.

On tap downtown. Pour was a hazy straw-golden color, small white head, lacing average. The aroma was strong floral with oranges also present, spicing nil in aroma. The flavor was strong floral with oranges underneath, and only light spicing in the aftertaste, coriander the only identifiable one for me. Needed more body and more spicing, and this floral / perfumey slant on witbiers is wearing on me, much like a Blue Moon, which I don’t ever drink anymore. Mouthfeel was highly carbonated, and somewhat watery.

Date: 06/21/2007
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub, Milwaukee

cloudy pale yellow, fine white head, drippy lace, sweet orange aroma, lots of wheat flavor, light orange sweetness, touch of spicy character, light bitter finish from the spices,

Aroma: 5/10; Appearance: 5/10; Flavor: 5/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 10/20
Rating: 2.6/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *4

On tap at the brewpub, into a dimpled mug. My only disappointing beer of the afternoon. Very energetic carbonation visible in the yellow beer replenishes the fizzy/rocky white head. Smells like light and fluffy banana mousse with a bit of bubble gum. First impressions: corriander distinct and lingering in the finish; citrus present but barely, very subdued. Further impressions: cobwebby feel from the yeast; fatty sweetness and orange pulp dominate the middle of the glass, which I found distracting and not pleasant. The palate is mostly about the carbonation. The smell influenced the flavor of the beer very directly in that I thought I was tasting the bubble gum I smelled, but I’m not sure I actually did taste it; it was an element mingled with the fatty sweetness in the middle.

Draught during my Great Lakes region brew tour. Light banana-yellow, cloudy pour with a thin white head. The aroma is semi-sweet with a boatload of yeast. Yeast that still smells fresh as if it were still fermenting. Oh, some banana in the aroma too. The wheat is dense and very grainy in the mouth and accompanied by mild, subdued banana sweetness. Thirst quenching, that’s it.

cloudy odd off yellow color w/ a small white head. Almost no aroma, touches of grain and hop. Palate is ok coated to thin but w/ nice carbonation. Flavor is light malt bannanas & wheat. Ok at best.

Pours to a hazy odd looking greenish yellow color with a thin white head. The aroma is mostly wheat. Light spices like coriander and clove. The flavor is bland. Wheat and light clove. Boring. The palate is fully carbonated. Light bodied and boring.