7.3

Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

Organic witbier by this Ostend-based client brewer, having achieved a level of commercial success not every new microbrewer can enjoy - my bottle, for example, comes from a Carrefour supermarket in the city of Ghent. Some slow gushing, in the form of foam creeping out of the bottle neck, but nothing dramatic (contrary to their tripel I had earlier in the evening). Foamy, inches thick, off-white, very moussey and pillowy, somewhat crackling, cobweb-lacing, dense and firm head on a cloudy yellow blonde robe with khaki tinge - looking like an 'oldskool' Belgian wit indeed. Aroma of green banana, raw spinach, strong coriander seed, white soap, lemon peel, cucumber, cold chervil soup, withering lettuce, unripe green melon, old cotton cloth, hints of cooked turnip, sweat, pumice, gypsum, raw leek, moist white pepper, freshly cut grass, spruce tips (Chinook!), cumin cheese. Spritzy onset, lots of stingy (over)carbonation with strong minerally effects, also highlighting something clearly metallic (iron pipes) early on; fruity notes of green banana and unripe pear but restrained in sweetness and esteriness especially for this style. Minerally overcarbonation and that metallic effect continue under a smooth, slick, raw-wheaty base with grainy pale maltiness at its edges, a tad soapy and sourish as can be expected, gathering spicy notes from the added coriander seed (powder) and lemon zest, with certain refreshing effects. Hops are a bit more outspoken and 'developed' here than is typical for a Belgian wit, with background traces of grapefruity Cascade and piney Chinook still noticeable if you know where to look - but very subtly so, so that, as in many 'updated' Belgian blondes and tripels with New World hops I had, they feel a bit 'lost' here - a missed opportunity to upgrade this beer to an 'americanised' wheat ale, I think. They do add more bitterness, though, overruling the coriander a bit - but the lemon zest, fortunately, remains fresh and powerful enough to linger in the aftertaste, with very zesty, 'fresh' effect, indeed evoking the classic witbier experience in a somewhat distinct way. Very wheaty, not as 'coriandery' as many more oldskool 'blanchekes', more hoppy than average and still elegant, light and refreshing: this Pure White reiterates Pierre Celis' old Hoegaarden formula while at the same time daring to differ a bit with postmodern means, not an easy balancing exercise to perform. Not really my beer - I am but a cool lover of witbier - but admittedly more interesting than that half-hearted IPA and gushing tripel I had from these guys.

6.4

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

33cl bottle from Primeurs Achiel in Oostende. F: medium, white, good retention. C: pale gold, hazy. A: malty/wheat, banana, coriander, spicy, red apples peels, citrus. T: medium malty base, banana, spicy, coriander, citrus, nice balanced bitterness, medium carbonation, refreshing, enjoyed.

6

Feels a little thin, but decent coriander notes, grassy malts, fairly clean. Just ok.

6.6

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

Bottle from Dranken Vandewoude and drunk on a campsite with Nelson. Clear gold colour lasting white head. Some esters on aroma some orange fruit .Soft east drinking wit. Light eaters light spice light orange. bit over carbonated. good bitter finish. decent.