2005 bottle. I don’t understand how you give this beer a 3 or less for appearance? I don’t even understand how you give it a 4. But then I guess not everyone has the same experience. Anyways, my bottle poured a sparkling, gold-copper-yellow body, hazy, yet not murky, with a full white head and wonderful lacing. There is a ton of sediment at the bottom, with small bubbles vigorously rising. One guy even states, "beautiful yellow gold with a bright white head" and then gives it a 3. Oh well....
Nose is full of doughy yeast, light sugary yellow fruits (pears, peaches, apricots) and maybe a hint of curacao liqueur. Flavor is immediately packed with yeast, sweet malt and plenty of honey-wheat dough flavors. The large amount of residual sugar and rich malt does seem to make this one come off a bit full bodied and strong for a characteristically lighter, session style, but the more I drank, it was hard to be turned off. The flavors are just so magnificent. Honey, peaches, apricots, light peppery yeast, starfruit, and then a crisp wheat and lemon flavor towards the end that was so fresh and authentic, I soon forgot this was a 7abv malt monster (it’s not really). The natural carbonation is perfect on my palate, with an almost soothing, smooth, creamy texture as it breathes and the carbonation dies off. Not much in the bubble gum or banana department (not that I care) but the lemon and wheat flavors steal the show. Champagne-like yeast is lightly chewy yet delicate. For all of the "this is too big a beer for a wit" comments, I really felt it was still a great wheat beer. I found it refreshing on a hot sunny day and though it’s got a bigger maltiness, the flavors that the malt provide win me over.