Scratch Beer 36 - 2010 (Bruce Wit)
Tröegs Brewing Company

 

 

The third scratch beer that exitmusic00 and I opened tonight from our bif tasting box. A white beer with spices that was bottled 1+ years ago. I am now dreading what this beer with taste like.

A- Pours a straw yellow with a thin cap. No lacing.

S- Acidity is upfront, followed by bubblegum, wheat, peppery spice. There also seems to be this odd sourness and barnyard funk in the aroma. As this beer worms, it starts smelling like sweaty feet. Not pleasant.

T- Some sweet cream corn upfront, wheat, peppery spice and a hint of bubblegum. Finishes with a strange vegetal taste, which exitmusic00 described as canned green beans. I think that is pretty accurate.

M- Medium carbonation and a low to medium watery body that finishes sweet.

O- The final scratch beer for the night and not really better than the others. This beer seemed really off with a odd sour and funky aroma. These three beers were obviously past their prime and I guess I really didn't think these were going to taste good. I was right. I did however, enjoy exitmusic00 facial expressions during the tasting.

 

Served in a flared pokal.

Thanks to the Central PA group from the Gang Bang BIF for this bottle!

The Scratch Beer Dash (and our latest tasting) finally comes to a finish. The last leg pours a cloudy pale straw topped by a finger of white foam. The nose comprises wheat, salty water, and black pepper. The taste holds notes of wheat, black pepper, clove, light lemon zest, and orange peel. The body is a hefty-ish light, with a light moderate carbonation and a sorta watery feel. Overall, a pretty solid wit, though one that certainly doesn't help itself in the smell department. But the rest of it ain't too bad.

Poured into a tulip.

Light golden color with active carbonation. Half a finger white head that quickly dies down to a super thin layer of foam. No lacing really. Eventually head disappears.

Smells of sweet malt, grassy, herbal, a bit peppery/spicey as well.

Tastes of sweet malt, light bread notes, herbal and a bit floral as well, and a bit of spice from the wheat. Some slightly medicinal phenolic notes.

Mouthfeel is a little flabby and dull. Carbonation helps a bit, but it still falls flat.

It was the scratch beer festival night! i had spent a good deal of time collecting these and finally tracked down the last of what i needed and put them all down in a massive tasting. Split with my brother in law and his buddy on 5/6, these were all split into 6 ounce samplers. special note, this was the hardest to acquire of all of them!

A decent pour here, though not much in the way of any head on it so to speak. Still nice hazy and cloudy medium amber colored beer had some nice carbonation to it and a well rounded look.

The aroma was nice, hints of banana, cloves, and an almost bubble gum like aroma peeking in through the mammoth wheat smell. Same held true for the flavor, with massive amounts of wheat present right away that melded themselves into a nice banana and clove profile that seemed to continue to develop as it continued to warm. Nice balance here with a light to medium body and smooth carbonation, left with a slightly dry flavor in the mouth, I went in for a few more sips leaving a nice bubble gum flavor throughout.

Received via Secret Santa 2010 from Tanger.

Appearance: Poured into a pint glass and yield a bright straw yellow liquid with a finger of white head that dissipates quickly. I can hear the nucleation releasing from this beer, and the bubbles coming from it combined with the hazy nature of the beer create a very pretty picture of a witbier.

Smell: This beer smells awesome! Lemon, orange, coriander, cloves, and some other general spiciness make up the bulk of the nose on this beer. I get a small tiny bit of biscuit grains too, but the overwhelming notes are citrus and spice, and I love it!

Taste: The orange zest hits you right off the bat, and the spicy citrus from the nose continues its assault on the palate. The malt presence is a little more substantial than it was initially, but the zestiness of the citrus helps this beer remain light and airy and true to style.

Mouthfeel: This beer is very creamy and smooth, but the freshness of the fruits used in the brewing process helps it remain very light on the tongue, with a little residual stickiness on the finish.

Drinkability: This is a very drinkable witbier, and it reminds me a lot of the fresh witbier in Boulevard's smokestack series. The citrus really pops, but it's balanced very well by the spiciness of the cinnamon and cloves. Overall, this is probably one of the best beers I've had from Tröegs.

Pour is hazy which is expected with decent lacing. Almost looks like Lemonade. really does.
Aroma and flavors have a very prominant lemon flavor that isn't tart with smooth banana and clean wheat backed by a pinch of spice. Carbination is pretty lacking right now and light on the tongue, a stronger carb bite would really make the flavors pop and make it crisper. Enjoyable but has some room for improvement.

pours an "orange fruit drink" color with a smaller head than most whites. cloudy in appearance but still somewhat dark for the style. smell is actually funky upfront, almost like some saisons with a hint of citrus. Not an unpleasant smell just different for the style. The taste is very much like a "safe" white. The flavors are there, but overall somewhat weak, but thankfully it is not the citrus bomb that many bad whites end up being. It's a good taste with what you expect from whites, just a little less punch than the best in class. overall this is a decent white. I'd buy it if it were in the regular lineup and it's a rare "middle of the road" white for me, since I usually love 'em or hate 'em.

A - Orangish color with some white head that didn't retain particularly well or leave much on the side.

S - Smell of banana, coriander, clove, mild spice. Not bad, nothing great.

D - Tastes actually a bit like GI's Matilda, although less flavorful and watered down. Sweet, banana, some yeast, clove, it's okay, just watery.

M - Average carbonation, lighter bodied, watery.

D - Not too hard to drink, but this is not a particularly good beer that I would want to have tons more of.

12oz bottle thanks to Sean, drank from a perfect pint glass... This is a really ugly neon straw, murky, looks watery. A light off white head not much to look at there either... The aroma is decent, a ton of banana with some spice, not bad just boring.... The taste is super boring, more light banana, weak...The mouthfeel is bad, way to light, low carbonation, water...Totally quaffable but not good enough for me to drink again.

A 12 oz bottle.

A: The witbier is a hazy golden yellow, opaque. A steady stream of bubbles emerged on the initial pour but the ale quickly settled down. No head.

S: A rangy, wide-open nose that seems far more apt in a saison, the witbier has plenty of anise. Coriander follows up with a softer aroma but the anise is the star of the show.

T: The pairing of wheat and spices is well done, a light ale that packs a strong flavor. The wheat is tart but not a game changer, instead it just supports the spice profile. Anise stands in place of the normal witbier palette of flavors. The licorice flavor is not an overpowering flavor, instead it just seems to fit in, making the witbier taste more like a saison. The ale is light on carbonation, keeping the anise in the spotlight. A strong twist on a witbier. Kudos to the added depth.

M: The mouthfeel is refreshing, aided by the wheat's tartness, and complex, thanks to the anise.

D: Quaffable with a unique twist, Bruce Wit is a surprise contender for the best of the Scratches. The stronger anise amongst the tart wheat is a pleasing departure.

Thanks to Bobby for sharing this one.

A: A highly hazed appearance to this beer. Straw and orange in color with a thin layer of white foam.

S: A really nice nose. Lots of spices going on here, particularly white sage and coriander, along with orange and grapefruit peel. Sweet malts and wheat bread provide an excellent base.

T: The citrus flavor is really quite intense. Seems to be a lot of grapefruit and less of an emphasis on the orange. Wheat is prominent and provides a nice sweet bready flavor. Less spice than the nose had, but again quite a bit of coriander and sage.

M: The body is medium and so is the carbonation.

D: A damn good witbier, which I don't always find to be a well done style.

Sampled inlate December, 2010. Bottle to pokal. $4 for the single.

A: Pours with a scant finger of bright white foamy/sudsy head. Medium retention and lingering collar. The body is pale, goldenrod at the center and becoming light yellow towards its extremities. Cloudy with 10-15% transparency. No lacing.

S: Toasted malts provide the backdrop with notes of straw, grain, bread and cracker. The hop bill produces aromas of orange and lemon with underlying woody and grassy qualities. A nice blend of sweat and dough is imparted by the yeast. Subtle hints of earthier tones include must and, just further in the background, very light barnyard. The aroma is by far the most successful aspect of this brew.

T: Fruit and spice flavor blends perfectly up front and right through the mid palate. Spices include pepper, coriander, ginger and suggestions of clove. There is a mélange of fermemted fruit flavor starting with dried banana, then leading into more nuanced flavors of pear, pineapple, peach and apple. A light sourness and medium tanginess is appreciated. Bruce Wit starts out authentically Belgian but the flavor begins to flatten out on the backend of the palate. Alcohol is noticeable throughout, but it is unmistakably bigger on the finish.

M: Medium light body, perhaps a touch thin. The carbonation is above average and fizzy, but it cannot quite cut through the slightly alcoholic texture.

D: Above average overall but I am content with the one bottle that I had.

This beer is brewed in my own backyard, but it still found its way to my wants list. GabrielM, my secret Santa, managed to send it to me even though he lives in New Mexico. Kind of neat. Thanks Gabe.

Scratch 36 has a very has, bright yellow body and a white head. The head shrinks quickly without leaving any lacing.

Nice smell, lots of tangy wheat with coriander, lemon, and orange peel.

A ton of wheat twang provides a solid base for this wit. Coriander and pepper are the strongest flavors, and at first I think that this reminds me a lot of Dream Weaver, Troegs standard wheat beer. Honestly, it does remind me of that, but the Belgian yeast adds enough to distinguish it. In addition to the pepper there is a good bit of orange peel and lemon. The finish has some more wheat.

The wheat makes the body creamy, but the carbonation feels a tad low.

Scratch 38 is a decent wit, but it isn't fantastic.

Thanks to stormking47 for yet another bottle of Troegs. I'm finally whittling the mound of beer down to a manageable level.

Pour is classic wit, looks like orange marmalade in a goblet. Ditto the smell, with citrus, orange peel, wheat, & overt yeast all mixed in the nose.

Scratch 36 is true to the nose. Lemon & citrus form a dominant trio, with neither getting the upper hand. The spices that weren't evident in the nose get some play, but they're vaguely peppery without much definition. Dose of yeastiness arrives in the aftertaste, & it's a bit strong & not completely welcome.

Not bad, but this is one of those rare beers for me that struggles on mouthfeel; this one is thin to the point of watery. Very odd, because there's enough taste to make this good.

Decent enough beer, but a bit of a let-down from the Scratch series. Has all the ingredients to be a fine wit, but it's lacking. Something.

Pours a hazy, pale yellow with a 1-finger, white head that falls to a cover while leaving little bits of lacing.

The smell is some spices, yeast, a little banana and coriander.

The taste is banana, coriander, then cloves and a little peppery in the end that lingers on the tip of the tongue.

Mouthfeel is a bit thin and moderately carbonated.

Drinkability: Is pretty good. There isn't anything special about this wit especially compared to the very good ones. If this suits you well enough then a few should go down nicely.

Thanks goes out to Deuane for hooking me up with a couple of bottles of this one, ensuring I still have not missed (although I've not necessarily reviewed them all) a single Scratch brew!

Pours a slightly hazed pale golden color with one finger of bone white head. Keeps just a very thin lace with no real stick to speak of.

Smell reveals some very nice yeast character, estery and spicy, with a light grainy sweetness and spices. It's peppery with a good dose of coriander as well. Some obligatory orange to round it out.

Taste also consists of some sweet wheat with a grainy character, some musty and estery yeast, a bit of orange and a good deal of spice. Coriander is dominant, but it's also somewhat peppery and earthy.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, pretty creamy and just generally fuller feeling than many wits, which often seem watery to me. Finish is not super clean with a sweet coating left on the palate.

Wits are not my favorite style by any stretch, but this is a pretty darn tasty one. Tasty stuff and well done.

Big thanks to Kiel for this 12oz bottle.

Pours a seriously cloudy orangish yellow with a smallish white head that recedes quickly to a thin collar leaving no lacing.

Aroma is excellent with an equal mix of spices and wheat. The spices include coriander and pepper but there is some sweet Belgian yeast and bananas as well.

The spices come out swinging in the taste with the coriander and anise up front with some orange peel and lemon zest. The backbone of wheat is there and noticeable but the spices leaves a tingly, peppery finish.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with good carbonation, though maybe not quite as effervescent as I'd expect in a wit. Tad thin.

This is a heavily spiced wit that's certainly above average for the style and very drinkable.