Namaste - Dogfish Head Brewery

claspada

New Jersey

3.8/5  rDev -1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured a nice golden color, a bit hazy with a white head that did not last long at all; not a lot of lacing either. Very off for the style but typical of Dogfish Head beers.

The aroma on this beer is great, however, you know it is a Belgian White. The yeast, orange peel, and lemongrass are all pretty evident and are combined superbly.

Taste follows the nose, which is great. There is a nice mix of orange and lemon along with some yeast/wheat. It has a perfect sweetness to it.

Adequate carbonation. Was easy to drink and very refreshing, a great summer beer. Will have to go back and pick up another bottle or two before they run out.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2010 19:54:45 | More by claspada

kels

Virginia

4.53/5  rDev +18%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours beautifully. It is a great shade of toasted straw, quite cloudy, with a decently visible amount of carbonation. The initial white foamy head fades from 3 lofty fingers to a well-retained 1 1/2-finger skim. Loads of lace pillows against the sides of the glass.

Smell has great cracked, toasted grain presence and a hint of tart citrus. Not much more, but not much more needed.

Very tasty and refreshing witbier. The grains, spices and hops are blended together in the nicest balance. The grain is deliciously toasty with the slightest heartiness to it. The orange provides both sweetness and bitterness and the lemongrass adds a bit of delicate earthiness. The feel is both bright and refreshing while at the same time being creamy and mouthfilling. Finish is clean and dry with just a bit of sediment laying on the tongue.

Absolutely delicious and highly drinkable beer. Great for any season, but especially perfect now.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2010 23:39:30 | More by kels

yourefragile

District of Columbia

3.25/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 4

750 mL bottle poured into a Brewer's Art chalice.

Pours a hazed pale golden color with a nice long lasting white head and little lacing. Aroma is very mild, slightly tangy and citrusy with some lemon and fresh cut grass. Flavor starts off initially extremely tangy, exacerbated by overly active carbonation. Middle of the body has some more typical wit characteristics before a strong peppery and lemon grass finish. Mouthfeel is fluffy and medium thick, initially dominated by over active carbonation which distracts from whatever is going on with the flavors. The finish is a little more spicy and peppery than I like and doesn't seem well integrated with the rest of the flavors. A nice, refreshing beer, but not particularly well balanced or pleasing; this is a definite pass for me.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2010 19:57:32 | More by yourefragile

geryeb624

Maryland

4.2/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Poured from a 750 mL bottle into a pint glass.

A- Pours a foggy straw yellow color with bubbly white head, about 2-3 fingers worth.

S- Coriander and spicy Belgian yeast aromas dominate the nose, with some bright fruitiness in the background.

T- Crisp, clean witbier flavor. Spicy and fruity with a wheaty twang at the end. Very little bitterness, with spice and fruit dominating the flavor profile.

M- Smooth and creamy. Not overly carbonated, and rather rich on the tongue.

D- Off the charts, very refreshing wheat beer.

I must say given its status as a Dogfish Head specialty beer I was expecting something a bit more outrageous, but was pleasantly surprised to find a nice, refreshing, balanced witbier. Good for the summer months, though maybe not worth the $9 a bottle. Wouldn't mind seeing this in 6-packs in the future though.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2010 01:01:47 | More by geryeb624

tempest

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I split a large bottle at Little Ortino's in Schwencksville, PA. The beer poured a hazy light gold with a soft white head. The mix of subtle spice dominates the flavor (not in a bad way) while there's a smooth Belgian wheat background. The individual spices don't stand out so much as just melt together from the orange peel, to the coriander, then lemongrass. All in all a tasty beer, near the top of the style.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2010 02:29:49 | More by tempest

rwinzing

New Jersey

4.1/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed from a 750 ml bomber. Poured into tulip style glass

A - Nice straw color, Bright white head held onto the glass nice lacing

S - Smelled of citrus very pleasant aroma

T - very mild hint of the lemongrass but not overpowering, no after taste. Citrus not as strong as in the smell

M - Very nice light mouthfeel what I would expect from the style

D - Very drinkable, summer brew while sitting on the deck with friends

Overall a beer I would drink again. Not what I expect from DFH who are known for their big brews. Nice summer brew to be enjoyed.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2010 23:54:38 | More by rwinzing

AleWatcher

Illinois

4/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Got this from 2DogBrew-- Thanks Russ! You are a shining example of how to be a good Ba, friend, and person in general. I drank this in my DFH snifter that was part of a birthday present box from Russ (would you expect any less?)

Reviewed from notes:

Pours a tangy looking yellow/golden. I know it is odd to describe a color as "tangy," but when you pour this beer into a glass, you will know just what I mean. It is nice and cloudy-- like a sorbet almost. 2 finger bone-white head with decent retention and surprisingly good lace. I do expect good things from most of DFH efforts, and so far, they are spot on!

Smell is lemony sweetness... a slight grassy note hiding in there among the wheat, coriander, and orange peels. Some grainy note that I can't quite place.

Following the nose, the taste starts out sweet and finishes on that drier, spice note with a myriad of citrus notes in between. Oranges and lemons mostly. Nice and refreshing.

Body is a little thick to me. Isn't bad in any way, just thicker than normal. Carbonation is really nice, and drinkability really high.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2010 04:47:51 | More by AleWatcher

deapokid

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

The low price and interesting artwork inspired me to pick up this new wheat beer from Dogfish Head.

Liquid is vibrantly carbonated with a hazy orange color and rather heavy foam/lacing. It's an exact replication of the Belgian standard and, I must say, my first impression is a good one.

Cornucopia of aromas is rather appealing. There's heavy floral spicing, banana esthers, ground pepper, sweet cream and a doughy wheat aroma. Despite the strength and variety of smells, nothing is overpowering or artificial.

Flavor profile makes the sweetness of clementine and tangerine the focus. The star of the show is backed by pepper, cardamom, milk and a nice bright sweetness to accompany the slight dryness at the end. It's staggering how well all of these flavors work together.

Mouth is very smooth and the sweet burst at the end coats the entire tongue and sticks around to level out the dryness. This combination of sweet and dry makes for a crisp conclusion.

All in all, this is a refreshing and superbly drinkable witbier, displaying the strong qualities of the style, while adding in a few new twists of its own. Boy, I hope this turns into regular release, because it's certainly one of DFH's best.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2010 19:00:56 | More by deapokid

dasenebler

Maine

3.98/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a very light, cloudy orange with a decent, foamy head.

Aroma is full of spices like clove and corainder and also yeasty, bready notes.

This is a very spicy Wit. The coriander and clove notes are very pronounced. The lemongrass is actually quite pleasant and comes through more on the mid-palate/finish. As the beer opens up, fruity and citrusy flavors become apparent, most likely due to the use of dried orange in the recipe. There is a nice bready flavor that underpins the beer and adds to the body, which is light, but creamy and well-carbonated.

This a very quaffable Wit packed with flavor. The spice might be a bit too much, but in the end, I enjoyed this beer. It's very honorable for DFH to sell this beer as a benefit to Drie Fonteinen.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2010 01:58:38 | More by dasenebler

billab914

Virginia

4.1/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 750ml bottle into my Southern Tier tulip. Poured a pale and cloudy straw yellowish color. It almost had the color of a pineapple juice or other tropical type drink. It started with a bright white frothy head filling about one inch of the glass. The head faded a bit but left some good lacing as it did.

The aroma shows off a strong lemony citrus flavor. The coriander and lemon grass both come through in the citrus flavors. Wheat and a bit of bready yeast round out the flavors in the nose. Very nice and refreshing aroma to it.

The taste not surprisingly is very citrus forward. Lemon and coriander both are present. Like the nose the wheat and yeast come through as well. Citrus is definitely the featured flavor.

The mouthfeel is on the lighter side and carbonation is high. Drinkability is good, especially on this hot day. Very light and refreshing with some great citrus flavors. Very enjoyable beer overall.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2010 22:34:59 | More by billab914

TMoney2591

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served in a Devil's Backbone willibecher.

I missed this guy at the brewpub, but apparently fate intervened to give me a second chance. It pours a cloudy pale straw topped by about two fingers of white sudsy foam. The nose comprises wheat, pepper, coriander, lemon peel, clove, rice cakes, banana, cardamom, and the slightest possible touch of funk (and I use funk in its loosest form). The taste leans heavily on the citrus and wheat, leaving the spicier notes languishing in the fetal position. Actually, to properly describe the situation, the pepper's on Prozac, so it's still dancing about in the finish, as though all of its problems were really gone (how sad, really...). The body is light, with a light carbonation and a fairly dry finish. Overall, a very nice wit. 'Nuff said, baby.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2010 04:23:49 | More by TMoney2591

zoso1967

Michigan

4.22/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Namaste pours a beautiful, slightly cloudy straw yellow with ample carbonation that produces a soft white head full of tiny bubbles. The head stays around forever and leaves some goopy lace on the sides of the glass. The aroma is sweet with notes of honey, lemon zest, orange, wheat, bready yeast and a touch of white pepper. The flavor is very refined and very tasty with a very sweet, yet also slightly tart wheat malt background. It is lemony and spicy with hints of white pepper and coriander and is very refreshing. It is well balanced and all of the flavors play off of each other very well. For being a fairly sweet beer, it is impressive how thirst quenching it is. It has a fairly light and creamy mouthfeel that has a tart and refreshing finish. Very drinkable and a beer that I am glad came in a large bottle.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2010 22:04:47 | More by zoso1967

MikeB20

Delaware

3.95/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

P: 750ml bottle into a DFH signature glass.

A: A really nice hazy gold color with a huge white head that you have to let settle before pouring the remainder of the glass. The head is really impressive, this is a fun one to pour as it gets reactions from those watching. The lacing is also nice and it sticks around.

S: Lots of wheat with a bit of a citrus finish. The Belgian yeast is also easy to pick up but not as pronounced as most true Belgian styles. A bit of spice as well, in the realm of clove.

T: Some spiciness up front, finishes bitter. Lots of citrus in this one, the lemon taste from the lemongrass adds a really nice refreshing quality to the oveall taste.

M: Light with lots of carbonation.

D: Very drinkable, very refreshing and a fun take on the traditional Witbier. I could easily keep drinking this beer on a nice summer afternoon. A little more citrus to this one than you'd be used to if you were into Wit's. I like it quite a bit but it won't dethrone some of the more faithful styles for me.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2010 19:49:54 | More by MikeB20

dahlen22

New Jersey

3.7/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I have enjoyed many of what we call summer wheat styles of ale. And while these ales are refreshing, they do lack the ABV that I really look for in a beer. That being said, here is what I think.

Look and aroma were decent. Cloudy yellow with a little bit of head.

The taste is refreshing with lemongrass and the other spices listed on the label.

Overall, easy drinking and better than other commercial domestic summer wheat style ales. It is one of those beers you can drink all night, but not a beer you would drink every night.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2010 20:50:28 | More by dahlen22

Axic10

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 750ml bottle into a standard pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a hazy light golden yellow with a half finger of head that maintains for the entire drink.

Smell: Well I got a good whiff of this as it went up my nose while smelling (that's a first). Strong aroma of coriander, orange, tangerine, lemongrass and some spice.

Taste: Heavy traditional wit flavors of orange, coriander, lemongrass, with a nice mix of funky earth flavors in there. Very tasty brew.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied with a semi dry finish.

Drinkability: A very different style from Dogfish. I have a bottle that I want to age a little, but it was enjoyable and I would have again if the opportunity arose.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2010 01:04:44 | More by Axic10

bigfnjoe

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass.

A- pours a cloudy, light yellow with a 3 finger white head. Looks like pretty much every wit I've ever had...nonoffensive. Lots of bubbles. Head is gorgeous, nice and puffy. But since nothing is really different...standard score here.

S- pungent smell, mainly of lemon and orange peel...maybe a hint of coriander in there. It almost smells slightly sour...a little offputting. I'm getting some herbals too, though I can't place them.

T- it tastes very...crisp I'd say would be a good word. Nice bite of the lemon with the hints of coriander and orange peel. Not cloying or overwhelming at all. The aftertaste, I'm getting a lot of the orange peel. This is a real good tasting wit.

M- its got a good feel. Really light in the mouth. Theres a good bit of carbonation there...not as much as a soda, but there is some bubblyness there.

D- oh hells yes. This is super drinkable, a great summer beer. Its a shame it was a limited run and I can't find it locally, because I'd love to grab another bottle for a party

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2010 23:22:31 | More by bigfnjoe

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

3.2/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Big ol bottle poured into a Lancaster Brewing Company pint glass. Got this one at Whole Foods for $8.50, it's a expensive wit but the proceeds go to help Armand from 3 fontaines in his time of need, so I can dig it.

Namaste pours into the glass looking bright hazy yellow with somehazy yellow and specs or squeezed orange. It gets darker towards the end of the bottle with the yeast. A nice bright white head with good retention but no stick, semi thick looking. Smells include wheat, coriander, lemongrass and orange peel. I get alot of sweet cereal like scents kinda like honeycombs. It's off putting. Taste starts off great with wheat mixed in with coriander and lemongrass. Squeezed orange makes for a push but is overpowered by the lemongrass which rules the roost. In the middle banana comes out to play. With warming things turn downhill, this gets a bit to sweet for me and the cereal comes through and a bit artificial tasting. Adding the yeast at the end did not make things better, even sweeter. The feel is above light bodied and is quaffable and refreshing to a degree, it's carbed up as well but fades with warming leaving for a thicker coat for a sec. I liked this for the 1st 12oz or so but grew tired of it and poured the rest out, it's just not my type of wit. It's to style but not incredibly balanced. Good for a gander.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2010 03:59:08 | More by onix1agr

stimulus

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750mL bottle.

A: Pours a cloudy, nearly opaque copper with a one finger white head.
S: A citrus mixture.
T: Wow, what a nice blend of flavors for this wit: the orange in the forefront with the coriander and something else falling into the background.
M: Pretty light body with great carbonation.
D: It's too bad that I had to split this one, but we agreed that another bottle would have been quite pleasurable to digest.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2010 02:50:50 | More by stimulus

bbeane

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Friend picked a 25oz bottle up for me at the Rehobeth brew pub...

A- Poured into my DFH snifter... beer is a cloudy golden straw color with light white head that disappears somewhat quickly and leaves some spotted lacing

S- Honestly, smells like a typical wheat beer would... sweet banana-ish aroma with citrusy backbone. Good, but typical imo

T- Again, it's a great beer of it's style, but a bit of a letdown knowing the unique track record of the brewery. Starts sweet with citrus and corriander and finishes smooth and refreshing

M- Light bodied with light carbonation

D- Perfect beer for the summer, light with great flavor, easy to drink. Very well brewed witbier, though I love DFH for their unique concoctunes... which this isn't. Good none the less

CHEERS!!

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2010 01:02:57 | More by bbeane

pastradul

California

4.2/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

took a bottle over for dinner with some friends. poured into a shaker pint.

Easy pour produced a huge bright white head.

the smell is lots of citrus and herbs, with a slight sweet malt nose.

The taste is crisp and refreshing. all the flavors of the herbs mixed with the light malts is just wonderful. so drinkable. Could easily down a 750 or 2 by myself probably on a hot summer day.

Too bad we don't get it out on the west caost.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2010 22:41:33 | More by pastradul

mdaschaf

Washington

4.2/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass

A: Poured a nice golden color, a bit hazy with a white head that lasted a good while, but not a lot of lacing.

S: The aroma on this beer is great, you know it is a Belgian White. The yeast, orange peel, and lemongrass are all pretty evident.

T: Taste mirrors the nose, which is a great thing. There is a nice mix of orange and lemon along with some yeast/wheat. It has a perfect sweetness to it.

M/D: It is thin bodied with great carbonation. Was easy to drink and very refreshing, a great summer beer. Will have to go back and pick up another bottle or two.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2010 19:55:34 | More by mdaschaf

PorterLambic

Florida

2.75/5  rDev -28.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Arrives a cloudy straw yellow with a nicely sized white head. Great retention but no real lace.
Smell is malt, coriander and lemongrass. Well balanced.
Taste is malt, spices, lemongrass and an overarching artificial lemon cleaner note. The artificial note fades relatively quickly and almost completely to a good aftertaste.
Medium bodied with the carbonation sharp up front but it settles quickly. If you can get past the artificial lemon presence it's a pretty good beer. But it's not easy.

Serving type: on-tap

01-10-2013 04:13:21 | More by PorterLambic

micjah

3.83/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A : light yellow, a bit cloudy with a healthy head

S: citrus (orange & lemon) are very well balanced

T: smooth, almost a perfect reflection of the smell

M: light and refreshing, but maybe a bit too thin for my taste

This is what I expect in a witbier, but nothing outstanding to mention. It has good balanced aroma and nice smooth finish. A very drinkable brew, I will definitely have it again.

Serving type: on-tap

09-12-2012 18:10:31 | More by micjah

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.5/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served on tap in a 10 oz chalice glass

Appearance – Served a hazy light yellow colored brew with a one finger white head that had good retention. The head eventually faded to give a high level of lacing.

Smell – The aroma is heavy of citrus lemon and some spices. The spices are the classic wit variety of clove and pepper with some other herbal and grassy smells as well. With these are aromas of yeast and banana as well.

Taste – A wheat body mixed with a lemongrass flavor are the first to meet the tongue. They are soon joined by some coriander and clove, as well as, a light banana sweetness mixed with a pepper taste. These tastes remain constant on the tongue till the end of the taste where the pepper and banana lose ground to some yeasty notes. This yeast flavor when combined with an increase in the wheat and lemon flavors, produces a lingering aftertaste to be left on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the beer was on the lighter side and the carbonation level was rather high. These characteristics were good for the style and made it quite drinkable and refreshing.

Overall – It was pretty good, but nothing too exceptional and not really something of only big bottle format.

Serving type: on-tap

08-31-2012 23:40:50 | More by Darkmagus82

kylehay2004

Florida

4.33/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Enjoyed at the brewpub in Rehoboth Beach, DE

A: thin head on a hazy bright straw colored body. Nice lacing.

S: fruit and very very clean smelling. Wheat and light herbal notes as well.

T: flavor is excellent with wheats, pale malts, lemongrass, ginger and lightly sweet lemon notes in the finish.

M: medium smooth body and moderate carbonation.

Overall: for a style that is usually bland and boring this one stands out as one of the best.

Serving type: on-tap

07-28-2012 16:44:14 | More by kylehay2004