Citrusy Wit

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.