Blanche de Namur

Brewed by Du Bocq
Style: Belgian White (Witbier)
Purnode-Yvoir, Belgium

Bottle, 750ml. A cloudy pale yellow colour with an average head. Light aromas of orange and corriander. Pretty typical taste of wheat, orange and corriander. A citric finish with wheat and moderate sweetness. Light to moderate carbonation. A pretty typical, perfectly acceptable Witbier.

Sample at AleFest Dayton: Pours a cloudy pale yellow-gold color with a thin white head that lasts awhile. Thin and slick lacing. The aroma is spicy with cloves, along with some honey and wheat. Light-bodied and crisp with a mildly spicy character, plus citrus and wheat flavor. The finish is wheaty with a bit of hops aftertaste. Slightly above average overall.

750mL Bottle from Belfast, ME co-op, best before 12/19/2008, drunk on 8/20/06.
Very frothy, white head decants from the bottle, filling up the glass and steadily receding, eventually to cover. Though it’s bottle conditioned and only lightly filtered, there is only minimal lacing left. Most likely due to the spicing, but moreso the very low residual sugar content. Clarity is high, leaving the sediment behind and the color is a very pale, straw/golden, with a light hint of peachskin/tangerine. Light carbonation seen in the liquid.
Very soft, easygoing nose does not scream of spicing, nor of sweetness. Banana is nearly absent, and in its place, a soft pale malt sugariness supports light bubble gum esters and orange peel zestiness. Coriander is lightly done, and not striking in the nose. Aroma strength is medium to medium-high for the style. Extremely clean, with very light esters, little if any phenolic activity and moderated spicing. Some light, peachy fruits emerge as it warms, with a touch of honey and more bubble gum, but it remains a soft, airy, reserved aroma.
Much like the aroma, the beer stays true to the session theme in flavor. Very light pils malt sugars provide just a hint of honey stickiness, while some wheat creaminess adds further texture and just a touch of nuttiness. Soft bubble gum is intertwined with orange zest, but lightly so. Coriander adds only light bitterness at best, while there is a touch of astringency (but in a pleasing way) from the licorice. As a good spice beer should be, the spicing is not overdone and you can barely pick out individual notes. Quite dry, highly attenuated, though the wheat keeps the body from being extremely light. Some light wateriness on end, keeps with the drinkability. No alcohol noted, moderate carbonation could be tighter. Assuming this is meant to be a very session-oriented wit, it’s quite successful.

This might just be my favorite wibier yet. What an incredible beer. The aroma of coriander and orange peel is simply outstanding. The appearance is a paler than pale whitish/yellow with a nice fluffy head which gives off that incredible aroma. Mouthfeel is velvety soft with enough spark in it to keep things lively. Flavor of oranges and coriander with a little pepper, a little anise some malt and hops makes this really a refreshing beer. I’m on the lookout for this again!

750ml corked bottle and served in my Hoe tumbler: Poured the traditional hazed milky yellow hue topped by a fizzy mostly disappearing head. The aroma has noted of lemon rind, orange zest, coriander, clove, wheat and pale grains, and other herbs/flowers. The taste displays a sharp citric sourness and is very herbal. The spices are strangely muted and the coriander is not a bold as I would have liked. The mouth feel is very lively and aggressive, perhaps too much for the style. Okay, drinkable enough but no where near the elite of the genre...not good enough to bring back memories of my summer in Wallonia.

Oh, does anybody want to send me an Abbaye dAulne Blache de Charleroi ?

Excellent witbier. Nice spicy aroma of coriander and curcao orange peel. Cloudy appearance - only complaint is a slightly thin/watery palate but otherwise and excellent wit.

Pour is a cloudy yellowwith a nice sized white head. Aroma is decent lots of yeast and corriander with a nice spicyness. Flavor is way off. slighly bitter and tart but totaly watery. It smells so good i want to give it a better rating but the flavor just falls to flat.

Aroma: Orange zest, coriander, yeast. Appearance: Hazy amber with frothy white head. Mouthfeel: Medium body, gentle carbonation, watery. Flavor: Moderately sweet, citrusy. Barely adequate witbier.