Nellie's Winter Sweet Orange Ale
Taft's Brewing Co.

 

I got a can of this beer off the single shelf from my local Giant Eagle store. It poured a clear golden with thin white head that is not leaving much lace. The scent had orange peel spice notes. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink with orange peel and subtle coriander presence. The mouthfeel was lighter in body with good carbonation. Overall it is a good beer.

Picked up a six for Christmas Eve wanting to add to my supply of seasonal beers ... This is a bit flat and unexciting ... Needs more punch, more flavor, and more "seasonal"

12 ounce can, no canning date that I could find but pretty sure this was a late 2020 release. Served in a Rastal Craft Master One glass, the beer pours a mostly clear gold color with about a half inch white head. Head retention is decent, and there isn't much lacing. The brew smells like orange, coriander and some wheat/grainy malt. Taste is pretty much just like the aroma, with orange peel, orange, coriander and wheat/grainy malt flavors. Mouthfeel/body is light/medium, it's easy enough to drink and has a moderate amount of carbonation. For me this was just OK, not bad by any means but probably wouldn't be a repeat purchase. Worth a try though if you get a single can like I did.

 

Had it on tap, clean finish, smooth and easy to drink. This beer is what blue moon wants to be. Drinkable and crisp like a lighter beer, but the flavor and body suggest you should pace yourself. The malt finish balances the orange notes. Pairs well with sammiches.

 

What RazzWheat is to raspberry beer, this is to all orange ales. Very orange, heavier and less crisp than blue moon. I like!

I'm dreaming of a white craft beer. And so is Tafts Ale House as they hit the winter season early with generous additions of sweet oranges piled high on a Belgian-styled wheat ale base beer.

Nellie's Winter Sweet Orange Ale pours slightly on the orange side of golden and light amber. Through its translucent glow lies a scent of orange laden citronella with a light twinge of white wine, coriander and apple. Its soft maltiness is light with honey, baked breads and a hint of biscuit sweetens as the ale gravitates toward the tongue.\

And as the ale rolls along, its orange flavor simply picks up steam. With the radiance of tangerine, a brightness shines through the wheat and illuminates the tastebuds with the radiance of fresh orange peels with those soft Belgian esters providing a rounded fruitiness before trending spicy in finish with minty hops and a linger of citrus pith.

Medium bodied, creamy and drying toward the finish, the Witbier is overshadowed by the character of orange and steers the session into a fruit beer flavor where the base wheat ale easily gets lost. Its a refreshing taste that's just as well suited for the middle of summer as it is winter.