Oregon Trail Wit
Oregon Trail Brewery

Look: Medium and dull orange liquid flows effortlessly into the glass, forming a silky-looking head that settles atop

Aroma: Wheat malt, citrus notes, coriander, orange peel, warm bread, and some yeast

Taste: Opens up with wheat malt and warm bread that are quickly joined by waves of orange-led citrus and these all develop depth as they settle in. Coriander peeks in throughout as the wheat and orange continue until it closes out with some yeast

Mouthfeel: Full, soft, smooth, well carbonated, and soft and smooth on the finish

Overall: This is a tasty Witbier. I’ve only had this beer a couple of times since my buddies and I would score Party Pigs of it when we were in college 20+ years ago, so I had to grab some now that it’s packaged to revisit and review. It’s a delicious and well-made Wit that rides the line between being authentic but approachable and is still solid today, not to mention I thought these folks’ flagship beer for one of Oregon’s OG breweries

 

 

 

 

 

Poured from a growler into a pint glass. 02/28/09. Picked up a growler of this from the brewery.

Pours a cloudy golden orange color with a half inch of whitish head. The head quickly disappeared leaving slight lacing behind. Aroma is wheat-like, with some citrus, coriander, and pepper.

Taste is strong with wheat and citrus flavors. Lots of orange peel and lemon zest. Spicy white pepper and coriander as well. Very herbal taste. Feel is light-medium bodied with ample carbonation. The finish is very dry. Slight astringency in both the taste and the feel. Drinkability is good but not great - it's refreshing but the astringency lowers it.

This would be great for a warm summer day. A pretty solid beer. I look forward to trying their other beers.

Served on-tap with lunch at Redbones on December 28. Poured an almost yellow in color with nary a head. Nose was citrusy with just a slight tang of hops.

Flavor was slightly sweet from the wheat with a slight spicey presence. Lots of citrus present to--particularly lemon rinds. One negative is that both the flavor and the mouthfeel are a bit astringent. Reminded me a bit of an Oxy pad from 10 years ago. Rather thinner than optimal too. A fine beer, but the acidic/astringic feel was a bit much.

Clear yellowy/golden beer, with a small bubbly white head. Has attractive carbonation strngs.
Slightly spicy on the aroma, with a hint of orange,.
Again in the taste the spice shows up and the slight citric taste, the wheat taste is evident, carbonation feels good.
On the palte its pretty average fir the style.
It was a hot day in Corvallis and this one went down rather well.

This is a nice interpretation of the recently revived tradition of Belgian wheat beers seasoned with coriander and orange peel. Oregon Trail brews their wit with 35% wheat malt to produce a gently contoured, very drinkable brew with a welcome splash of spice. The ingredients are traditional for the style, but the taste hints slightly at cardamom or ginger.

Oregon Trail filters most of their beers, but not this one. The resultant inclusion of fermentation yeasts leaves a body that is not exactly white, but it is softly clouded. It is a pale lemony color that becomes vibrant in bold light. The presence of yeast is also expressed in the breezy aroma and light refreshing flavor.

The beer I was served had no head, no lace, and indifferent carbonation. Still, it was a pleasure, almost a rarity.