Oak Aged Pilot Project
White Birch Brewing

Batch 1 12/30/2009
I ran into another bottle of this, so this time it gets a review because I don't think I'll get another shot at this one. Pours a mostly clear light golden color with a decent bone white head that shows great retention but little lace. Smells peppery and lightly fruity with pomme fruits, a bit of candy sugar and that spicy Belgian yeast ester. The wood aging doesn't seem to have survived the aging other than a hint of vanilla. The flavor is sweet upfront with light sweet juicy fruits, light sharp peppery spicy flavors, a hint of vanilla and a touch of tannin. Medium to thin body with a moderate to high level of carbonation and a sweet slick mouthfeel. I enjoyed this a bit more this time, I think age has mellowed some of the rough edges I remember form last time. I would like a bit more body, but that more of a personal preference than a flaw.

 

Bottle 9 of 30, I believe.

Pours cloudy yellow with a nice fluffy whyte head. This is a pretty beer.

I can smell riesling right off the bat. Grapes, honey, straw, cheese, peaches, apples. This is going to be good.

It's not acetone! Light riesling with oak present. Grapes, honey, oak in the front with more oak, vanilla, and honey finishing. Lingering oak and honey. Surprisingly no alcohol present.

The mouthfeel is surprising. It's creamy with a hige dry bite, like sucking on cotton or a dry piece of oak. Interesting once you get used to it.

Overall, this was a greatly enjoyable experience and I'm not the biggest fan of tripels. I shared it with a few friends and it was enjoyed by all. I think they should make another batch and send it all to me.

Bottle 13 of 30.

Pours rather nicely: Hazy blonde with a tinge of grey. Very wet lacing that doesn't stick around very long.

The smell is wild, and pretty appealing. Tropical fruits, grain, berries, riesling and green apples. Somewhat of an artificial, generic fruit smell: "like walking into a Jamba Juice," as illidurit noted.

The taste, however, is a pretty big let down. Really fuselly and mildly solventy with some Cap'n Crunch Crunchberries, apple fruitiness and a whole lot of pear flavor.

The heat and effervescence combine to cause a burning sensation all over your tongue. Medium bodied.

Drinkability is pretty low. A touch too sweet, with a lot of crazy alcohol flavors going on. A lot of interesting Riesling character, but overall kind of a messy beer.

Bottle out of just 30 made courtesy photomike. Pours pale gold with a thin filmy off-white head. Smells like walking into a Jamba Juice. Now, that has its pros and cons. Pros: tropical fruits, banana, apple, orange, tons of esters. Cons: cleaning agents, wheatgrass. Flavor is light, hard to pick up much character. Perfumey fusels, probably from the wine, some pear notes. Substantial astringency.

Thanks to sleepydave for bringing over this extremely hard to find brew. Bottle #19 of 30.

Poured into a tulip glass. The Pilot Project has a slightly cloudy, straw colored body that looks almost like pear juice. A thin, foamy white head sits on top, leaving slight traces of lacing behind.

Swirling the glass reveals a sweet sugar cookie aroma, followed by white wine notes and ripe fruits such as strawberries and pears. Some oakiness makes its way into the aroma, as well as some of the 11.8% ABV.

The flavor is sweet at first, but then the riesling oak chips really kick in. Lots of wood and white wine character followed by pears and lighter fruits. Some bitterness as well, which mixes nicely with the sweetness for a more balanced flavor profile. Overall, the flavor really reminds me of a slightly fruity white wine with carbonation. Very interesting.

The mouthfeel is crisp, dry and vinous. Champagne-like carbonation with warming alcohol. Almost creamy at the midpoint between sipping and swallowing. The body is quite light for a beer of this strength, yet a little heavier than a white wine.

Drinkability is good. The alcohol is quite noticeable, but since this beer comes across much like a wine it almost seems fitting. I'm currently pairing this with some cheese and the combo is excellent. I think you would definitely want to share a bomber of this with one or two other people and enjoy in moderation. Break out your favorite white wine glass.

Overall, this is probably my favorite White Birch beer to date. As I understand it, this limited run is not the finalized recipe, but in my opinion, I don't think this one needs to be tweaked too much. It is already quite good. I might personally tone down the alcohol a little or work on the visual aspects of the beer, such as the clarity, but that's about all. The riesling oak chips were an awesome idea.

Always excited when I see a new White Birch make it to market. So, on a snowy night I picked up a bottle and poured it into a Duvel glass. Bottle date of 12/30/09, so I know I'm hitting it fresh!

A - Pours a very hazy dark golden color. An aggressive pour left a foamy 1 finger head on this one. The lacing down the glass was rocky and appealing.

S - Booze. Alcohol was the first thing that I noted on smelling this one. After that, sweet fruity esters and a nice golden ale nose. Very appealing.

T - This is a complex one. Think of a trippel, with an interesting juicy fruit note that is quickly nipped by the taste of smoke and wood. As the beer opened up the wood and smoke flavors become more intense. It finishes with a boozy flavor and the first note of any Riesling: a mild, sweet dryness.

M / D - Mouthfeel is where the Riesling imparts its influence: Brings a wonderful carbonation to the mouth, and a dry sweetness on finish. I found the beer to be very drinkable, but by the end of the bottle, I had my fill. The beer does have a drying quality to it.

Let's get it out of the way up front: White Birch makes great golden ales. If you've had the Eerst, BSPA, or the Holiday Ale (still love that Holiday Ale!) you know what I'm talking about. This beer is in the same vein of those beers; the oak quality displays nicely, but I was left wishing that the Riesling imparted more flavor. I know Rieslings are pretty dry, but the prospect of a white wine and trippel flavors was incredibly appealing to me. I would have liked to see a little more sweetness from the wine, as I think it would have complimented this better. That said, while this isn't quite a perfect marriage of flavors, it sure is an appealing relationship. Do try, and make sure to give Bill your feedback (it seems that was the idea behind the "Pilot")

22oz bottle, #4 of 30. Thanks Bill!

Pours with a cloudy, peach colored body and a one inch head of white froth. A slow retreat revealed daggers of lacing with an almost complete surface coating. Definately darker than previous editions of the Triple.

Aromatics lead off with notes of honey, vanilla, husky malt, sweet grapes and spice-dusted fruit. Undertones of Reisling wine, tangerines, and clovey yeastiness are extremely inviting.

Light bodied but not thin, with a creamy, crisp, mouthfeel. Drying and quenching with a touch of oaky tannins.

The palate starts with plenty of bright citrus character, spicy cloves, and honey-drizzeled biscuits. A mildly sweet profile steps forward along with a vineous but light Reisling character and plenty of vanilla.

Finishes with lingering pepper-studded oranges, building warmth, and fading grape.

Booya. Yet another best-to-date White Birch for me. The Reisling adds a great level of complexity as well as the oak. Ramp up the carbonation and we'll be close to mind-blowing.