Blanca de Maguey
Cerveceria Monstruo de Agua

This witbier gave me the impresion more like a mix of i.p.a mix with a farm ale , bitter, funky , yeasty.

super heady mexican craft beer here, at amano in caldwell from the bottle, never heard of this before ever, so a nice surprise during our impressive dinner last night, and what a cool beer! loosely a wit i suppose, but done with agave in addition to the orange peel and coriander seeds, and very unique on the yeast, drinks recognizable in this style space but only loosely, also kind of hits like a belgian golden with the decent clarity for the style and the esters and the residual sweetness it carries, but really well composed and tidy, my wife also loved it, a huge plus with any beer of course! a little color for a witbier type, maltier looking in the lighter amber range, i kind of thought maybe the agave would stand in for some grain, but they appear to have went with both, a big inch and a half of puffing white head on top, gorgeous retention, looks like my sourdough starter floating on top there, super active, nice looking brew with plenty of carbonation. its lush in the nose, i do get the agave right away, a nice natural coriander character too, almost more the green cilantro aspect to it, very subtle citrus, aloe vera, green tea, and some grainy sweetness and light toast thats not out of place here, white pepper and cooked pear to the yeast profile, very cohesive overall, and light really, even though im kind of making it sound heavy here, i realize that, but this is refreshing through and through. the flavor is great, just like the nose, spirited and fresh, botanical to me, great with complex mexican flavors, more coriander than orange which is nice, and some pleasing acidity and balancing bitterness from the orange, rally complex beer overall for being as drinkable as it is. i like the slightly richer malt bill, i love the earthy and sweet layers the agave contributes in different places, and i also really like the ferment, unique in this style, some soft wheaty body, zesty, kinf of limey, lots of minerality, almost salted as it warms, faint astringency from the orange, a ton of personality overall and a beer unlike any i can recall ever having. one more special element here for amano, and i am now super curious to try more from these guys, i hope they come around at some point. loved this, extremely distinctive.

 

Solid witbeir, a nice peachy colored hue to the beer with frothy white head, the smell was hop-forward with a mouthfeel that was medium-bodied and very crisp. The taste was not indicative of the flavors mentioned due to the hoppy nature of the beer. Overall, like I said, solid...

12oz brown bottle. No dating information found.
Foamer upon opening. Cloudy pale gold colored body. Overflow head. Spotty lacing patterns left behind.
Aroma of yeast and malts, with minor notes of citrus and coriander.
Taste is a mix of orange, agave, and coriander. Bright hops. The citrus is prominent through most of the taste profile but the agave and coriander linger in the aftertaste. Has a sharp impression like a wheat ale.
Quite thick mouth feel. LIkely overcarbonated as evidenced by the foaming bottle upon opening.
The agave and coriander really do add quite a bit to the flavor profile, especially in the later stages. Difficult to place as to style because of the ingredients and the sharpness. Kind of like this and kind of like that, but not really a tight fit in either.

The pour is a murky hazy yellow. There is no date on the bottle btw. The taste is citrus, coriander, & orange peel. The taste does sort of remind me of an IPA. Cheers! B-

A: The beer is very hazy dark brownish yellow in color. It poured with a two finger high off white head that has excellent retention properties and consistently left a finger high head covering the surface and lots of thick lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: Light aromas of agave nectar and coriander spices are present in the nose.
T: The taste has light flavors of agave and coriander along with hints of orange citrus.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This is an interesting beer and seems like a hybrid between a Witbier and an English IPA.

Serving type: bottle

 

No bottling date (label stamped with 'BM001')

Pours a hazy, slightly brownish burnt amber body capped with a billowing, thick off-white head; very good retention leaves a chunky cap and moderate collar accompanied by a varied spatter of thinner, webby/spotty lacing.

Aroma opens with fresh orange and lighter tones of grapefruit pith; agave becomes prominent along the middle, though courses consistently through the undercurrent of the bouquet; composting peach, apricot, and softer touches of flaky malt, cranberry, and strawberry provide an oily, tropical close.

Taste shows a blunt hit of grapefruit and orange sweetness upfront before giving way to silky agave nectar on the mid-palate; citrus pith develops briefly as some peach and touches of pineapple and musty malt ease through a quick finish.

Mouthfeel offers a light-medium body with a carbonation on the upper end of moderate, a balance which proves oily and incredibly effortless along the palate; a slight spritzing across the mid-palate quickly transitions to a slick, herbal bitterness fading steadily into the finish.

A clever yet spotty take on the white IPA, this one brings much of the refreshment of its fruity additions and nearly none of the heft expected of its wheated billing; there are plenty of refinements to be made here, yet this beer succeeds (in part) with a simple, effective construction and unabashed ability to be enjoyed without thought, similar to an AAL.