Lionshead Belgian White Ale
Lion Brewery, Inc.

The Lion Brewery, Inc. "Lionshead Craft Belgian White Ale"
12 fl. oz. can coded "E2021 LB 0429 OK+". Sampled on 28 April 2022.
$10.99/12 pk @ Matthew's Beverage, Phila., PA

Notes via stream of consciousness: The label reads "Malt beverage brewed with sweet orange peel, bitter orange peel, lemon and orange peel, and coriander". It's poured a hazy golden body beneath a short head of white foam that fades readily and leaves very little in the way of lacing. I know this because this is at least the eighth can I've gone through from the 12-pack I bought last week. The aroma is bready and wheaty with just a suggestion of orange behind it. Considering that the head retention is barely existent the lack of aroma is strike two. Onto the taste then... it's bready and wheaty like the aroma but with a little more character. There's some orange, and just a touch of coriander. Is there lemon? Yeah, I guess there actually is; I get a little bit of it at the end just before the swallow. I honestly don't believe that they've used a Belgian yeast strain for this, and that they're simply adding orange peel and coriander to what would otherwise be a basic wheat beer. That's strike three but let's continue. There's a light bit of acidity to it, and a moderate bitterness that balances it nicely and along with the little bit of coriander seed you get a dry, wheaty, softly woody (maybe more like dried straw), and lightly spicy finish. In the mouth it's medium leaning towards medium-light in body and gently crisp. As a Belgian style witbier it's a failure in my opinion because it lacks character. There are even lighter witbiers on the market in terms of body but they all have at least some yeast character to them. Dit is een gekleed varken ~ this is a dressed up pig. Wow, that sounds harsh, huh? I'm going to soften it up a little bit here. I bought this beer as a simple, easy drinking, and yet slightly more flavorful beer for the hot days of spring and I've enjoyed it quite a bit. I'll probably buy another 12-pack next week. It's a good beer but the head retention is poor. As a Belgian style witbier it lacks aroma, and it lacks yeast character in the flavor. If this had been labeled 'summer wheat' or something like that I'd have scored it much better, but it's just not to style.
Review #7,921

A: slight haze; medium gold in color; 1 finger white head that receded quickly to a thick collar; no lacing;

S: not especially aromatic; coriander with a bit or orange and lemon;

T: follows the nose, but has very little flavor;

M: medium bodied; light, but prickly carbonation; moderately dry finish;

O: if I were doing a blind taste test, I would guess this was a wit, but I would doubt myself;

Well now, by dint of all of my machinations in eradicating the Bottle (!) Backlog here at Chez Woody, I find myself returning to The CANQuest (tm), at least for a little while. My previous beer was a Belgian-style Trippel & so I thought that this might be a logical choice for my next beer. The beauty of having so much beer in ab(b)eyance, Beyoncé, is that it allows me to scaffold. That is, I can build a brewery horizontal ranging from lowest ABV to highest ABV & then shift to my next beer from a different brewery based on style.

From the CAN: "Lionshead Craft Belgian White Ale"; "Malt Beverage brewed with Sweet Orange Peel, Bitter Orange Peel, Lemon and Orange Peel and Coriander."

Given its style, I did some in-CAN agitation before Crack!ing open the vent. Once it was opened, I CANtinued with an inverted Glug into the awaiting Witbier glass. I bought a couple of Hoegaarden seemingly-cut glass tumblers (!) at a Punk Rock Flea Market & they come in handy at times like this. It foamed marvelously, creating just under two fingers of foamy, soapy, rocky, bone-white head that looked like sea foam until it fell away to wisps. 8=( I miss being underway, out to sea & that just looked very evocative of a memory or two. Color was a deeply-hazy/lightly-cloudy Yellow-Gold (SRM = 4 - 5). Nose was VERY orange-y with a light pepperiness. Time to check the Style Guide! Spot on. Mouthfeel was medium. The taste reminded me of a childhood project - sticking whole cloves into an orange to make a pseudo-potpourri air freshener! Very orange-y & very spicy. Mmm. Finish was dry, thanks to the inclusion of coriander, but that was to be expected. This was a pleasant surprise from a contract brewery! I did not buy it, but I would wager that the price point was low. I could see buying a 12-pack of CANs for the Summer's beach-bound cooler for those people who don't enjoy bitterness. Quite impressive! YMMV.

Poured into grip shaped goblet: color is gold, not too hazy, head pours 2 inches deep initially then dissipates to a thin top, some lacing.

Smell is very light, hints of toast and wheat, not much spice or citrus rind component.

Taste is similar but a bit more wheat, toast and hint of biscuit, but still light on the spice and citrus.

Mouthfeel is lightly carbonated, then some sweetness and then drying. both light wheat like softness and drying compete after drinking.

Overall this was not bad, as hinted its like a wheat beer light but i just don't get much spice/citrus.

I love it when the person who adds a beer also reviews it. Poured from a 12 oz. can. Has a hazy golden color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is mild, wheat, a touch of green apples. Taste is wheat, light spices, bland and boring. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall not bad, but drinks like a "witbier light".