Ommegang Witte

Brewed by Brewery Ommegang (Moortgat)
Style: Belgian White (Witbier)
Cooperstown, New York USA

Serve in Tumbler, Weizen

From a bottle at the KSBF ’08. Hazy pale gold with a bright white head. Spicy, phenolic, and yeasty. Pretty dry. A very nice Witbier.

750ml corked and caged bottle. Bottle conditioned. served in a shaker pint. Opens with a big pop. First pour is a brilliantly clear pale straw, with a couple of fingers of big bubbled white head. Slightly spicy aroma with a bit of wheaty tang. Light bodied, easy drinking. Spritzy mouthfeel, lots of carbonation. Citrusy flavor with a subdued clove flavor. Not a bad summer beer, but I’ve had better wits.

Hazy yellow with a small head. Nice spicy citrus aroma. Good crisp drink with the wheat coming through.

<i>Bottle (75 cl) shared with larsniclas at Haket. Göteborg, Sweden</i>. Hazy yellow, medium white head. Fruity aroma with clear notes of apricot, and spme vague coriander and orange notes. Light to medium bodied, medium carbonation. Well balanced with a dry finish. Soft and refreshing.

Ommefest. Light golden color with oranges and spices floating around the nose. It was a hot day so it hit the spot with a fresh crisp taste and nice acidity. Not as complex as some of their others but none the less a decent beer.

Pours a lighlty hazy pale gold with a large fluffy white head; nice lacing. The nose is of coriander, sweet (almost minty) wheat, minerals and light orange peel. Soft and wheaty with assertive fine carbonation and a touch of sourness at the mildly dry, flinty finish. Mildly sweet wheat and doughy yeast with a light mineral backing, coriander and light orange peel. This is a nice beer. Not overly spiced on either side of the spectrum (coriander or orange peel), it lets the yeast come through better than most Witbiers that I’ve sampled. For that alone, I find it a compelling interpretation of the style.

Oh Belgian beers how do I love, thee, let me count the ways. Beer is a singular passion of mine and within the wide world of beer are Belgian beers. Almost a world of its own within that wide world of beer, both the Belgians themselves and those who are thus smitten with their beers but live not in Belgian but in our wee little country known as America. Just who could that be? They call themselves Ommegang and have nestled themselves in a remote locale up in New York and the modern beer world is better for it. Today I bring to my lips their refreshingly light and complex Belgian Wit Bier, endearingly named Witte.
My Ommegang Witte poured a slightly pale almost straw yellow into my glass. A poufy white head of foam graced her body for a few moments before fading into a light ring around the sides of my glass. Bright clear notes of orange, lemon, coriander, pepper and sour yeast tickle my nose and salivate my glands. No longer to wait anymore, I raise her liquid depths to my lips to quench my growing thirst. a burst of sweet oranges, a hint of smooth bananas, and a crisp puckering presence of bitter lemon, citrus, and that ever-so-delicious sour yeast. The mouthfeel is very clean and light with an effervescence that is a pleasurable characteristic of Belgian-style beers for a multitude of reasons. As bit more of the fresh sourdough bread and nummy yeasts come out to play as my Witte warms. With a spicy peppery flourish in the back and succulent sweet orange mixing together for a slightly drying finish, Ommegang Witte is an amazing Belgian wit bier brought to us by Americans.
While I haven’t quaffed the full Ommegang portfolio yet, yearly, seasonal, and one-offs, there is nary an Ommegang beer I would be afraid to try. I dare say that there would nary be an Ommegang beer I wouldn’t like, even if I haven’t had it yet. For a 750ml bottle, Witte is a refreshing session beer and I fear my Witte will be gone sooner than I would like.

This is the single worst craft-brewed beer I’ve ever had. Either cold (they recommend) or warm, it is tasteless and unpleasant to drink. All this is odd since I love their Abbey ale and Three Philosophers.