Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Tasting Notes: A Neighbor's Belgian Wit

My neighbor has recently resumed his homebrewing after a many year hiatus and he gave me one of his Belgian Wit’s to try.

 

Aroma: faint hint of orange, some spice, herbal/pepper aroma; no diacetyl

 

Appearance: cloudy, almost muddy orange with amber hues; carbonation low; very thin white ring of head that hung around through the sitting; a few shades too dark and not enough head retention for a Belgian Wit

 

Flavor: a small amount of spice accompanied the stereotypical “extract twang”; no dominant malt of hops flavor – very well balanced; some spicy esters from possibly a high fermentation temperature

 

Mouthfeel: thin body, low carbonation, no alcohol warmth or astringency; finished a bit on the tart side

 

Overall impression: Great first attempt! You have the basics of making a Wit down. You made a very well balanced beer that is relatively refreshing. The thing that hurt this beer the most was the low carbonation – a Belgian White should have around 2.75 to 3.0 volumes of CO2, which would help with head retention; Also, try a full volume boil which will help you brew beers with lighter colors and will reduce that “extract twang”

 

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