Jolly Pumpkin, maker of self-proclaimed Artisan Ales, has a year-round offering I’ve just began to notice. Their Calabaza Blanca, a Belgian Biere Blanche according to them, is aged in oak casks and bottle fermented. I picked up a 750 ml bottle of batch 590/591 with a bottling date of 7-21-10. This mild Witbier-take sits at 4.8% ABV and is spiced with orange peel and coriander.
Witbiers are normally the domain of summer; cool, bready, citrusy, and a little spicy — they seem to just go with the season. But sometimes a brewery will release a Witbier during the winter months, usually as an alternative to heavier beers that normally characterize winter. This is what Bell’s Brewery has done with the Winter White Ale, a “beer for embracing winter.”
I stumbled across the Great White from Lost Coast Brewery due to the eye-catching label. This beer comes in at an average 4.8% ABV. Lost Coast is based out of California, about five hours north of San Francisco. It is currently being distributed in 19 states and is the 46th largest brewery in all of the United States.
Witbiers have always been a favorite style of mine; they are clean, refreshing and nothing is better on a hot summer day. Unfortunately, it is the beginning of March right now, but witbiers are still tasty no matter what the season. One of the best examples of a classic witbier made here in the states is Allagash White from Allagash Brewing Company.
