Frost Proof
Cigar City Brewing

 

 

 

 

 

 

12 oz can with a 6 August 2022 canning date stamped on the bottom along with "Made in NC".

Appearance. Served in a Belgian snifter where the golden body was topped by a moderate size white head that has good retention. Limited clarity.

Not a favorite style but I appreciated the complex aroma and flavor that was not overly dominated by notes of bananas or clove.

Great beer, definitely replaces the blue moon. Surprisingly fresh taste

 

most of their beers i've tried were good this style is not up to the others you have it listed as a wit - but it is more like a belgium ale - and not a very good one

12 oz can into a pint glass at fridge temperature.
Goldish yellow, fine dense foam.
Smells of aromatic spice, bready.
Taste hangs. Leans into Belgian wit, but keeps a Florida thang alive. Yep. Corriander. Orange zest.
Feel is festive; beach, dinner table. Thin. Refreshing.
Overall - an upgrade of Blue Moon., no orange slice required.

 

 

 

 

Poured a 355ml can into a tumbler. A thin white head on a cloudy peach. The head diminishes to a thin layer that sticks around.
Coriander and orange in the nose.
On tasting the spice and orange is again evident.
Light body and medium carbonation.
A serviceable Witbier. ABV is well hidden.

 

 

12 oz can from a four pack purchased at the LCBO; dated 03/02/22 and served slightly chilled.

Pours a hazy, effervescent golden yellow colour, topped with nearly an inch of soapy, foamy white head that dissipates within five minutes or so. A frothy collar and filmy cap live on, with a tight ring of even lace left clinging to the glass - looks good to me. Zesty orange peel on the nose, alongside hints of wheaty malt, coriander, bubble gum and peppery spice. Fits the style to a T.

Same goes for the flavour profile - that is to say, there's nothing unusual or unique going on here, but it's still a solid, above average witbier. Moderately spicy & yeasty, with coriander, pepper and orange zest layered atop a grainy, wheaty, crackery-sweet malt backbone. Hints of bubble gum and bitter citrus oil on the back end, which remains spicy and wheaty into a somewhat yeasty aftertaste. Light in body, with assertive carbonation that lends a prickly bite to this strong ale's smooth, fluffy mouthfeel. Reasonably drinkable, but not as refreshing as a lighter wit.

Final Grade: 3.88, a B+. Frost Proof is a little on the strong side for a witbier, but I still found it to be an agreeable take on the style. A bit more flavourful than their Florida Cracker - a little more malt forward and spicy, though I suppose I'd need to compare the two side by side to know for sure. Unlikely to happen here in Ontario, where Cigar City products pop up infrequently at best. Give this a try if you enjoy spicy Belgian-style beers.

 

 

A very average Witbier. Surprising from Cigar City - a great brewer!!!! Poured from a 12 oz can into a pint glass, this beer featured almost no head or lacing. Nice hazy gold/orange tinged color. Moderate aroma of orange and coriander. Taste somewhat better with fairly prominent orange peel, coriander, black pepper, yeast and a little wheat bitterness. Mouthfeel benefited from the spicing and was overall crisp and refreshing. A mediocre take on this beer style!!!!

This Brewer has become legendary over the last few years for it's very high quality, mostly in the IPA variety ...... This is a nice attempt at a Belgian style White and I enjoyed it

 

Look: It pours hazy gold with a white head. Head retention is good.

Smell: The aroma is doughy up front coriander and other spices. There is a very low level of citrus in the background.

Taste: It has a fruity taste up front with coriander and other spices. There are doughy elements with low levels of orange and citrus.

Feel: It has a medium body with a lightly sweet aftertaste.

Overall, this is an easy drinking summer time beer.

Poured into a narrow pint glass: color is gold and fairly transparent, head is bright white and presents 1 finger thick, then dissipates to solid top, spotty lacing on the glass sides.

Smell is belgian witbier styling with some lighter sweetness, light honey notes, yeast is ester and light phenol, lighter wheat character, some sweet malt.

Taste is similar with a sweeter riff on the witbier base - some light honey, easter, phenol, light banana, clove, wheat, malt, toast.

Mouthfeel is moderate carbonation, moderate sweetness, lower bitterness, lingering sweet and tart/spicy witbier character.

Overall a sweeter witbier with a lighter spicy/yeast profile. I like the idea and think it could be dryer or spicier in the yeast profile.

 

Tasted from a 12 oz can bought in Florida.

L - Golden color with some orange. Appropriately hazy for the style. The beers in my six pack all had no head at all, which is a big turn-ff for me on this style. My memory of fresh wits in Belgium is that they featured a thick, rocky, sticky head.

S - Grainy aromas of wheat and crackers, with blacked pepper and spices at a lower level. Good blend of aromas for the style.

T - Flavors are equal parts zesty orange and cracked grain from malt and wheat. At a lower level the pepper and spice from the aroma show through.

F - Light to medium body with sharp, spritzy carbonation. Low to moderate hops bitterness with the spices seeming to contribute some additional bitterness. Alcohol presence is low to none.

O - This is a good witbier, with nice aromas, flavors and mouthfeel. The only flaw for me was the total lack of a head.

Hazy yellow, thick, dense white head of fine bubbles, excellent retention, thick rings of lace
Aromas of orange zest, herbs, green bananas, a hint of clove and pepper, boiling pasta
Very fruity, orange, some slight herbs, a hint of spice, very wheaty, a smidge of tartness
Fluffy, light bodied, well carbonated
This is a dang good wit

Carpet of cotton over slightly hazy gold; Fanta orange, slight herb + lots of floral soap on the nose; wheat cracker, bubblegum, orange peel, hints of vanilla, mild clove, light spice; round, creamy, medium, low carb.

4 4 3.75 3.5 3.75

This is one of those beers that has me asking: would this make more sense in hot weather.
Definitely goes for the orange above the herbs, to where it’s coming across sweet. Neither coriander nor hops nor carb really cuts it.
And in bumping up the ABV to a rather unsessionable 6%, it now also sits pretty heavy.
Would that quench in an OJ kind of way in the sun? I can’t say.
But really not what I’m looking for in a wit.

As NeroFiddled points out, with Florida Cracker already in the CCB range, what’s the purpose of this beer?

Hazy orange on the pour with big fluffy head and ample lace. Aroma is bready and orange. Taste follows the nose, orange peel, coriander, and wheat. Creamy mouthfeel and smooth finish. A very good brew in this style and another solid addition to Cigar City line-up.

tasted very similar to Florida Cracker - could be the same beer with a more P C name. As a Fla. Cracker myself the name does not have racial connotations.

I'm liking how wits, a two or maybe three season ale, have been pushing now into winter. It seems I've seen several winter wits in the last 15 months. And why not? The wit is a good table beer; more than quenching on a warm day.

Frost Proof starts average in the Looks department. But, Smells are full-on orange and coriander and, if I push my imagination, even some holiday aromas. Tastes are balanced throughout. Refreshing and close-to-soft in the mouth despite good bubbles. I am not having this first can with food, but I bought a 6-pack and I will and report back.

I've only had three different brews from Cigar City. But, they have grown well beyond the micro-review stage; particularly since their 2016 get-together in CANarchy also led by Oskar Blues. While the two CANarchy chiefs and their several other warriors all seem slightly different, they also seem to have a recipe for success... or at least an alternative to expand distribution; so there is less temptation to sell out to Macros and private equity. And for that, I give Cigar City very good Overall Hugs.

5/29/22 I had a second can with leftovers... and Frost is less of a complement to food than it could be; and certainly less compared to the Belgian masters. I like Cigar City and CANarchy and want to encourage them to brew more in the Belgian tradition. But I've got many more wits to try; so, I'm giving away the remainder of my 6 Frost pack to nephews as presents. (Uncle Bob is their favorite uncle.) Counted @ UnTappd.

 

Pours good, has the cloudy wheat beer look, smells juicy. But the taste is not very good. Taste of smoke, like an old whiskey casket with some orange in the back-end. Odd taste. Interesting, but not very good.

If you want an odd tasting beer which has a smokey flavor then this might be for you. For the general Wheat bier lover though, I'd say... pass.
A better beer then in the same taste profile is Grim by Oppigårds from Sweden. Better balanced and more refreshing.

 

This witbier is a hazy orange with a white head. The aroma is typical of the type, but I would have liked more flavor.

 

 

Canned 9/15/21; drank 2/10/22 @ the Yarchives.

Cloudy dull yellow/orange appearance.

An even pour yielded a huge, noisy white head; frothy lace.

Wheat, coriander, orange citrus & mild clove notes in the nose.

Medium mouthfeel.

Soft wheat, coriander & orange peel flavors up front; dry clove notes on the finish.

A solid witbier.