Bière Blanche
Side Project Brewing

Blend #4

Translucent yellow, just a ring of foam.

Not much to smell, IMO. Bread, slightly herbal hops.

Spot on for tart lemon. Acidic but I didn't pucker, rather it's a good acidic. Lemon poppy muffin.

High carb.

Batch #4, 5% ABV. Poured from a capped 750mL bottle into my Hoegaard tumbler.

Light citrine body, clearer than expected on first pour, capped by a hefty stand of ivory soft peaks receding slowly to a faint collar. Vague lacing; unimpressive retention.

Fruity/floral/spicy aromatics with wonderful synergy between the citrus/coriander and the yeast character. White wine elements intensify as the ale warms.

Bright palate entry, tart orange and sour milk, with a long evolving finish. Funk builds in the finish with some musty flavors intermingling with dry barrel notes. Low bitterness with a unique yeast signature, almost salty minerality, and some vague tropical flavors (pineapple vinegar; star-fruit). Faint soapy quality.

Not quite medium bodied, adequate carbonation, some pith-y/oak-y astringency, though nothing overwhelming.

The product of a strong vision and craft, but I am not getting much of the base beer vs. the orange and barrel/funk.

 

 

Look -slight haze pale yellow great white head rimming and lacing
Smell - funky grainy citrus
Taste -floral grainy funky citrus spice slight wood
Feel - lighter body with a easy carb
Overall - really fantastic funky complex wit

L: Hazy gold with a dense white head

S: Coriander, wheat, lemon

T: Drinks more like a lambic than a wit. Bright lemon with hints of orange peel and spice.

F: Effervescent, light, dry finish

O: Really enjoy this take on a witbier.

 

Large bomber bottle, poured into a tulip at ~40 degrees F.

L: Pours a bright hazy-opaque burnished straw gold, and forms several fingers of dense white foam with good retention.

S: Wonderfully funky. It's almost like smelling a gueuze opened inside a bakery. Wheaten backbone, with sharp soured melon and a hybrid of ergot and mildew.

T: That is again more akin to a gueuze than any other witbier I've had. Sharp white wine grape presence hits up front, overlaying a bill of ripe wheat. Some bitter orange and tart persimmon manifest, with hints of the soured melon. By the finish, there is a musty, mildewed hay quality present. This finishes with a dry bite, and the tartness lingers along the sides of the tongue long after the swallow.

F: Light to medium in body, and sharp with tartness. Goes down easily, but lingers.

O: A delight of a beverage, if a bit funkier than the average witbier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blend #3 bottle.

White grape must & lemon peel on the nose; lightly fruity, subtly funky & sweet. The palate is very crisp and refreshing, while retaining good acid & subtle tannins. Hits initially w/ white grape & citrus, and tails off with a touch of wet hay.

 

 

 

I often stay away from witbiers because of heavy coriander and yeasty, dry aftertaste. This completely changed my definition of what a witbier could (should?) be.

It's like the older brother of SP's Biere du Pays, which is the easiest-drinking beer they brew, and one that disappears very quickly. Poured into a stemless tulip from a 750, the look and smell of Biere Blanche are unremarkable, but the softness and balance really shine thorough. There are no artificial, rough edges, and the slight dryness is best dealt with by taking another delicious, buttery sip.

Foggy straw yellow with a moderate fluffy white head that slowly settles to a thin film and bubbly ring leaving some lumpy lacing.

A touch of wheat and hay are splashed with a light squeeze of fresh lemon in the finish. The oak or even hops seem to bring a hint of mildly funky cheese, but I'm not sure the wine barrel is contributing much more otherwise.

Pleasantly soft and mildly funky, the medium body is fluffy right in the middle of the palate, but up front and in the tingly, semi-dry finish it's quite crisp. It's really easy to put down.

 

 

Pouted from a 750 mL bottle. The color is very much a Belgian witbier with the hazy light color. The aroma is a bit of funk with citrus and spice. The taste follows the smell with the typical SP acidity. Its a pretty simple beer, but tasty nonetheless.

 

Batch 2 Bottle courtesy of Snap_Rat.

 

 

750 mL bottle. Lightly hazy orange. Smells of white wine and wheat. Tastes of strong wheat with light lemon tartness. White wine kicks in and takes over into the end. Simple profile, but good. Medium light. Hits the nose a little bit with the acidity, but it's not quite too much.