Farmer's Tan White Ale
Brewsters Brewing Company & Restaurant - Eleventh Avenue

 

 

 

 

 

 

The hazy regular wheat offering from Brewster's, this beer is bright yellow and almost looks like liquified banana. Not see-thru like its brother Wild West wheat ale (different style of course). Aroma is quite nice actually, with banana and spice leading the way, accompanied by sweet strong yeast. Taste follows the nose but is downplayed a bit. I get a bit of a sour pickle juice flavor as I proceed through the pint, and some grassy hops reveal themselves. Body is about right for a witbier but the finish is a bit astringent and coarse. Malt character is grainy and carbonation level is right on, not too much. More character than a few of Brewster's other regulars. I come down firmly on the no orange side of the debate but to each their own.

 

This is one of brewsters' main line of beers - albeit not one of my very favourites. It is your straight up vanilla white ale. It's a bit more sour than some other white ales I've had, but is a tasty beer nonetheless.

I'll add some more to this when I have the beer more recently, this is mostly off memory.

Another Brewster's offering that I had yet to try.
Served in a frosted glass with an orange slice garnish.
The beer is a cloudy, straw yellow color. Head had shrunk down to a thin floating circle arounf the edge of the glass, left little lacing.
Aroma was as expected: light malt, wheat, some spice like clove, hint of banana esters.
Yeasty flavor to start, solid wheat malt base. Finishes with the same spiciness as the smells, and a slightly sharp citrus zing.
Light towards medium bodied, lots of carbonation, appropriate mouthfeel.
I always enjoy the look of shock/confusion/disgust from other patrons when a pint of unfiltered cloudy beer arrives.

 

500ml bottle poured into a 20oz nonic.

A - A good rough pour yields a fluffy three-finger head a thick foam. The beer is a cloudy golden-straw color. Head settles to a nice cap but leaves little lacing.

S - Fairly simple aroma upfront, with wheat, cereal grains and some mild spices upfront. Some clove and maybe a touch of banana and yeast.

T - Okay, this is not at all the beer it was on-tap. Much of the yeasty/zesty/wheat character has gone away and been replaced with bland cereal grains and corn. The witbier feel is still definitely there, but some flavors here certainly hint towards an APWA type of profile. Still, overall this thing delivers the sort of citrusy zest I love in a wit, although the spices and yeast notes are kept minimal.

M - Light bodied, carbonation is a touch fizzy. Not much else to say here. Average I suppose.

D - Another tasty offering by Brewsters. Not the best wit I've had by a long shot, but I can definitely see myself drinking this again down the road. Brewsters continues to impress me.

 

 

 

A hazy orange gold with a one finger bubbly white head that soon diminished to a ring. Good lacing.

Spicy clove and citrus smell. Some malts. Lemon spice in the taste. A dry, slightly sour burst in the middle. Lemon and mild malts at the finish.

Light body. Dry finish. Drinkability is good.

20oz pint at the Oliver location, as summer seems intent on lingering indefinitely. Served with a big slice of orange, which I use as a palate cleanser, because, well, I prefer my oranges all on their own.

This beer appears a cloudy, medium golden yellow colour, with two fat fingers of billowy and loosely foamy eggshell white head, which leaves some streaky webbed lace around the glass as it slowly falls away.

It smells of semi-sweet grainy wheat malt, underripe banana, spicy cloves, edgy yeast, and some mild black pepper. The taste is more of the same, but more integrated - the light and fluffy grainy wheat malt evenly balanced with the wet banana chips, clove, and mixed peppercorn combo of savoury flavours - a wee bit of earthy, grassy hops emerging as it warms.

The carbonation is quite muted in its downplayed frothiness, the body a sturdy medium weight and generally smooth, in a fruity sort of manner. It finishes well off-dry, with a healthy lingering dose of bready malt, fleshy fruit and waning spice.

Definitely a significant step up from the BMC attempts at the style - much fuller and more rounded. Not a bad choice for local summer patio on-tap availability, even with that superfluous citrus wedge.