Shock Top Belgian White

Brewed by Anheuser-Busch InBev
Style: Belgian White (Witbier)
St. Louis, Missouri USA

Not in Blue Moon’s legue which to me tastes like a real wit. I did not know this was an Anheuser-Busch product when I drank this but something was a little off. It’s a good facsimile of a wit. The coloring is good, but the citrus flavor is already added so for those who like to add a fresh lemon or orange this will not please. Why because it tastes somwhat artifical. Just not fresh in mouthfeel. It doesn’t have a bad aftertaste, and while certainly a second string beer it is almost good. It just doesn’t quite cut it, but it’s hardly a drain pour. I really don’t know how to rate this because I like the Wit style so much that it pushed my feelings about it higher then would be othewise. Let’s just say that is worthy of a drink but be aware that it’s a copy and not a real representation of the style.

Pretty nasty stuff. I would like to try it out of a bottle, since the beer’s deficiency may be due to dirty tap lines. If so, a re-rate will be forthcoming. But on to the beer at hand. An aroma of dirty dish water, soapy with a funny sewer smell. Very light fruity notes in the flavor. Nearly indistinguishable that it’s anything specific. Just really not much to this beer. I had to refrain from breathing in the aroma while drinking this beer. Never a good sign. Bad beer.

At first I thought this might be their attempt to answer Blue Moon, but they missed. I find Blue Moon not all that bad, this.. well I wouldn’t recommend to people that are looking for a Blue Moon substitute. Citrus and spices are subtle, the wheat is soft and doesn’t add much smoothness to the body, the malts are dry grainy and straw-like. It all sort of came together in a bland and watery sort of fashion, more like a cheap version of Widmer hefe instead of wit. While better then Bud, and not a bad summer wheat from the AB crew, I didn’t really get much wit from this one.

Draft pours a cloudy, golden orange with a white head. Sweet aroma. Sweet flavor of citrus, spices and wheat. Seems like a lot of places are making the switch over from Blue Moon to this and overall it’s not a bad alternative.

Draft at Colonial Downs. Cloudy pale yellow orange with grainey aroma. Moderately sweet with some fruity and citrusy overtones. Finish is moderately sweet with a bit of residual fruit. Lacking much yeast or hop character.

On tap at the Rhythm, Bets, and Blues festival at Colonial Downs, in VA. Hazy white body with a small white head. Faint wheat and citrus aroma. Wheat flavor, light citrus and slight graininess. Medium light body with moderately high carbonation.

(On tap at Buffalo Wild Wings on June 17, 2008) What else would you expect from Anheuser-Busch? A Belgian white with an orange wearing sunglasses and a mohawk on the label... here we go... First, I didn’t know I was tasting a Belgian white when I took a sip. I thought it was just some generic hefeweizen. Knowing that ahead of time might have altered my perception of the beer. It smelled heavily orange, almost like a Sunkist-scented air freshener for your car. That’s all I got from the nose. Taste was (although carbonated) like a flat, wattered down alcoholic Sunkist with hints of... something artificial. Sure, maybe it was a bad keg... but it was AB, so if they’re good at anything it’s consistency. Now that I know it was a wit I was drinking improves my review of the beer, but still - a bit too fruity, thin, and watery. Not even sure I’d grab one of these as a lawnmower beer, even in the Texas heat. Sorry... just was not impressed. Seemed way out of balance.

bottle poured a hazed orange yellow in color with a two finger white head on a vigorous pour. aroma has wheat, lemon, orange, and some spices. thin on the mouth feel with good carbonation. flavor is light with wheat and orange at the front and spices perhaps even a faint bit of yeast. definitely best good and cold but as an ab. product not too bad.