Shock Top Belgian White

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

Re-eally? AB? You got me good, I actually enjoyed this. I had it on tap so I didnt even get the sweet logo, those marketing guys. Light & fluffy, easy drinking, cool, refreshing. All kinds of cheesy markeitng words actually work for this one as its simple and easy, but yet still tastey.

A nice and light beer for a nice and light day, though a bit early for spring drinking. AB’s Spring Heat Spiced Wheat (since re-named) has a lovely and perfectly painted wheat yellow body, slightly clear, with a thin and soft white head, fuzzy like an infant rabbit’s fur. The smell is a real cascade of butter, melted, with plenty of dairy fats. The good stuff. Is this the work of...diacetyl? Disulfide? I’ve heard it or something like it can be undesirable in brewing, but I love it. The aroma also contains fresh grass, water melon and a squeeze of lemon juice. Palate texure is initially soft, but gathers itself into a bubbled frenzy before the flavor is finished. Speaking of flavor, it hits a dry and wheaty note at first, but makes a more dulcet sound later with a generous drizzling butter and lemon. Suddenly, somewhere between the mid-flavor and swallow, the aftertaste strikes with a terrible touch of Clorox - cleansing, slightly burning, but above all very chemical-esque. As I write in my notes, "Yearghh!" I also have second thoughts about that buttery flavor. It’s good in heavy doses, but the Spring Heat may take it a step past "heavy" and into "immense" or "flood."

Bottle: Fuzzy pale golden with a moderate white head. Aroma is citrus candy with some pale lager maltiness. Sort of musty. Flavor is fruity with citrus and orange. Some maltiness and grassey notes. Barley a hint of spice. Rather bland.

(Bottle @ Busch Gardens - Tampa) Pours hazy light gold with two or three fingers of off-white head. Aroma is fruity, peach-like and yeasty with some wheat malt. Mouthfeel is light and fairly refreshing, with some wheaty smoothness but also seems filtered. Some light broken rings of lacing left behind. Flavor is pleasant, lightly fruity and peach-like with a touch of citrus zing and some Belgian yeastiness. Goes down quickly. Sort of a pleasant but non-challenging beer, like a safe, comfortable air-conditioned mall.

This is an alright beer. The head disappears and the color is cloudy. The taste is flavorless rather than a lot of citrus as I expected. I was somewhat disapointed...

Bottle. Pours hazy gold with a lacy white head. Aroma of oranges with a tinge of Juicy-Fruit. Light body, medium carbonation. Not much in the taste, just a little lemony wheat.

Tried at NRA show in Chicago. Nice white with a predominant orange flavor. I would rather have Blue Moon than this but neither compatre to true Belgians.

Poured to a cloudy yellow with thion white head that lingered awhile and left okay lacing. Nose was essentially non-existent, except for a whiff of orange and bubblegum at the very outset. Mouthfeel was medium bodied, yet neither tangy nor spicy like I would expect, and the taste was bland. Not an overall bad drinking beer, but just dIdn’t really do much for me in the way of a Belgian Witbier.