Kleinbrouwerij De Glazen Toren Jan de Lichte Dubbel Witbier Witbier at 7% ABV | 15 IBU (C$14.00 at Zyn, 650 ml, bottle date 25-Jul-2015, best before 25-Jul-2017, acquired 16-Feb-2017, reviewed 27-Feb-2017)
Appearance: translucent dirty pale gold with two fingers of fizzy white head diminishing rapidly to a persistent thick creamy cap, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: doughy yeast, orange peel, banana, coriander/clove, hint of floral. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter. (7/10) Palate: Medium-light slightly slick body, lively to moderate carbonation, off-dry mildly bitter and spicy warming finish. (4/5)
I’m pretty sure this is the first time I’ve ever had a “double white”, and it’s not your typical Belgian, that’s for sure. Initially, the aroma is dominated by a bready, doughy yeast completely unlike anything I’ve encountered in a Belgian before. (Though quite similar to e.g. Council Brewing’s house yeast, which I’m sure is 100% Saccharomyces cerevisiae, or baker’s yeast.) That doughy aroma settles back along with the initially large and fizzy white head, allowing the more traditional Witbier aromas to come through. The higher alcohol seems to come through in the middle and finish, presenting as – well, it’s not fair to say “solvent-like,” since that implies a harshness that’s not present – but certainly a sweet slick warmth not present in a typical Witbier. For the second glass, I swirled in the lees, and both the curaçao orange peel and coriander spiciness amped up considerably. Not without its charms, but fairly middle of the pack both for Witbiers and for Belgian beers in general. (14/20)
7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
