White Apron Ale
Anderson Valley Brewing Company

My guess is this magnum is the third release and from the last case left in captivity. (UnTappd has a few check-ins this year from northern California, but none in the last month.) Nonetheless, I encourage Anderson Valley to release this again... perhaps as part of a distribution deal with the same restaurant company or more.

White Apron has potential as a very good North American BPA... and I do not make that statement about many anymore brewed on this side of the pond. The BPA style has fallen from favour gradually; but it has fallen in large part because table ales in general have fallen. Belgians with a lively yeast are still the best at table ales, but beer is slipping as a culinary complement and instead has become an opportunity to make flavors that can compete with the onset of alcoholic cocktails. Or at least that is my theory and I'm, probably for a while, sticking to it.

White Apron Looks appetising, but for probably too short a period of time. It smells mostly of malt becoming fruit, but there are a few hops in the back of my nose. Tastes are balanced and that is a primary virtue of table ales. Medium-mouthed. Agreed, good with cheeses.

Brewed exclusively for Thomas Keller's restaurants, but luckily had a keg here in Charlotte for an exclusive beer dinner by Anderson Valley. On tap. Golden ale. Moderate two finger head. Smell is Belgian yeast. Flavor is sweet and crisp Belgiany yeast flavor. Citrus, mild spice from the yeast. Medium mouthfeel. Very well carbonated, but not overly. Very nice version of the style.

L: Pours a clear golden straw color with good head retention. Decent lacing.

A: Pepper and some sweet toasted malt .

T: Lemon, pepper, herbal bitterness. Dry throughout.

F: Light body, effervescent prickly carbonation.

O: Decent table beer that I could see pairing well with a lot of dishes but nothing spectacular here.

Got a chance to try this on my recent trip to California when I was in northern California. At least originally, this beer is brewed by Anderson Valley specifically and supposedly exclusively for The French Laundry restaurant in Yountville, California, and the back label of the bottle I had even said as much, I've also know of reports of people being able to buy bottles of this in New York and having this on-tap in Los Angeles and in bottles in Berkley, so who knows? Anyways, this beer was poured from a bomber into a snifter glass, and it pours a clear, light golden color with lots of streams of little bubbles rising to the beer's surface along with a nice fluffy white head that is an inch thick when first poured. Very good head retention. Eventually settles to a medium sized ring lining the inside of the glass along with a nice big surface coating film layer of foam and excellent lacing to boot. Aromas of crisp, toasted malt, citrus, and some spice notes are present along with a grainy presence and some herbal hops. Has a slightly sweet, crisp, slightly toasted malt presence upfront that gives way to lemony citrus zest and hints of tangerine along with some spice notes. Hints of coriander and peppercorn to be sure. All rounded out with a nice hint of herbal and floral hops with a slight bit of bitterness. Very nice flavor profile, as there is a lot going on in my palate, and the different flavors mesh together quite nicely indeed. Everything is well balanced. Has a crisp, and also smooth and frothy, slightly prickly. medium to full bodied mouthfeel with moderate carbonation. Has a clean, dry finish and is quite easy to drink the way good beer should be. Hope I get the chance to drink this again. Worth a try for sure if you can track it down.

Eric