Tasting : A Witter Shade of Pale

I'm quite overdue (again) posting the tasting notes for this beer... not only was I drinking this beer throughout the better part of the summer, but Witbier is definitely a style that should be enjoyed young - it's freshness can fade very quickly and is generally pretty susceptible to age. I actually DID write down my thoughts on the beer a couple of months ago, but just got around to typing them up now.

Overall, I was pretty happy with this beer; it definitely came out MUCH better than my first attempt a couple of years ago. And my wife, now that she's able to enjoy some beers again, has been enjoying it even more than I have! The beer is fairly balanced between spiciness and fruitiness for the most part (I find that a lot of commercial versions out there are actually too spicy, which I'm not a fan of). There's definitely some changes I'd make for next time (more on that below), but generally it came out to be a tasty, refreshing summer beer.

Appearance: Pours with a medium-sized, white creamy head that lasts for awhile before fading to 1/4-finger. Body is light yellow and hazy.

Aroma: Subdued aroma of coriander and orange, with both coming across as nicely balanced. The citrus/orange aroma could probably be bumped up a little more. A bit of grainy smell from the wheat. No diacetyl or other flaws.

Taste: Like the aroma, quite balanced... here, though, I’d say the coriander comes out a bit ahead. Again, I’d like to increase the orange peel. Creamy and smooth, and slightly tart from the wheat. Low hop bitterness in the finish. No hop flavor.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied, with medium-high carbonation.

Overall: Very nice... a great summer beer. Not much I would change... I really like the yeast characteristics here. Next time I may use either bitter orange peel, or try using freshly-grated orange peel. Either way, very pleasant overall.