St. Bernardus Wit

St. Bernardus Wit

Style: Wit

Alcohol Content: 5.5%

From: Watou, West Flanders, Belgium

Purchased from: Beer Boutique, Putney, United Kingdom
http://www.sintbernardus.be/

Time flies when you're having fun and this year is no exception. I can scarcely believe that one year ago I was boozing it up in Bruges, constantly thinking when would be the best time to ask my girlfriend to move in with me. Whilst we have yet to return to Belgium, we are both busy planning our next holidays to Budapest and Chicago respectively. Naturally, we are also researching which beers we plan to try, however, whilst Chicago is awash with breweries, I am currently finding it hard to locate an independent brewery to visit in Budapest. If anyone knows of one please let me know by leaving a comment below.

The subject of this review is a little Belgium flash back, St.Bernardus Wit. Originally a Trappist brewery, the monks of the refuge Norte Dame de St. Bernard decided to stop brewing on their site in Watou, West Flanders in 1936. Seizing an opportunity, local business man Evarist Deconinck decided to start brewing the the monastery's old beer recipes under licence for the next thirty years. An additional thirty years was agreed in 1962 but by 1992 the remaining Trappist monasteries (six in Belgium and one in Holland) decided that the qualification of a Trappistbier could only be given to beers brewed within the walls of a Trappist monastery. The licence was not renewed and the brand was renamed St.Bernardus.

Who's this cheeky chap?

Colour: Pours a hazy, straw yellow with a slight orange hue. As with most Wit beers, a luxurious, brilliant white head oozes from the depths of the glass. Quite frankly, this look like the archetypal wheat beer, brilliantly inviting and I can't wait to have a sip.

Aroma: Not every beer has to overpower you senses. Some can be so soft and delicate, that it just makes you relax and enjoy the pleasure of drink. St.Bernardus Wit is no exception. Playful notes of spicy coriander and citrus fruit dominate the nose from start to finish. As the drink warms, the sour lemon aroma intensifies, drowning out all other scents.

Body: Slightly thinner than I was expecting, but this beer slides down a treat with not one hint of clogging nor bitterness at all.

Taste: Full of tart lemons from start to finish. The sour lemons will tickle your taste buds and the taste certainly stay with you even after you swallow the beer. The coriander will linger in the background like the KGB waiting patiently to wipe you out. The warming sensation nips away at your tongue from time to time and helps to cut through the sharp lemons. The sour edge will intensify as the drink warms but it never threatens to dominate. In short the beer is perfectly balanced, ensuring not one flavour overpowers the other. The perfect refresher for a Wit beer first timer and best enjoyed with spicy food.

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/erdinger-uriweisser.html

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/by-horns-diamond-geezer.html

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