Ommegang Witte (NY)

Witte is one of five Ommegang regulars, along with the eponymous abbey ale, Rare Vos, Three Philosophers and (my favorite) Hennepin. I don't think they sell Witte in anything smaller than the corked 750ml bottle.

As per instructions on the label, I poured slowly to keep the yeast sediment in the bottle (the opposite of what, say, Hoegaarden recommends). Thus, the body is only slightly hazy underneath its puffy, lacy head. On the tongue, it's cleaner for the lack of yeast (and possibly less complex). Instead, its mostly sweet citrus and coriander spice. Tastes a little like orange marmalade, and for some reason made me think of ice cream (!?). Witte isn't cloying though. The body is light and spritzy. Just for kicks, I poured in some yeast at the end, and it really changed the taste, adding some tangy and earthy aspects.

This seems to have a reputation as being the least of Ommegang's offerings, but I thought it really hit the spot on a summer's day. I've been drinking Hoegaarden recently as well, and might say I prefer Witte overall, but it depends on what you want. Hoegaarden admittedly does have more going on.

Wolaver's Wit Bier (VT)

"White beer with orange peel & coriander," it says on the front label. None of Wolaver's other beers feature a similar description, so apparently they concluded many of their target customers wouldn't know what a wit bier is. They may be right.

This is a fairly weak example of the style. The color is very pale, there isn't much aroma (some orange) or taste (again orange, plus some spice and wheat beer twang). The body is light too, with zippy carbonation. The finish is very dry.

This is sold a summer seasonal, and I wouldn't refuse one on a steamy afternoon. But to me, it stands aside a lot of other too light American wheats, such as Widmer Hefeweizen and Wagner Valley Grace House Wheat. Meh.

Allagash White (ME)

Before I became interested in craft beer, I'd occasionally go to my local beer emporium and pick out mostly cheaper or reduced price bottles. I recall Allagash White as one of the few I splurged on. After taking it home, I assiduously followed the label directions and graphics to pour, swirl, and pour yeast. This wasn't the first witbier I'd had -- I know I'd drunk Hoegaarden before -- but this really blew me away as something different and wonderful. Sometimes I wish I could recover my thoughts on all the beers I tried before this became a hobby. Then again, sometimes I wish I could recover that feeling of just drinking and not thinking about beer. Writes Nick Hornby:

A critical faculty is a terrible thing. When I was eleven there were no bad films, just films that I didn’t want to see, there was no bad food, just Brussels sprouts and cabbage, and there were no bad books — everything I read was great. Then suddenly, I woke up in the morning and all that had changed. How could my sister not hear that David Cassidy was not in the same class as Black Sabbath? Why on earth would my English teacher think that The History of Mr Polly was better than Ten Little Indians by Agatha Christie? And from that moment on, enjoyment has been a much more elusive quality.

Anyway, Allagash White pours an opaque yellow-orange with foamy white top. If you ever doubt whether a beer can smell like cloves, then whiff this one after pouring. Then again, after a bit, the cloves seem to fade, replaced instead by coriander and lemon. The taste follows suit. This isn't a heavily spiced wit, and comes across as light and refreshing (though still flavorful). The texture is killer: smooth with subdued carbonation. Overall, this is one of my favorites in the style, although I still prefer a topnotch hefeweizen.

Samuel Adams White Ale (MA)

I believe I bought this way back in January. By now, I've pretty much given up waiting for the warm weather to put me in the mood for a spring seasonal. The labels claims it is brewed "especially" for spring, which to me implies it is available year-round, but is best for spring. I really think it should be "specially."

It pours a clear yellow-gold until the sediment is poured in to haze it up. The aroma is pronounced, reminding me of banana bubble gum (though I'm sure any banana bubble gum I've had wasn't natural banana). If it's citrus, it's more orange than lemon.

The brewer claims ten spices: coriander, anise, rose hips, grains of paradise, lemon zest, orange zest, vanilla, hibiscus, tamarind and plum. I'm skeptical enough to question whether anyone would notice if they left out the hibiscus, but I don't doubt that you could find online reviews saying "hints of hibiscus." I do taste the zests, coriander, and possibly vanilla and plum. Also, pepper at the end, which comes across harshly. To me, it's all a bit of a mess. It's fruity/citrusy and spicy, but doesn't all come together. Also, the body is a little too thin, even for a warm-weather beer (but maybe I haven't adjusted yet).

I don't like it much, but if you think most witbiers are too quiet , then maybe this will work for you.

Great Lakes Eliot Ness/Holy Moses White Ale (OH)

The other two from the sampler pack:

Eliot Ness: A "deep amber lager" that would be great for the fall. Pours clear amber with a fluufy off-white head -- it looks great. The taste is unsuprisingly malty -- of caramel and toasted grains -- but there's also a decent hop presence that gives it balance. The finishes is on the dry side for the style, which I like. Its 6.2% ABV may be a bit much for a sessions beer, but it really doesn't come across as too rich or sweet.

Holy Moses White Ale: This one's named after Moses Cleaveland, city founder. It's an unfiltered brew, with a turbid straw-colored body harboring some floaties. This one also isn't too sweet. The spice level is fairly high, and the combination of that, the hops, and fairly high carbonation make it crisp and somewhat zesty. In 2006, Men's Journal had this listed as one of its 25 best beers in the US. I think that flatters Holy Moses a bit, but it's still something that would really hit the spot once springtime hits.

If I could only have one of these again, it would be the Edmund Fitzgerald Porter, though time of year might alter my choice. It's too bad we can't get many others from Great Lakes here.

Unibroue Blanche de Chambly (CAN)

You would think that in Western New York we'd be able to find decent Canadian beer, but even my local beer mega-store -- the much lauded Beers of the World -- only sells Unibroue, Sleeman, Moosehead, Molson and Labbatt's. They have a bigger selection of Ukranian beer. I'm not sure why this is.

Blanche de Chambly (Chambly being a town near Quebec) is a "white ale on lees," or a Belgian-style witbier. The brewer's website lists several advantages for not filtering their beers, including rich flavor, thicker foam, good source a Vitamin B, and "competitive advantage over other brewers." It's a list with a little something for everyone.

The beer pours a lot like a hefeweizen, only without such vigorous swirling. It's an opaque straw color with a head that is hard to control. The aroma is of spices and citrus and coriander (which smells to me like spices and citrus). I like the body, which is medium-to-full with spritzy carbonation. The taste is mostly what you'd expect from a white beer: lemony sweet rather than bitter. It's a bit more tart than I'd expected, which may be what most differentiates it from others of the style.

This is a very fine witbier which maybe would have been better drunk in the summer. (My bottle date is the distant September 2008, which is another benefit of not filtering.) I doubt this is Unibroue's best offering, though it sells for $1 less than most of the rest of the line.

Ithaca Excelsior! White Gold (NY)

Having just tried an Ithaca 12-pack, I figured I'd dip into their Excelsior! premium series. This is described as a Strong Pale Wheat Ale. You can read the brewer's notes here. "Excelsior" is the motto of New York State, perhaps inspired by Longfellow:

There in the twilight cold and gray,
Lifeless, but beautiful, he lay,
And from the sky, serene and far,
A voice fell, like a falling star, Excelsior!

More to the point, from the bottle:

Enjoy the glowing opaque appearance, aromas of spice and herbs, zesty mouthfeel, and dry finish.

All of this is true. The beer pours a hazy yellow out of the 750 ml wine bottle (but with cap, not cork). The word "citrusy" should probably been included above. Taste-wise, this beer hit all parts of my mouth: a bit of lemon or orange, some spices, and a dry finish. The body is medium with a fair amount of fizz to it. I couldn't really feel the full 8% ABV while drinking, but it hit me afterward. I bought this thinking it would be suitable for summer, but hot weather + high alcohol = nap time for me.

This is a good beer, but probably not worth the $8-9 for the utilitarian consumer. I suspect people would say I bought the wrong Excelsior. I also have the Belgian IPA from the series sitting in my cellar; the other two are a coffee doppelbock and a rye barleywine. Whether this is a complete success or not, I am glad Ithaca is producing high-end brews, and admire them admire for taking chances with styles.

Ithaca Partly Sunny (NY)

I bought a summer variety 12-pack from Ithaca Beer Company ($12.85) containing three bottles each of this, Flower Power IPA, Pilsener and Apricot Wheat. I believe the last of these is the only year-round offering among them. If you must try one brew from Ithaca, it should be Cascazilla Red, but we'll see how this goes.

This is described as a "classic Belgian Wit," which might be a bit flattering. It pours a partly cloudy (heh) yellow with a head that doesn't last. I like that it's not too fizzy. The taste is somewhat fruity, but really not all that sweet. It's kind of malty. According to the website, Partly Sunny is "spiced with coriander, orange peel, lemon peel, ginger, nutmeg, mace." I couldn't quite identify all that, but I'll admit to being the type of beer drinker who probably wouldn't. This finish seemed a little off as well, as though it belonged to a different beer. Still, all things considered, this is a pretty good summer ale. But it's up to one of the other three beers to dazzle me.