t IJ (Scharrel) IJwit

Brewed by Brouwerij ’t IJ
Style: Belgian White (Witbier)
Amsterdam, Netherlands

11.2oz - Pale yellow pour and a nice, white head with great lacing. Lemon on the nose, sort of faint. Mild citrus, fizzy seltzer and malt on palate. A good, solid beer, but I’ll stick to Hoegaarden.

Who’s Scharrel? Anyway - It’s a slightly hazy golden ale with a modest fizzy head, although with quite lively carbonation. The aroma is a soft wheat with a touch of coriander and some Lemon Pledge. Very spritzy mouthfeel to it. The flavor is a touch funky and has a lemony sourness with a wheat tartness. The spiciness in the nose seems to have retreated, but its odd flavor makes it somewhat enjoyable. A repeater... in warmer months.

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Pale yellow going into gold, decent head, a bit on the fizzy side in appearance. Aroma was interesting, a bit of funk and slight citrus. Flavor was also interesting, there was a hint of barnyard over ashy coriander and more faint lemon and orange notes. Not traditional for a wit, but somehow the funk made things seem as if it was a traditional beer. Nice.

Aroma is sour/tart with lots of yeast and citrus notes and a hint of lemongrass. The body is a cloudy yellow/gold and atop sits a lasting two fingers thick white head. Fore is yeasty, soft with faint hints of spice, apple white bread and lemongrass. Fairly decent drinking brew, but it get s alittle herbal tasting as it warms.

(Bottle, Monk’s Café, Stockholm, 2 Feb 2007) Pale amber colour, slightly hazy, with brief white head. Fruity, spicy nose with notes of Seville orange, peaches and hints of clove. Slightly soapy. Fruity, very aromatic, taste with orange, Seville orange, apricots and spicy hints of clove. Lots of flavour, with the abv giving a firm backbone. Very nice wit.

The pour reveals a hazy golden color with a medium creamy white head. Solid aroma of citrus, bread and doughy yeast. Good flavor of bread, yeast, citrus, bananas and spices. The body is light and creamy while the carbonation is gentle. A very good witbier.

Bottled. hazy golden with bif firm foam. Sweet perfumy aroma of oranges, peaches, lavendel and sweat. Sweet and quite heavy flavour of over-riped red apples with some dryish undertones of cinnamon and biscuit. Finishes quite sweet of bisvuit and oranges with touches of dryish grassy hops. Not a witbier in my book.

A strong Wit style, but too clear for the style, even after swirling the bottle a little. Nice white fluffy head stands up and stays with you through the beer. A Belgian twang to the wit tartness is a nice balance. The bottle was a little oxydized, the beer was almost 2 years old. The label says that it is 100% organic except for the hops, if that tickles your funny bone.