Country White
Zipline Brewing Co

 

from a technical standpoint, this is extremely well made beer, i reckon they all are from zipline, but this recipe is a bit of a deviation from what i like usually in the style. the wheat aspect is awesome, adds nice body, head retention, and creaminess to the feel as well as the classic dry cereal flavor, the malt build is perfect here. i also really like the more robust citrus flavor, it lightens it up, makes it summery, and has a real distinct orange and lemon zestiness, a great touch. whats off for me then is the yeast. this seems less belgian in a sense, but kind of runaway on the temperature, the ester development, and the intensity of it in proportion to the other ingredients in the mix, its over the top for me, with bubblegum and banana, and it makes the beer less crisp. it almost has that 3711 french saison yeast white winey nature about it, but even more intense with perfumy pear notes, floral waves, and i do think it takes over the beer. i can see some folks loving it, but for me it was a stark interruption of a really good flow that was going on in this one with the wheat and the citrus. still a nice beer, fluffy feeling and dry, but the yeast element is too much. dial that back even a little bit with the same strain and this is a winner...

Poured out a slightly cloudy golden color with a small, fizzy off-white head of foam. It smelled floral with some yeasty notes. Nice sweet caramel and grain flavor with some fruitiness.

 

 

 

Pours a hazy, gold color. 2/3 inch head of a white color. Decent retention and good lacing. Smells of wheat, pale malt, hint of hop, clove, and a hint of citrus. Fits the style of a Witbier, though it is a blend of styles between a Saison and Witbier. Mouth feel is sharp and crisp, with an average carbonation level. There is also a distinct dryness. Tastes of of wheat, pale malt, hint of hop, clove, strong citrus, and a hint of yeast. Overall, decent beer, but hard to assign to the Witbier or Saison category.

 

FIRST OFF...this is a Farmhouse Ale, according to the bottle and brewery, not a Witbier. :-)


A : Disappointing pour here. The head is minimal and barely a pinky's worth. Within a minute the head disperses across the top completely and evaporates. The body is mostly pale and straw colored, with a slight murkiness bringing about a 40% opacity to the table.

S : Some tart, fruity aromas, as well as some barn grain. Faint cinnamon and banana. All of this is wrapped up in a weak bouquet that takes much effort to nose.

T : The almost-Weizen-like character here is winning my heart, with fruity bananas, esters, and wheat. While this is not a Weizen, I'm not going to complain too much. The farmhouse quality starts coming out in the tartness of picked apples and sun-bleached grains. It ends fairly tart and slightly dry-hopped.

F : Light, airy, and highly carbonated. There's a slight nip at the end to add a crispness to an otherwise bland profile overall.

O : As a farmhouse ale, this is fairly below par. Weak aromas, some confusing flavors, and an overly carbonated almost adjunct lager-like feel. It is drinkable though, and refreshing. I'd be disappointed if I spent the money on a six pack, but it's so quaffable that there can't be a whole lot to cry about.

 

 

Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a Shaker pint glass, the "bottled" date 4-28-15.

APPEARANCE: pours a cloudy, straw color with less than one-finger off-white head that quickly dissipated until just a ring of bubbles remained around the glass, there were some larger bits suspended in the brew, very nice looking, medium carbonation, there is very little lacing on the glass.

SMELL: bread, lemon and pears.

TASTE: the taste follows the nose, initially lemon citrus and pears then the taste of bread, very little hop presence as is normal for the style.

PALATE: light body with medium carbonation.

OVERALL: this is a very good beer and with 4.6% ABV you can enjoy more than one, I would definitely buy this again and will be trying more offerings from Zipline in the future.

Sampled two days ago on 6/10/15. Bottle chilled down to 36 degrees F in my beer cooler and poured in to a "MYTHOS" pilsner glass.

Brew pours a hazy straw-yellow in color with a thin white cap. Light sediment is seen in the bottom of the bottle after the pour. Some spotty lacing is seen when sipped. The aroma is of bready yeast with some citrus zest. Taste follows the nose with a light hint of sweet honey also BUT not over sweet as for the lemon zest. Crisp and goes down very easy. A tasty brew that is medium-bodied with good carbonation. Great summer brew.

 

Enjoyed from the 12 oz bottle in a pint glass. This wit pours a hazy pale yellow with a moderate white head of foam that dissipates to a thin ring and light lacing and a thin ring. Nose of light wheat crackers, light bread, lemon zest, and light malts. Flavors surpass the nose with a soft wheat flavor dancing about a lemon zest note that rests on the back with a light cracker and lightly sweet honey flavor that fades to a moderate tartness accentuated by the lemon zest. Smooth moderately carbonated mouth feel features a light dry finish. Very nice for a summer brew.

Cheers