Kentucky White Ale
Alltech's Lexington Brewing and Distilling Co.

 

Poured from the tap into a pint glass at Churchill's Pub in Savannah. The appearance is a cloudy golden yellow with a small white head. The aroma is mild sweet hops and malt.

 

Had this on tap tonight at a local burger and brew place. I’m not a fan of wiebiers and this one seemed to be extra lacking. What flavor there was, was mostly watered down coriander and citrus. Very small head and slight lacing. I tasted another local witbier for a comparison with the local beer being slightly better but still watery tasting. I am not surprised that this beer is retired.

 

 

 

 

 

As with so many Alltech products there's a really alluring base but it never asserts itself and delivers a weaker version of the style. So goes this White as I get orange peels and coriander, dry straw, wheat malt, white pepper, light Belgian yeast and a finish of white wine spritzer. Nice flavors and suitably complex but just a tad too weak.

 

Wheat, orange peel, orange, and a touch of musty yeast form the aroma. Orange is dominant, with coriander adding a touch of smokiness late.

Flavor is fairly hollow, character-wise. There's a substantial orange presence initially, with substantial spice, exaggerated by over carbonation, and lightly bready malt kicking in at the finish. Orange overpowers, to me, and Belgian yeast character gets lost until the lightly bubblegum and peach aftertaste.

Resisting the "Bourbon Trail" tendencies, Lexington Brewing releases a spring duo of farmhouse ale that doesn't celebrate the bourbon barrel, but instead celebrates the University of Kentucky, men's basketball team as they steer toward the madness of a championship run.

Their "White" counterpart to "Blue & White" pours the common cloudy straw hues that's expected of the rural Belgian countryside. With a cottony fluff settling on top, the sweetness of grain, bread and powdered sugar greets the nose. Its taste is candied with malt sweetness and fresh-kilned cereal.

As the taste settles and the sweetness relaxes, the fruit-forward taste of apple, lemon, orange and berry evokes the taste of "fruit loops" cereal. Its spicy rebuttal from white pepper, mint, clove, coriander and dried citrus awaken to add tepid balance to the beer's waning moments.

Medium statured for the style, the beer's residual sweetness, breadiness and creamy carbonation implies angel food cake even as the beer's sweetness wavers and the spicier, grainier and drier tone ensures a pleasant finish and malty-dry drinkability.

A local beer curmudgeon has insisted that Alltech does brew decent beers, just that they keep putting them in barrels and ruining them. Don't put this one in a barrel. It's a nice, light drinking ale.