Citrusy Wit
Stone Brewing in Escondido, California, United States 🇺🇸
Witbier Rotating|
Score
6.77
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When it comes to our beers and the ingredients we use, we give a wit. So rather than spinning just the same fruit wheel of the classic orange peel, we punched up our wit with the dynamic duo of tangerine and kaffir lime leaf. The fruit-forward aromatics and flavors are perfectly balanced, so you don’t have to bother adding a slice (or leaf) to the rim of your glass. Even with this lack of unnecessary garnish, you won’t find an absence of intense fruit. In fact, each dryly refreshing, citrusy sip of this coriander-spiced, tangerine-infused, Mandarina Bavaria-hopped creation will satisfy even the most hardcore fan.
Believe it or not, we’ve brewed a fair number of wit-inspired beers over the years. Like our rather unique take on an imperial wit, Stone 02.02.02 Vertical Epic Ale; Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens - Liberty Station Witty Moron (2014 GABF Gold Medal – “Other Belgian Style” category); and some collaboration wit IPAs. This is a beer style we really enjoy for its uniquely refreshing quality and complex blend of citrus and spice flavors. We decided pretty early on to take a unique twist on the traditional style (because that’s what we do at Stone). Wits are traditionally brewed with coriander and Curaçao orange peel, and are fairly mildly hopped. For our version, we used coriander but chose to enhance it with tangerine peel and kaffir lime leaf (an ingredient that we loved when it was used in the Stone 04.04.04 Vertical Epic Ale). We also hopped the beer with some citrusy and fruity hop varieties—Centennial, Amarillo and the new German variety Mandarina Bavaria. The result is a pleasantly intense citrus character that’s balanced by the spiciness provided by the coriander and the flavors produced from the yeast fermentation.
Believe it or not, we’ve brewed a fair number of wit-inspired beers over the years. Like our rather unique take on an imperial wit, Stone 02.02.02 Vertical Epic Ale; Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens - Liberty Station Witty Moron (2014 GABF Gold Medal – “Other Belgian Style” category); and some collaboration wit IPAs. This is a beer style we really enjoy for its uniquely refreshing quality and complex blend of citrus and spice flavors. We decided pretty early on to take a unique twist on the traditional style (because that’s what we do at Stone). Wits are traditionally brewed with coriander and Curaçao orange peel, and are fairly mildly hopped. For our version, we used coriander but chose to enhance it with tangerine peel and kaffir lime leaf (an ingredient that we loved when it was used in the Stone 04.04.04 Vertical Epic Ale). We also hopped the beer with some citrusy and fruity hop varieties—Centennial, Amarillo and the new German variety Mandarina Bavaria. The result is a pleasantly intense citrus character that’s balanced by the spiciness provided by the coriander and the flavors produced from the yeast fermentation.
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7/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottle from Biernavigatie. Aroma is wheaty and citrussy with lemon, peppery yeast, soft spicy notes, lots of zesty citrus peel and lime. Flavour is moderate sweet with a moderate to medium dry hoppy bitter finish. Body is medium. A superior example of Witbier.
Tried
from Bottle
on 08 Feb 2025
at 10:37
6.9/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
On tap at Beerlovers, Vienna. Free sample. Shared with Nick Carlson. Hazy golden, small off-white head. Citrusy nose, lemon cake. Cookie dough. Light bitterness, nicely balanced. Light to medium body, moderate carbonation, light finish.
Tried
from Draft
on 01 Feb 2018
at 15:47
7.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottled 07/27/2016 ... de chez Geers, achetée en juin 2017. Dorée pâle, col fin blanc. Arôme fruité, agrumes et pointe de coriandre, voire petite note de mandarine. Palais est malté, orge, wheat, bel effet fruité de mandarine et fini citronné, feuille de kafir, mandarina hop, coriandre revient plus à la charge sur la fin.
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 Nov 2017
at 14:06
6.3/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottle 12fl.oz. @ The Shnoodlepip, London. [ As Stone Citrusy Wit ].Unclear matt medium orange colour with a average, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white head. Aroma is moderate malty, pale malt, wheat, citrus, lemon, moderate yeasty, witbier yeast, spicy, coriander. Flavor is moderate sweet and light moderate bitter with a average to long duration, citrus, witbier yeast, spicy, coriander, medium dry. Body is medium, texture is oily to watery, carbonation is soft. [20161016] 6-3-6-3-13
Tried
from Bottle
on 17 Oct 2017
at 12:46
5.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 5
Leicht trüb, in der Nase ein ganz neues Aroma, schon Zitrus, aber auch Vanille. Im Trunk sehr aromatisch, orientalisch, Gewürz, Koriander, sehr bitter, zieht sich im Abgang noch lange nach. Nicht ganz einfach zu trinken, sehr intensiv - nicht im Alkohol, sondern im Aroma.
Tried
on 29 Sep 2017
at 12:00
5.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 5
Flavor 5
Texture 8
Overall 5.5
Not entirely fair to rate this bottle, seeing as I didn’t notice the "Bottled on 05/25/16" label until I got it home, but, hey, apparently Stone’s quit bottling it anyway, so who cares. Sweet and floral, caramel and yeast on top of tangerines and mandarins with a coriander undertone and a mild bitterness on the finish. Might have been better fresh; fourteen months old it’s not so much a wit as a bottle of liquid tangerine marmalade soap. Ignore all the beer and this review and grab a bottle of Sierra Nevada Ovila Abbey White instead.
Tried
from Bottle
on 04 Aug 2017
at 14:51