Digger's Wit
Wellington Brewery

 

Appearance: Poured with a finger and a half of froth head that stay around and produced ample lacing. The body boasts ample carbonation, and while there is a bit of a hazy to it, I wouldn't call it cloudy by Wit standards which is the only thing keeping it from the perfect score.

Smell: Bready malt with notes of lemon, cloves and a touch of bubble gum. Warming didn't really help the matter but it's potent enough to be solid.

Taste: Starts with grainy malt with a touch of banana that turns to a light touch of cloves, apples and lemon zest with a floral touch. Not quite as potent as I'd like it to be.

Mouthfeel: Slight lemon zest aftertaste which doesn't built upon itself. The carbonation seems off, and I'm not sure if the carbonation is to blame as it's very high. The issue is the lack of potency seems to give it almost a club soda quality to the beer. That said, it does make it crisp and clean.

Drinkability: Refreshing as a good Wit should be, and light bodied like a Wit should be as well. That said, it's so light bodied that it's not exactly as desirable as other Wits. It struggles to hold my interest I suppose is the best way to describe it.

Final Thoughts: This is a summer drinker, as most Wits are, and the beer hits a lot of the right buttons, but where it counts, it falls flat. I mean, it looks nice, it smells well enough, but the flavor and impact just isn't there. I've certainly had lighter and milder Wits, and this nearly falls among them. I wouldn't go out of my way for this one.

355 mL bottle from the LCBO; one of two new Wellington brews included in the fourth edition of their Welly Re-Booted mixed four-pack. Best before Aug 12 2018 and served well chilled.

Pours a hazy, translucent straw-yellow colour, with one finger of thick, creamy, meringue-like head that lasts on and on, constantly being resupplied by streams of effervescence from within the liquid. Fantastic lacing, too... this is one of the best-looking beers of its kind I've had in a long time. Pleasant aroma - grain husks, crackery wheat, and a light bready sweetness, overlapped by mild notes of coriander spice and citrus zest. Pretty much exactly what I'd expect of a witbier, aroma-wise.

A fine, light Belgian-style tipple. It starts off with a light malt backing of grainy, crackery sweetness, soon joined up by a noticeably yeasty quality that imparts fruity notes of apple, bubble gum and stone fruit. Lightly grassy on the back end, with coriander spiciness coming through more strongly than the oils of the lemon & lime citrus zest. Dries out quickly after a spicy finish, leaving the tongue just begging to be quenched by a follow-up sip - its drinkability is through the roof. Light in body, with fairly assertive carbonation that prickles the palate firmly and continuously.

Final Grade: 4.03, an A-. One of those beers where 355 mL just isn't enough, Digger's Wit is actually one of the best Ontario-made witbiers I've tried to date. A more than acceptable substitute for old staples such as Hoegaarden and Blanche de Chambly; if this were to show up in tall cans at the LCBO, I know I'd be picking it up multiple times over the course of the next few months. Wellington may not be known for producing a lot of Belgian-style stuff, but this quality brew suggests that they may have the potential to do very well at it, indeed.