1 Anniversary Ale
White Birch Brewing

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've had this bottle waiting for me in the fridge and since the second anniversary beer is now out I should probably get to sampling this one.
Pour a clear light golden straw color with a decent bubbly white head that disappeared as I typed this line. Steady carb stream flowing upward towards the top of the glass. Smell is a little sweet a bit spicy maybe a hint of tart. Aromas of tart apples, lemons, pepper, hints of pineapple. I can't find any birch sap, but I'm not sure I would know it if I found it. Taste is sweet and tart almost like the candy of the same name. Starts out with a honey like malt sweetness that quickly turns into tart apples and lemons. Becomes almost mouth puckering before leveling off to a fairly dry finish with pepper and yeast esters. Spirited level of carbonation, medium body with a sweet/tart puckering mouthfeel. Strange little beer that really grew on me as I downed the bottle before I knew it. Can't wait to try the second and this time I won't wait so long.

I didn't take notes, but I wanted to get some thoughts down about this while it was still fresh in my mind. What a unique beer!

a: This was a bright, clear, pale golden color and it poured with a medium sized fizzy head.

s: Mineral water, lemons, a hint of mint, some grape, and a hint of funk.

t: Dry overall and mildly tart with flavors of lemon and slightly funky grape. There was a hint of mint in the long, dry, mineraly finish. There was a something I can't put my finger on that wasn't like anything else I've had in a beer. Whatever it was, I really liked it.

m: Light bodied with champagne like carbonation.

d: Bill, thank you for sharing this amazing treat. This is you at your creative best.

A-pours a cloudy pale straw yellow color with a thinner but lively and fizzy white head.

S-there is some spicy yeast, white pepper, earthy musk. lemon notes, slightly reminiscent of meringue, with a bit of lactose in the back.

T-very interesting and champaign like. spicy yeast up front with notes of white pepper tickling the tongue. soft sour white grapes, hints of lemon, notes of citrusy hops and a touch of bitterness in the finish.

M-good medium body, very lively carbonation and sharp crisp finish. extremely dry in the back but very refreshing.

D-this is a pretty tasty beer, a fair bit of sourness to it with many champaign resemblences.

22 oz. bomber poured into several balloon glasses for a shared tasting. Bottle 67 of 96, from June 2010. Cracked this one to celebrate my daughter's 1st birthday - how apropos.

Anyone who has tried more than a couple White Birch beers will tell you that every batch is hit or miss. This can be disconcerting based on their pricetag, but I was optimistic about this one, as I had heard and read that it has some nice sour or Berliner Weisse qualities.

The three of us who shared the bottle were impressed with this one. We love beers with sour or tart notes, and this beer had those while not being too brutal on the palate. Some nice citrus and pear notes mixed in, and while the White Birch house yeast is present, it's not as off-putting as it has been in other batches of WB.

Fewer than a hundred bottles were released, so I'm glad we got to try this one. Nice job Bill.

22oz into chouffe tulip. Bottle 68 of 96.

A- A nice pale yellow, a bit cloudy, with some rather large bubbles but not too much of a head.

S- Funky, a bit fruity, and very much a white birch beer- the house yeast is pretty telltale.

T- Not what I was expecting. The birch sap must have fermented out as this is not terribly sweet and has a great dry finish. A bit lemony, and surprisingly 'wild' in character- funky, and at certian sips I swear I'm tasting something lambic-y. The white birch house yeast is unmistakable and while I know some people can't stand it I've come around on it. Almost like overripe papaya.

M- Drying, fairly well composed, good carbonation. No sign of the alcohol.

D- Fairly high.. it's a very good beer and a shame it was made in such small quantities. I would love to see a larger batch of this for next year's 2nd Anniv. as one bottle of this just won't cut it. A very unique and tasty beer.

From a bomber, thanks to Cody. Pours a very light pale yellow with a really strange head that builds up, stays there, then after a minute gets really loud and comes billowing down. Nose is really sweaty and musty, maybe some faint lemon custard, and an occasional hop or two. At first quite tangy in the mouth, really much like lemon curd. Finish is dry and short. Strangely creamy feel. Way more sour than I was expecting. Kind of strange, but actually pretty enjoyable, that lemon curd quality is a lot of fun.

Bottle shared by Grant - much obliged!

Pours a slightly hazy lemon-yellow color with a one-finger white head. The head recedes into a wispy layer on top leaving decent lacing.

Smells of light malts with good amounts of lemon peel and lighter amounts of wheat twang. A very light spice note wafts out every now and then and intensifies as the beer warms.

Tastes very similar to how it smells. Light and crisp malt flavors kick things off and are joined quickly by mildly tart lemon rind flavors. Midway through the sip the lemon fades a bit, allowing hints of spices to work their way into things. The spices fade out and allow the malt flavors to carry through to a crisp ending.

Mouthfeel is good. It's got a nice thickness with active carbonation.

Drinkability is also good. I finished my glass without a problem and could have another.

Overall this is hands down the best beer from White Birch I've had - what seems like a high ABV take-off on a Berliner Weiss. Worth a shot.

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a White Birch flute. Extra special thanks to Vanillamike for this from our most recent trade!

Bottled: June 2010
Bottle: 66 of 96
Alc: 7.6% by Vol.
Signed by Bill

A: Pours a hazy and pale, straw-gold color with the faintest whisp of a head. Some random splotches of lace remain along with a relatively thick ring. Carbonation was a bit lively. The second pour received all of the swirled sediment and it resulted in a pour the color and clarity of pear nectar and 1/2 finger of creamy, bright-white head.

S: This weighs in pretty heavy with tangy citrus aromas. Mostly fresh squeezed lemon and lime zest. A hint of toasted malt and earthy yeast, as well.

T: Same as above. As the glass progresses, I began to notice more of a toasty, bisquity malt flavor that balances out the fresh tart citrus, and the yeast.

M: Suprisingly tart and tangy with a small dose of sweet malt and dry/astringent yeast. Finishes dry. Very refreshing.

D: What a great summer beer. Too bad only 96 bottles were produced. Maybe they'll brew it again? Congratulations on your 1st Anniversary, Bill. I can't wait to see what your second year brings!

22oz bottle.

Pours clear yellow with a quickly fizzling head of white. Zero lacing or retention.

Aromatics are laced with lemon peel, lime leaves, earthy bark, cloves, and pepper-dusted grass. A slightly tart promise.

Light bodied with a thinnish mouthfeel.

Lime-aid, lemon oil, and a dusting of malt lead off the palate. An almost chaulky, bark-like earthiness pulls through. Very dry with a surprising amount of tartness.

Finishes with lingering tart limes, lemons, and peeled birch bark.

I can't really say that I can taste or smell any birch sap in this beer, but then again, I've never tasted birch sap. That being said, I'm sure the beer would taste quite different without it. The unexpected tartness is very refreshing at this moment though.