Father Damien's Belgian Wit
Harbor City Brewing Company

On tap at Old Fashioned. I think it’s their beer of the month.

Poured in to a frosted (doh!) pint glass a slightly dirty pale golden brown with no head but ample carbonation. Appearance doesn’t fit the Wit label but I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that the brewery was shooting for a wit-golden pale hi-bred when they made this so I won’t let the color bother me much.

Nose is pretty two dimensional – coriander and rotten orange peal. Sure there are some sweet bready aromas, some tropical fruit, and a few dashes of other spices but hey all come back to rotten orange and coriander.

Taste is slightly boozy very spicy, sweet and fruity. First and foremost orange comes through but it is followed by underipened papaya, banana, and pineapple. The spiciness varies from coriander top pepper to just a hint of clove. A strong, sweet wheat base is present.

Mouthfeel is medium-light, crisp, sweet, and just slightly boozy.

Drinkability is low. This is unbalanced toward sweetness. It has some of the wit characteristics like orange aroma and spiciness but it also has the bad traits of a poorly brewed BPA – booziness, burning carbonation (I like my wits smooth and creamy), to much sweetness, and too much rotten tropical fruit flavor. Not very pleasing.

On-tap at Biaggi's (Italian Restaurant) in Madison, Wi.

A: Hazy, dirty straw, very little head, no retention or lace.

S: Tropical fruit and spice (cloves?).

T: Tropical fruit (pineapple, mango, banana), cloves, wheat, phenolic spicyness with hints of fusils. Bigger & more 'Belgian' than your typical Wit.

M: Moderate body is smooth; modest carbonation.

D: I went for a second pint.

This Belgian wit is brewed exclusively for the Wicked Hop bar located in downtown Milwaukee's Third Ward.

Served an unfiltered pale golden in color with a fleeting white cap. Presented in a standard pint glass with an orange slice positioned on the rim. Disappointingly light aroma as nothing really stood out. Mouthfeel bordered on light to medium. Very bland witbier. Light on the spicing and overall appeal. Wheat malt was enough to give the beer some substance, but it lacks any real interesting, or should I say even common charactersitics of a good wit. No creamy mouthfeel, no corriander, spices or orange flavor. Perhaps i should have dropped my orange slice into the pint for some?

I'm not sure who this beer appeals to? Oddly enough it's fairly easy drinking, although lackluster in nearly every aspect. It's a below average wit at that and Father Damien isn't going to convert anyone over to the style. Disappointing.