Game Day Beer Review: Cisco Brewers' The Grey Lady Witbier

The Location: Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida.

The Date: Saturday, November 16th, prior to the kickoff of Brazil vs. Honduras.

The Time: 5:47pm, Eastern Daylight Time

The Weather: 74 degrees, moderate breeze blowing from the east.

The Scene: The scent of paella cooking on an outdoor gas-fired ring, soccer balls and footballs flying nearby, a group composed of adults and children receiving a thumbs up from the Honduran woman across the parking lot.

The Music: Bring it on Home, Little Big Town

The Beer: The Grey Lady Witbier, Cisco Brewers (4.50% ABV)

The Taste: Drunk from the bottle.  Notes of lemon with a peppery spice, with a slight bit of orange on the back end; Coriander and yeast also upfront in the taste profile.  Relatively dry finish for a witbier. It's sweet and sour co-mingled in a bottle.

The Feel: Saturday Night + Paella + Soccer + Friends = Good Times 

 

 

Game Day Beer Review: Cigar City Florida Cracker Witbier

(5.00% ABV) Poured from a 12 ounce can while watching a sumptuous night of  Cup qualifiers. Florida Cracker -- an oft-misunderstood term in today's world, but one that originally referred to the crack of the bullwhip used by old time Florida ranchers to drive their cattle through the dense undergrowth of the peninsula's backwoods -- appeared a murky gold-orange color, with a thick head of soapy white bubbles that dissipated rather quickly, leaving virtually no trace behind.

The scent of citrus and Belgian yeast were immediately apparent on the nose. Orange notes in particular stood out when lifting the beer up close for a smell.

The beer displayed plenty of clove on the initial taste, but it faded rather quickly and was subsumed by the orange flavor and a certain peppery spice. 

The beer had a light mouthfeel with plenty of carbonation. All in all, Florida Cracker is yet another stellar  effort from one of our very favorite breweries. B+

Game Day Beer Review: Driftwood Brewery White Bark Witbier

 

(5.00% ABV) Poured into a wine glass while overlooking beautiful Whistler, Canada on a recent trip.

 

White Bark Ale poured a murky white wine-like yellow, with a pure white head. Extensive carbonation was noticeable as soon as the beer was poured.

 

The Belgian yeast was the most noticeable feature of the beer's nose. Coriander spice was also evident.

 

White Bark tasted like a fairly traditional Witbier -- a spicy, citrusy mix, fairly well blended by a brewery on Vancouver Island. It was very subtle in its complexity, and one of the best beers we had while north of the border. Extremely refreshing, and definitely recommended if you visit the beautiful province of British Columbia: B+

Game Day Beer Review: Jolly Pumpkin Calabaza Blanca Witbier

(4.80% ABV) Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales is a Michigan-based craft brewer that has carved out an admirable reputation for brewing incredible sour ales -- and the latest one we sampled proved no exception.  We drank Calabaza Blanca on a recent Saturday night at the home office, where the beer poured a crystal clear gold color with a pillowy white head.

The smell was yeasty, with notes of coriander and clove. The beer was rich and spicy smelling.

On the tongue this beer truly shone; it hit all the right notes.  It was tingly and refreshing.  Although the spices were more muted than the beer's aroma would lead you to believe, the sour notes were accentuated on the the finish, and kept you coming back for one more sip -- until there were none left!  B+