Tokyo

hazy golden colour, medium white head; aroma and taste of citrus, dill, coriander, grass, bread crust, yeast and orange notes; good one

Reprisal of a discontinued witbier of the same name brewed once in 2012 for export to Japan, but with slightly altered recipe; I actually had this new, canned version several times before, right after its release even, but did not bother to take notes back then because I thought it was going to be aliased with the original Tokyo anyway - but seeing that it has not and was brewed to a new recipe, I bought a can for rating purposes anyway. Thick and pillowy, rocky, cobweb-lacing, egg-white, very frothy and stable head on a cloudy straw blonde beer with ochre-ish tinge - the classic 'wit' look indeed. Typical 'blancheke' nose as well: lots of wet wheat flour and white bread dough, white soap, a heap of ground coriander seed, banana peel, dried orange zest, hints of lemongrass, cooked turnip, unsugared chewing gum, cold French fries, damp straw. Fruity, quite spritzy onset, lots of stinging, minerally carbonation, notes of halfripe banana, some Golden Delicious apple and unripe pear, smooth and soft body; slick and soapy wheat body with bready core, wheat sourishness but in a 'rotund' kind of way and very soft, more residual sweetishness in fact, spiced by strong coriander powder and a dash of dried citrus peel. Phenolic accents in the finish too, along with a floral, late hop bitterishness that remains rather weak - as is custom in traditional witbier, so as to let the refreshing wheat sourishness speak. The coriander lingers and so does the banana ester. Very close to the Hoegaarden Witbier standard, a throwback in time I would almost say, even beyond the original 2012 version (which came in 75 cl bottles) which I remember was a bit yeastier and had a fuller, more biscuity malt character. Even their standard Sint-Bernardus Wit has a fuller malt character than this new canned Tokyo... The spicing, on the other hand, is a bit tangier in this one than in either the original Tokyo or the classic Wit, adding refreshment and a (little) bit of complexity. Not bad as such, in all, but for me the maltier character of the Wit beats this one.

Lichtgeel ietwat troebel bier met weinig schuim. Smaak is licht zoet en enigszins kruidig met iets van nootmuskaat, kaneel en een vleugje anijs en een fruitige toevoeging van banaan. Heel bijzondere smaak en als je er aan gewent bent een echt heel fijn witbier.

Blijk gekregen van Tomhendriksen en thuis gedronken. Bleek geel bier met een aroma van tropisch fruit en kruiden. Smaak is fruitig met sinaasappelschil en koriander. Nasmaak is hoppig.

Ever so slightly hazy pure copper and orange coloured body with a very thin, single centimetre tall off-white head that starts off a lot taller when the can is opened and the beer almost gushes out, but that dies down very quickly and so does the head on top - interesting! Aroma of coriander seed, a lot of nutmeg and cloves with a big banana bite and a ton of both wheatie and yeastie notes - this really does smell like a very fine wit, but that makes since, given that the brewer is one of the best in all of Belgium and the wit is of course, a real belgian style. Medium-bodied; Significant spice flavours dominate from the nutmeg to the cloves, the coriander seed and especially the curacao elements here - the flavours are pungent, for such a mild and easy-drinking, fresh and soft beer. Aftertaste shows a lot of complex flavour sets, but the dry wheatie and slightly grassy flavours show at first, but give way to an easier drinking wheat and fresh coriander seed profile that ends with a light sweetness from bananas and bubble gum and finishes completely with a herbal bite that gives off some bitterness. Overall, a nice and super elegant beer that is a perfect remedy for a hot day (even if it's before summer starts) here in Washington at least, and I'm sure would be even better in the the lesser beer landscape of Tokyo where the days get just as hot, but the people there pretend that they can dress the same in long sleeves and be 'normal' I sampled this 33 cL can, purchased from Total Wine in Alexandria, Virginia on 24-October-2020 for US$3,79 sampled at my house here in Washington on 22-May-2021 after a 90degF plus day here in our Nation's Capital and it's still a month away from the START of summer.

0.33 l can from 'Speciaalbierpakket', canned in August 2020. Hazy, golden amber with a thin, frothy slowly diminishing, white head. Sweetish, quite spicy, gently fruity-floral aroma of lemon peel, some banana, vanilla and traces of lime peel. Moderately sweet, gently spicy, moderately fruity-floral, minimally yeasty taste of banana, lemon peel, coconut and hints of nutmeg, followed by a short, moderately bitter, slightly yeasty-spicy finish. Medium body, smooth and slightly creamy mouthfeel, soft carbonation. Tasty Wit, refreshing and well-balanced.

33 cl can from Labirratorium, served in a Nest glass. A very hazy lemony yellow pour with a short-lived, off-white, foamy head. Aroma is moderate to low: rice, cardamom, white pepper, lemon zest. Dry, medium-bodied, not too crisp. Slow-moving, umami midpalate. The finish might be the most interesting part, long-lasting, dry and umami, with poignant grapefruit and nori seaweed hints. It does remind me of Tokyo beyond the fantastic art on the can.

Can. Color: Hazy pale golden, white head. Aroma: Wheat, yeasty, herbal notes, citrus hints. Taste: Smooth mouthfeel, yeasty, herbal, floral, banana and citrus notes. Over moderate sweet, moderate bitterness, slightly sour. More bitterness at finish. Medium body, below average carbonation. Ok.

33 cl. can @ home, bought @ Wijnzinnig, Gendt.
Hazy orange with a full dense white head. Citrus aroma with some yeasty banana and cabbage. Sweet taste with a peppery low-bitter finish.

Can, smells rather sterile. Cloudy light vanilla pale yellow with a creamy head. Decent kick on the first taste without being rude at all. Civilized, a real euro wit for a change. Just a hair of cleaning fluid hanging around in the background. Goes down fairly easy. Yes, friendly wit with a knack. Not bad, even nearly at room temp! Slight processed character on the finish, but overall way better than most domestic attempts at wit.