Allagash White

Brewery: Allagash Brewing Company
Style: Witbier
ABV: 5.2
Country: USA, Maine

Bright straw yellow, hazy with visible yeast and sediments. Fluffy white head dissipated rather quickly but left some bubbly lacing. Lemongrass, dry wheat, yeast, and malt grains were the most prevalent flavors in the aroma. Dry and smooth moutfeel was the first thing noticed. Wheat flavor was most noticeable but didn't dominate the other sweet malt flavors. Lemon zest and earthy notes from the yeast are present throughout which led to a light bitterness in the finish. Carbonation is on the lighter side of things but still has a nice crispness to it. This was a fantastic beer and a perfect one to drink on a hot day. I'll be looking forward to having more of this. A

Homebrew Batch #2

Sunday was spent setting up a new batch of homebrew. Hopefully #2 will be done in time for more nice weather and the delayed inaugural deck party at the house. The recipe is for a Belgian Witbier and was my first attempt at an all grain batch. The main fermentable ingredients included 5 lbs 9 oz of 6-row barley, 2 lbs 60z of unmalted flaked wheat, and 7oz of honey. I cheated a little bit and added 1 lb of dried malt extract to the boil to compensate for a lack of mash efficiency since this was my first attempt and some of the mash conditions have to be spot on for a good yield of fermentable sugars. Also included in the recipe are orange peels, corriander, and cumin. I bittered with an oz of East Kent Golding hops. Two types of yeast were used, an American ale yeast and a Belgian ale yeast to add some fruity esters.

This time around wasn't nearly as dramatic as the first attempt. My gas did run out right as I was starting the main boil, so I'm glad I had a backup. Like I thought, my efficiency was a bit low. After the boil I had about 3 gallons of ~1.060 gravity wort. After adding water to bring the total wort up to 4 gallons, gravity was at 1.045 which was the target for a 5 gallon batch. I figured I'd rather have 4 gallons of more potent beer so I left the it at that. Monday morning the bucket was already fermenting like crazy so off to a good start. At the end of the week I'll rack this into a glass carboy for a secondary fermentation to improve clarity and to add some more spices. Should be ready to drink sometime mid April.

Dogfish Head Namaste

Brewery: Dogfish Head Brewing Co
Style: Witbier
ABV: 5.0%
Country: USA, Delaware

Its not quite summer yet but today felt nice enough that it may have well been. That being said, I felt a nice summer beer was in order, hence the Witbier. Pour was bright and sunny yellow color with a nice head that dissipated quickly but left a nice and lingering lace. Body was slightly cloudy with some yeast and sediment visible. Aroma was faint and floral with definite signs of wheat. Flavor was incredibly crisp and refreshing. Lemongrass and coriander were both present in good quantities along with a hint of orange. The spice flavors lingered while the finish had the distinct wheat taste although it was more subdued than other wheat beers that I've had. As stated before, this was incredibly crisp and refreshing; Perfect for a hot summer day. B+

Samuel Adams White Ale

Brewer: Samuel Adams
Style: Witbier
ABV: 5.2%
Country: USA, Massachusetts

One more from the Sam Adams winter mix pack. Poured a bright unfiltered golden color. Fluffy white head dissipates quickly leaving some thin circles of lace ringing the glass on the way down.

The aroma is sweet and spicy, with a hint of orange.
Orange and sweet malts upfront, grainy biscuit like malts and spiciness round out the finish. Medium body and carbonation. Another good one from Sam Adams though I have to say that this is pretty similar to the Winter Lager reviewed previously, the biscuit malts being the biggest similarity. This is better than the Winter Lager though as there are more flavors present throughout. While quite good, its still lacking a final "umph" to push it into the top categories. Certainly worth drinking though. B

Edit: Had this one again and it wasn't as good as I had remembered and I've had better Witbiers since so I'm bumping this down slightly to a B.