Ertvelds Wit
Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.

"Too fruity! Too floral! Too grainy! Too sweet!" -these are the handcuffs that usually limit the success of the witbier style. In hopes that brewers capture a greater market with this finesse oriented style, many have turned away from the balance, complexity and playful acidity that make authentic ones so charming. Van Steenberge's Ertvelds Wit resets the tone with a beautiful and basic flavor that's happily not forgotten.

Ertvelds foggy, canary-yellow pour tops with a delicate cream of white meringue before sheding a citrus laden scent with pepper, tartness and a fresh sugar-cookie scent. Floral, fruity and bright with a whimsical flower bouquet, the beer's scent greets the tongue with those light confectioner's sweetnesses and a burst of orange and lemon, seemingly of lemon candy.

As the floral aroma and fruity sweetness relaxes a touch, the bready substrate remains in order to support the cider, wine and citrus peel character that springs to life. Herbal and zesty, a finish of tea, sassafras and lemon acidity gives a creamy lemonade and creamsicle character.

Peppery with clove, white pepper then soothed with hints of vanilla, a world of understated complexity awaits. Refreshing, crisp and bright, the beer's soft palate offers a great sense of calm without giving up on complexity or quality. Minty-cool to close, the beer's quick finish trails briefly with cereal and lemon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On draught at La Trappe, Ertvelds is hazy pale gold with a white head leaving pretty foamy lace.

Smell is big fruity esters, with slightly herbal, earthy hops, a touch skunky.

Taste is a bit grainy, the perception amplied by the salty chaulkiness. Nice tropical fruit esters, lychee.

Mouthfeel is bone dry but slippery, with a very light body.

Drinkability is pretty high, this is really what I look for in the style. More minerality than most, which begets many sips.

 

BA is claiming this to be a retired brew but I just had it on tap at Granville Moore's in DC on Feb 21st (2012). It was a pretty solid Witbier with the aroma and taste being a bit more robust than normal for brew style. Citrus notes. Very refreshing.

Etvelds Wit

Pours a cloudy straw yellow, good head retention and lacing. Aroma of wheat malt, hay, and citrus. In the taste, clean, mildly sweet, malty and alittle lemony. Mouthfeel is lighter bodied with a moderate level of carbonation. Overall, a pretty standard wit.

Had no idea this one was retired when I ordered it, nice surprise! Served from tap into a Trappe Door tulip. Poured a hazy golden yellow with a three finger pure white head that subsided to one slowly. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, wheat, grain, and banana. The flavor was of sweet malt, wheat, grain, subtle banana, and nutmeg. It had a medium feel on tha palate with high carbonation. Overall this was a pretty good brew. The flavor was quite enjoyable and very smooth on this one. All aspects of the flavor blended quite well together and made me come back for more. It had a very nice balance of nuttiness and fruit going on. Great aroma going on here for a Witbier. Get this on your palate now if you can!

at Lucky Baldwins Belgian Beer Festival

Served as sample size in a 6 oz glass. It has a pale straw in color with a limited head. The aroma is very spicy (banana and clove) and yeasty (Brettanomyces?). The wheat flavor is crisp with a slight sour note. Tastes of coriander and lemon zest. It was quite refreshing and enjoyable.

On tap at Max's during the 72 Hours of Belgium, pours a super light hazy grapefruit jiuce yellow, slight thin head, slight amount of lacing. Nose is light, slgihtly fruity, with a definite note of coriander. Taste is a nice smooth wheat malt, lots of fruitiness--apple, grapefruit, lemon, banana, melon, spicey coriander, very wonderful tasting witbier. Mouthfeel is nice and smooth, bubbly on the tongue, very nice with the spices. This is a very nice witbier, one of the first I've had this year, a nice treat at Max's.

I am not one for witbeirs, but this one blew me away. The beer was poured from the tap into a large goblet style glass. The hazy white/ very light yellow color demanded my attention. It was the bubbles, there was thousands of microscopic laces all over the glass. The head was robust and powerful with an aroma that was very inticing.
The flavor was first of bananas and then a mild malty tone in the background than finished very refreshing and I could almost taste a citrus bitterness in the back of my thoat. WOW. I did not expect this coming and this was definately my choice of top witbeir that I have experienced so far. Changed my mind about the style.
Superb! I must find this beer for my stock. I only hope it is as good from the bottle as it was on tap.

Sampled from the Tap at Lucky Baldwin’s during their August 20-28 Belgium Beer Festival.
Number #4 on the List.
$3 for a Taster in a small Chimay Goblet Glass.

Appearance: Very bright almost luminescent bright but pale yellow body. Sheer bleached white head is expanded and low in density. Spritzy conditioning and a lively unsettled, but yet attractive, appearance.

Nose: Appealing fruity nose, bold with lots of character. Spices mix easily with orange & lemons. Soft cloves, wheat and a light hop bitter character.

Taste: Lovely refreshing and thirst quenching start to the 90 minutes I spent in Lucky Baldwins. Coriander and oranges mix with spicy yeasts, hints of banana and fresh cloves, defined wheat grain and soft citric fruits. Tangy finish with a little orange pith. Very refreshing,

Mouthfeel: Light feel, average body but a solid conditioning rises in this brew; it effervesces on the tongue and really brings this one to life.

Drinkability: Exceptionally refreshing and easily downed. A real Quaffer.

Overall: A lovely spicy Wit that is extremely refreshing and a superb Summer thirst quencher. Nicely done!