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Hazy, slightly lighter then lemon juice yellow in color, white cap lasting for a brief stay before tapering to a thin collar, not much in the realm of lacing sticks, drippings mostly running down to join the collar.

Aroma has a nice light clove spice enactment over a pleasing banana wheat bread sweetness and some of the usual witbier yeast.

Flavors are crisp and clean, not to much dancing on the tongue though, very calm, smooth, and tame. Which is actually kinda nice in that regard, but still lacks some omff. Wheat malt makes up a good portion of the taste keeping a fairly decent body. Light banana, even lighter lemon bits, clove is tame but present, more so midway to finish. Solid in smoothness but less so in a bit of its actual flavor character.

Feel is smooth and calming for a Wit, a bit out of character, but nice non-the-less, lighter bodied, crisp, malty, picks up a bunch towards the finish but nothing lasts. Creamed wheat leftovers on the palate with tiny smidges of the clove for the finish.

Super drinkable; quite smooth, and quite lovely in that respect too; one thing I've always found hard to like about Wit's is the drinkability. This is opposite of that impression, as this is quenchable for sure. A bit odd that it's a Winter seasonal cuz this would make for a great summer brew; and that's no foolin'. For me; a hard review to put numbers to. It seemingly could be better, but I like it alot, which I think the numbers might not show.

Served In: Pint Glass

Im dreaming of a winter white ale. Well not really. Poured a semi hazy golden color with next to no head nor any lacing at all.

The smell is malty with some very noticeable yeasty smells in the background. Some lighter wheat background and next to no spice presence at all. A smidge of hops, maybe a floral but still masked. Would like a bit more complexity and other spice notes to balance.

The taste has more of a wheat feel mixed with malt added in. A little harsh (as compared with crisp) and a bit astringent. The wheat flavor starts out with a chill sense and then a stronger bitter orange flavor finishes with a somewhat rancid finish. Not much on the spice and some very light note of hops near the end, bring a floral taste out.

The body is a little high for a wit or even a wheat, and no carbonation. Overall the wheat is limited and the spice note are not where they should be but clean yeast and easy drinkabiliy.

Served In: Pint Glass

A:Deep, hazy gold. Very little head.

S:Not much here. Much in part due to the lack of head.

T:Bland. Some wheat presence with orange and coriander.

M:Creamy texture

D:Easy drinker. Tart on the tongue

A disappointment to me. True to the style but nothing special here.

Served In: Pint Glass

A: Super low carbonation. Pours a dull, apricot looking beverage with copious amounts of haze. Overall the body has a stillness to it. The head is totally non existent except for the faintest ring around the glass.

S: White peach, coconut, banana peels and spices with a grainy aroma in there as well.

T: Starts out spicy like a saison. Some floral nips with some grassy notes and dried hay. Sort of drops dead right there though before an atrocious grainy taste moves in. Not a huge fan of “grainy” flavors in my beers. Finishes a little bitter with spritzes of lemon juice and coriander.

M: Thin and hard

D: Not a fan of this one at all. Not a drain pour but I won’t be drinking it again.

Served In: Tulip

Originally reviewed 12-18-2006

overall: 3.4
appearance: 3.5
smell: 3
taste: 3.5
mouthfeel: 3
drinkability: 4

Incidentals: Batch #7680, packaged on October 4, 2006.

Appearance: Slightly above-average. I'm partial to unfiltered beers, so I prefer the look of this product to those that are filtered.

Smell: If this were the first time I'd had this beer, it may be higher. I'm used to it now, so it doesn't feel particularly special anymore.

Taste: Slightly above-average. This is the third year that Bell's has produced this product, and while I don't think I'll ever "fall in love with it" like I did in 2004, the 2006 iteration is worlds ahead of the 2005 which seemed rather bland. It makes a nice Winter complement to the Solsun summer brew, and dispels the myth that wheat beers aren't appropriate for cold weather. In short, I like it.

Mouthfeel: Average. "Bubbly" is my first impression. Strong coriander.

Drinkability: Good. It would be better on tap (but what wouldn't), but it makes a fine winter seasonal. There appears to be a dearth of Great Lakes-area "holiday" seasonals, and this is my current preferred one.

Food accompaniment: Not really a beer that is meant to go with food. Would probably go well with summer sausage.

[ serving type: bottle ]

Price: $1.50 Served In: Pint Glass