Lost Abbey Witchs Wit

Brewed by Port Brewing/Lost Abbey
Style: Belgian White (Witbier)
San Marcos, California USA

Bottle:   Dull honey, somewhat milky, cloudy, moderate white foamy head, sparce lacing.   American Wheat like nose, a little mealy, subtle spices.   Wheaty on the tongue, a little malty, somewhat on the cereal side.   Spices are quite dull.   I can see where there would be Honey in this, but that too is very subtle.   Certainly clean, almost to the point that it falls flat on the finish.   Body and mouthfeel are moderate.   A little mealy on the finish.   I expected this one to be a bit more flavorful, spicy, and just downright interesting, but it was rather dull and ordinary.   Not a bad beer, just not all that memorable.

Pours a hazy gold yellow with some carbonation but very little head retention, more a glorified ring of bubbles rather than a true head. The beer may be slightly oxidized by late December I was picking up a slight sherry flavor in the aroma and once sipping the beer, unfortunatley I did not get a chance to try this fresh. That being said the beer left over has notes of lemon and light musty smells, spices are faint but still showing and still hanging in there, they did taste a bit "off" but that may be due to the age of this beer and not drinking it fresh. Fairly medium body with a light toasty taste, mixed with spice, lemon, and slight horseblanket. Really all over the place to be honest. A slight disapointment but then again, it is probably all my fault for not having this fresher.

750, corked and baled. Pours a crystal clear and sparkling bright gold. Were that sparkling brightness enhanced by plenty of carbonation and at least a yeoman’s effort at head retention, this beer could easily jump to a 5 for appearance--the color is that pretty. And, to be fair to the beer, it might be suffering from a bit of hangtime, ’cause it’s December, and it might not be as fresh as it once was. Nice lemony, ever-so-slightly funky nose, with some yeasty spice showing. Creamy medium body with soft but still palpable carb. Lemons, yeasty spice, the faintest hint of funk, and some toast on the mid-palate. Mild, toasty finish. Credible, if underwhelming, sessionable all-purpose table beer.

Pours a clear golden yellow color with a one finger creamy white head that quickly fades into a thin ring. Not much in the way of lacing. Bready yeast aroma with crisp light fruit, citrus notes and subtle spice. Hints of apple and lemon peel with some spicy pepper and lemon zest as well as a bit of lemon zest. Flavor is very similar to the aroma in that it has a nice balance of bready yeast, citrus flavor and subtle spice. The peppery zesty spice is prominent up front with lots of clove and corriander. Light crsip citrus fruit, especially lemon and orange peel with a touch of honey that adds a nice sweet element. This helps balance the spiceiness and subtle bitterness from the hops. Pretty quaffable with a slightly dry finish.

Cork popped and aromas of citrus and grasses was present. Cloudy yellowish in appearance. Taste of honey, oranges, vanilla made it a very refreshing wit. Light body, thin texture, average carbonation and quick tasty finish.

hazed lemon yellow. bottle is in the nose, it’s oxidized. wet notebook paper, sweaty socks that were left to dry, creamed wheat, perfume and shampoo. slimy and filmy texture but medium bodied and somewhat thick at times. syrupy, slimy wheat and shampoo once again. mild coriander, light lemon zest. pretty unimaginative and one-dimensional.

Cloudy light gold pour with a small white head, dissipates quickly with no lacing. Honey, vanilla, orange-citrus fruit and slightly grainy aroma. Honey, vanilla, citrus, subtle herbal spice flavors. Medium body, low carbonation. A decent witbier overall.

Bottle sampled in Nov 2008: Pours a hazy bright golden with a small, clingy-lacing frothy white head. Aroma of lightly sweet biscuity malt and some peppery coriander and faint lemon citrus. Body starts with good fullness and lightly sweet doughy malt with a pleasant lemongrass and honey spice balance before a drier crisp and smooth finish. Nicely balanced and very drinkable, a nice witbier.