Whip-Poor-Will
Fonta Flora Brewery

 

Beautiful looking beer, bright and hazy with a tall foamy head. Subtle nuances at the nose including some tea and oranges. Not much for taste when cold, but as it warmed a little, there was some bread and botanicals. Herbal tea at the finish. Ample carbonation, light bodied. Would love to have some seafood with this.

Drinking this at The Fonta Flora Brewery in Downtown Morgantown NC.
Appears slightly hazy yellow with a nice foamy head that dropped quickly to a thin cap and nice lacing.
Smells lightly lemony, spicy, yeasty and a bit funky.
Taste follows the nose.
Mouth feel is medium for the style.
Overall a nice take on a Witbier that was very interesting and one that I would definitely order again.

Mild pour into a shaker from a 04/30/2020 16 ounce can purchased on 07/07/2020 at Fonta Flora's Whippoorwill Farm location in Nebo, NC.

Look – Clear, lemon-gold, 1-finger tight ‘n white head with good retention that hung around until the last sip. Minimal lacing.

Smell – First to the nose is a mild, floral funk that goes well with something in it; might be the Earl Grey tea accented by the coriander. Not perceiving much of the orange that’s listed first in the label description of their flagship beer. Virtually no discernible aroma from hops. Likely a Belgian style yeast, as the floral-funk is reminiscent of an understated Duvel.

Taste – Pretty much follows the nose, with coriander being more noticeable.

Feel – Reasonably crisp but not overly palate-cleansing. Bittering is spot on for this brew; more would have been off-putting, much less would have made it muddled. Carbonation is spot on for me; contributes to the nearly full palate cleanse.

Overall – Very intrigued by the aroma. The mild funk, coriander and yeast play well together. The orange probably enhances the beer but is not very distinguishable as a standalone fragrance or taste. I’m wondering if the Earl Grey tea is the unsung hero here.
Would go equally well with spicy boiled shrimp or grilled pork.

I’d buy it again.

ETA: Bought it again and am having one now that was canned almost 10 months ago. Just about everything in my initial review stands except that I'm getting a wee bit more orange than I remember. The fact that it's so similar after having been packaged for 10 months is a testament to their recipe and process. Kudos to Fonta Flora.

CANNED ON 04302020 stamped on bottom of can. Poured into a Samuel Adams Perfect Pint.

A: Hazy golden with 1-2 fingers of foamy white head with decent retention and a collar of lacing.

S: Soft initial lemony aroma is shattered by harsh herbal, tea-like vegetal aroma with an estery edge to it.

T: Flavor has the same harsh, unpleasant, earthy, vegetal character which overwhelms most other flavors outside of a floral ester.

M: Not as viscous as some wits but finishes dry.

O: I wish Fonta Flora was more up front about using aged hops in several of their beers, presuming this one too. It lends a harsh, earthy, vegetal, leady tone I do not care for.

This one pours a slightly hazy golden straw yellow, with a big fluffy head, and lots of lacing.

This smells like clove, funky and floral tea, grassiness, citrus, and stone fruit.

This is really nice take on the witbier style - earl grey tea goes extremely well with that sort of beer. It gives a slightly funky and fruit floral feel to this. There's a clean clovey/grassy bitterness here as well, and some light stone fruit type flavors - more like peach skin than actual peach.

This is light bodied, super drinkable, and very clean, with a smooth and crisp finish.

I very rarely drink this style. This was a nice surprise, even though it's clearly not traditional in even the barest sense.

Pours an unclear yellow with fine, soapy head.

Smell is floral with a little bit of spiciness. Aromatic notes of tea, cloves, apricot, rose water and orange peel.

Taste is light and crisp, with fruity and floral notes up front. Backing notes of tea, citrus, coriander, cloves and a slightly spicy finsh. Very refreshing, with a mild bitterness and an almost tart hint.

Mouthfeel i medium, well carbonated.

Overall, a nice, drinkable beer. Would have liked a little bit more tea.

Pours very pale yellow to almost clear, with a 1/2 thick, creamy white head, which lasts. Hazy.

Aroma is earthy, funky, grassy, citrus, spicy, yeasty.

Taste is yeasty, coriander, tea, a bit of lemon, orange peel, wheat.

Light to medium bodied, heavy carbonation. Dry, slightly sour finish.

This is a pretty good wheat ale.

 

5/30/19 draft @ Barley’s

 

Poured from a 16 oz can date 06/04019 into the test glass
A - Lite honey color, tepid carbonation , struggles to coalesce, thin ring is all that shows of the effort. Very nice clarity.
S - Orange peel, a bit of coriander, hint of phenol that could be off putting to some, nice grassy herbal thread as well.
T - Wit for sure, nice grain profile, orange and coriander are well balanced, the Earl Grey is a delightful touch with some pepper thread in there.
M - Medium in body, under carbonated makes it a bit slick, the start and finish are earthy and I like that quite a bit
O - The clarity and herbal elements are quite good, increase the carbonation and this offering is a home run. The Earl Grey addition is on point. Worth seeking out

 

 

Had a pint on draft at Buxton Hall BBQ on 7/24/19.
L -Pours a hazy orange color with a white head.
S- Smells of coriander.
T - Tastes of orange and coriander.
F - Medium body and carbonation.
O - Tasty easy drinking Witbier.

It's great that this is being distributed in cans now. A great summer refresher with lots of nice flavor from the orange, coriander, and tea additions

84/100

 

 

16oz can dated 04052019 into a tulip glass. Pale golden color, almost clear with a slight cloudiness that fades as it sits. A small white head forms and quickly bubbles away. At first, there is a tartness on the nose, along with citrus peels and earthy, spicy yeast. The taste is refreshing, with wheat, orange, corriander, a slight earthy hop bitterness, and a hint of bergamot from the earl grey. Body is on the light side, well carbonated, and with a semi-dry finish. This is a delicious rustic wit that stand out among its style.