Double Witbier
Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant

I liked this one after trying it in a sampler in the restaurant, so I thought I'd get a growler to go.

This one pours a dark amber color. Not a whole lot of carbonation going on.

The nose is a faint vanilla and spice.

The flavor is a nice balance of malt and spice. Sort of reminds me of a dark dopplebock.

I would definitely get this beer again.

On tap @ Iron Hill Lancaster on 5/25/09. Served in an oversized mug.

Pours a hazy pale gold with a finger of fizzy brite-white head. Retains with a rich and frothy look to it, leaving a thick blanket of lace that slowy recedes down. The aroma is VERY fresh and floral smelling, with notes of sweet wheat, lemon zest, light bananas, yeasty phenols, and some spicy clove. This takes a bit to fully open up, but when it does, it's fairly full smelling in the nose.

The taste starts with a thickish sweet base of wheat, which is then hit with a smack of lemony citrus and prominent clovish tasting spicing, before melding into some softer yeasty accents, and then finishing with some firm hop bitterness in the back, which ends things with a zing. All of the flavors even and blend together nicely as this warms up. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a sharp and prickly carbonation and a relatively beefy feel to it that keeps the drinkibility down at first; but as this warms and the flavors balance, it thins out the body enough, getting things back on track for a decent quaff.

This tends to not be one of my favorite styles, with the combo of the heavy malts, spice, and yeasty character of these making it difficult to drink. Fortunately, this one blossomed nicely as it warmed, not only allowing all of the flavors to come out to play but also keeping the drinkibility up as well. Solid take on a style that I'm starting to see more of lately.

Appearance - Hazy yellow with a small frothy white head.

Aroma - Fresh citrus zest and baby aspirin.

Mouthfeel - Well carbonated but not overdone. The brew scrubs the palate leaving the mouth feeling clean and ready for more.

Taste - Very light tropical fruit flavors of green tart pineapple and creamy mango.

Overall - Spectacular Wit! Clean and refreshing, and very drinkable for having such high alcohol.

Thanks Paul Rutheford for letting me taste this -according to the brewer it is brewed with lemongrass and ginger instead of tradition wit spicing. The abv is 8.5% as I am told

A - Served chilled in a goblet, the shade of marigold w/ a faint white head

S - Spices and banana are full in the nose w/ yeasty fragrance - slightly ginger w/ a light pepper scent but so subdued you get mostly yeast notes and mild alcohol odors.

M - Full feeling w/ slightly spiced and dry texture w/ a light tropical feel + a mild alcohol finish

T - A pleasant wheat flavor is creamy upfront w/ a light banana taste w/ light tart lemongrass and mild ginger under the pineapple and mango the yeast gives off. The taste is dry with concentrated sweetness like dehydrated banana or mango slices. The yeast provides a good bit of the flavor in this wit

D - A fine ale -very smooth for the high abv. The thing about it is it is easy to drink but you'll feel it if you don't take it seriously since it drinks much like an ordinary wit

a: This was a murky, pale, straw colored yellow. It was served to me with a short, white frothy cap that faded to a long lasting whisp.

s: All the elements of a wit, with the addition of a surprisingly gentle touch of heat. Bananas and cloves, plenty of yeasty goodness.

t: I've had a couple of big wits before this one. They tasted like wit concentrate, very banana oriented and far too sweet. This was different. This was a very tasty wit with a warm finish. Very nice.

m: Thick, chewy, and very viscous with foamy carbonation.

d: This is the first big wit that I've liked, but the last couple of sips were a bit of a chore. Still, I'll probably be back for another.