Jan De Lichte - KleinBrouwerij De Glazen Toren

brewcrew76

Wisconsin

3.85/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Slightly hazy yellow with a bubbly, foamy white head and cascading bubbles.

S - Coriander, curaco, floral, lemon and orange zest, green apple and wheat.

T - Coriander, citrus and wheat with a spicy pepper. Pears and a touch of candy sugar.

M - Prickly carbonation with some artness makes it feel a bit heavir than it is.

D - Enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2009 02:21:40 | More by brewcrew76

SilentSabre

Georgia

3.58/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This poued from its 750mL bottle into my pint glass with a wreckless amount of CO2, and thus, created a glass full of foam which I immediately poured away and started over. A very gentle pour resulted in a nice, cloudy orange body with a white foamy head. Tiny particulates and a couple of larger bits could be seen floating about. As I have said in other reviews, when it comes to many Belgian styles, the more debris and crap floating in it, the more appealing it is to me. Smell was assertively fruity. Fresh cut green apples, perhaps a bit of pear, a pinch of spice, and a bit citrusy, too. Very nice. Taste reflected these, but not with the strength they displayed in the aroma. Also, alcohol is a bit too detectable at only 7%, which surprised me a little. Mouthfeel is okay, but as I mentioned earlier, this thing is very carbonated; a bit much for my liking, actually. Drinkability, too, suffers on account of the CO2 in this one. It's good and I like it, but I would not be able to tolerate too much of this as gassy as it is. A good beer, though, and I'm certainly glad I had the opportunity to try it.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2008 23:21:28 | More by SilentSabre

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Smooth drinking Belgian wit, one of the better I have had, that's cross to a saison. Looked saisonesque, with lace in he cup. Pleasant wheat and yeast aroma. Creamy on the tongue, appropriate carbonation, above average on mouthfeel. Not too complex in taste.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2008 00:55:30 | More by northyorksammy

kmo1030

Massachusetts

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

pours a clear gold color with a large loosely bubbled head. laces pretty well. the head fades to a thick film.
in the aroma corriander hits you right away. that's followed up with peppery powdery yeast and some mild flowery tropical fruit aromas, including banana, citrus, pineapple, and some soft pear (not tropical, i know).
the flavor also has a heavy dose of corriander, this time followed up by chalky yeast, wheat characteristics and fruit flavors (as in the aroma). peppery hotness towards the middle and lingering in the aftertaste. citrus grows as you make your way through the bottle. vanilla notes towards the back end. some hops appear and balance things out a bit.
the mouthfeel is medium bodied with active carbonation. it's also refreshingly dry.
the has god a very nice drinkability to it, it got lots of complexity and a substantial amount of booze, but it remains quenching and very sippable.,

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2008 00:18:21 | More by kmo1030

koopa

New Jersey

4.1/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Fairly cloudy pale golden color with nice 2 finger head that quickly dissolves leaving a thin soapy layer of foam.

Smell: Lots of floral components along with the standard wheat and coriander smells indicative to the style.

Taste: Smooth blend of wheat, coriander, lemon zest, dough, and yeast.

Mouthfeel: An ideal amount of carbonation and a medium body

Drinkability: Easy to drink this smooth witbier

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2008 22:08:42 | More by koopa

cvstrickland

North Carolina

4.47/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A naked Champagne-style brown bottle attractively swaddled in logoed white paper, poured into a goblet (as suggested on the packaging) yields a sunny golden body capped with a huge white tower of medium-bubbled head. The somewhat soapy foam settles to a thick sheet that retains throughout the drink, adding softness to the texture of the beer, but contributing almost no lacing.

Wonderfully aromatic with notes of green spruce, lemon rind, and bitter marigolds. The tingling aroma is tangy, floral, and crisp.

Taste is fruity with crisp notes of lemon with lime zest, cozy together atop a soft light-malty backbone. Zippy, tingly, the drink is not tart enough to pucker my lips, but almost! When I think the beer is about to reach the level of 'sour', a bit of sweet juicy orange and spicy coriander draws the drink back from the brink.

Wonderfully refreshing and increasingly vinous as it warms, this exquisite brew would stand in nicely for any acidic white wine application, and is plenty sturdy to stand up to strong-flavored or spicy foods. Milder and sweeter as the drink warms a bit.

Superb feel and drinkability. Outstanding crispness, and just plain-old kickass-good.

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2008 16:25:36 | More by cvstrickland

Jwale73

Rhode Island

4.1/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served in my Warsteiner pilsener. Poured a translucent pale orange-gold. Good clarity with an amazing amount of effervescence; I would liken it to champagne. Rocky, three-inch head took up half the glass. Very good retention with fluffy clouds of lacing adhering to the glass. Head was refreshed with each pour. Scent was a little funky from the bottle but revealed itself as lemon zest, wheat and yeast in the glass. Taste consistent with nose, very clean with a faint citrus astringency at the finish. Spices are very much subdued in this one. Mouthfeel is light and lively without being watery; not much burn considering the copious head. Excellent drinkability; went down easy, but not your typical wit. Flavors were much more subdued with some saison-like qualities.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2008 22:44:59 | More by Jwale73

Franchise

Oregon

3.73/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This offering pours a bubbly pale gold leaving a thick off white head. The aroma is wheat, honey, tart sour apple, sweet musky aroma very earthy mineral scent.

The taste is tart upfront with a mild balance of honey, malty sweetness that finishes smooth very drinkable with a tart backbone, crisp, dry, refreshing, overall a nice drinkable beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2008 15:45:43 | More by Franchise

brentk56

North Carolina

4.45/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Pours a very cloudy pale golden color with a surprisingly modest head that manages a few stabs at lacing

Smell: Picking up a lot of wheat and coriander, with the curaçao coming through as well; somewhat sweet and lemony, too

Taste: Opens sweet and lemony, with plenty of wheat and coriander flavor and, by mid-palate, there arrives the curaçao; after the swallow, the flavor is saison-like, with a doughy, yeasty blend of interesting spice and candi sugar sweetness

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate to lively carbonation

Drinkability: A very nice beer that borders on saison territory

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2008 01:47:19 | More by brentk56

beerthulhu

New Jersey

4.18/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Poured a hazy lemon color with a huge pillowy white head that was mostly lasting. Visible carbonation was moderate per style.

S: a spritzy fresh lemon aroma, light bread and a touch of yeasty sourness.

T: The initial flavor was yeasty, with some sour citrus, oranges, lemons, along with a good spiciness and peppery notes (coriander).There was a tangy fresh lemony citrus flavor, spicy oranges along with some fruitiness (apples, white grapes) that were highlighted against a soft wheaty palate. The finish was yeasty, and not overly tart with the spicing well balanced that provided a smooth sourness and refreshing citrusy lemon ending.

M: slick and lively from the carbonation with warm orange peel coming through upon warming.

D: drinks like a dream. very nice.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2008 23:14:29 | More by beerthulhu

ccrida

Oregon

4.33/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750 ml bottle dated 12 May 07 on the wrapper (1 year old) , poured into my large Gulden Draak glass, Jan De Lichte is murky burnt straw with a large white head that quickly settles to thick skim and leaves scattered lace. Brewed with barely, oat, wheat, spelt, coriander and curacao.

Smell is strong, lots of wildflower and spicy citrus, with minerals and sweet cereals.

Taste is pretty good, nice sweet malt, almost more like a belgian pale ale. I'm not a huge fan of spices, but they really complement things here harmoniously, very nice balance. I like the grain bill, and need to remember to drink more spelt ales! The finish is clean and drier, quinine like, though more still then effervescent, with the ABV well hidden. Saison like.

Mouthfeel is on the thicker, yeasty side, but lighter bodied and digestible in the belly.

Drinkability is really pretty good for me, this is the first double wit that I've really liked - in fact, I've really disliked all the others! Here, the extra alcohol isn't gratuitous, and the extra flavors are well blended (although I'm sure the year of aging has certainly helped in that regard). Paired fantastically with some fresh spring chinook.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2008 04:17:43 | More by ccrida

watchnerd

California

3.9/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 ml bottle.

A tasty Belgian witbier that would be hard to improve upon, the cloudy straw yellow pour and HUGE head the thickness of a broomstick, with lumps and clumps and craters, that settled down to a minefield of lace, while wafty yeasty wheat lemon vapors up my nose, leading to a cristp, effervescent mouthfeel, bubbly and crackling, no bitterness on the finish as I swallow.

Ah, yum.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2008 03:55:25 | More by watchnerd

yelterdow

New Jersey

3.95/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Enjoyed this bottle with Ego and EPseja... an imperial witbier, with lots o' spices included with the price of admission. No freshness date on here.

Appearance- Cloudy and very active, there are many streams of carbonation flying from the base of the glass. Monster bubbles with a soda-like quality... the head settles to a snow white mat.

Smell- Big, perfumy aroma with Belgian candi sugar and coriander on the nose, then notes of lemon zest and bergamot... really amazing, without any alcohol evident at all. Concentrated spices.

Taste- A saison character hits me first... lemony, with sweetness in the finish. The second mouthful was totally different, with a blast of coriander much more like a typical witbier. Lemony tartness follows, with a doughy atmosphere lingering behind.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability- Fizzy and explosive at first, mellowing during the tasting session. A very tasty offering, definitely worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2008 02:15:25 | More by yelterdow

PEBKAC

New York

2.7/5  rDev -32.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pulled from the fridge, left to sit for a few, & uncapped all in a few minutes(my fridge isn't very cold). Served in a random pilsner glass that I don't recall ever owning before. I don't really drink any pilsners, so it's strange to find such a glass floating around my bachelor pad. I better change the locks.

-

1) A snippet of white froth develops atop a dusty, sulfur-colored body. It dies, we move on.

2) Your nose dives in & begins to drown, just seconds after opening, you're nearly put down by a big fruity/floral gust of aerosol to the face. As much as you can take in, you can grab. She even conveniently forgot to wear any underwear. Lucky you. Limes, copper, pepper, dry leaves, with fresh buttery cantaloupe drooling all over it. Oh, I can't wait to dive in & taste it!

Prepare to be disappointed.

3) Dry, bready, & boozy all the way through. Bitter orange greets you at the beginning, mixed up with bushy greens, & ending with the obligatory yeast finale. Is that it? Really?! I just don't know what to say. Thats never happened to me before. Well, not enough to write it off as simply a bad day.

4)The alcohol is just way too obvious, & the brew just sits there. Soothing carbonation that tingles, but does not bite. Refreshingly thin, but slick like a glaze or chicken stock.

5)Questionably quaffable, but it needs to be cold, straight out of the fridge. It has as much going for it then, as it ever will. Go for the lemon wedge if you want, but help yourself by grabbing some frosted cookies(something crispy with a ridiculous amount of artificial vanilla on it) instead. I bought a case of these "Nonni's Limone Biscotti" at Costco for like eight cents, & considering how shitty I brew coffee, I think I've finally found a use for them.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2008 21:34:25 | More by PEBKAC

stcules

Italy

3.98/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Golden yellow, good and thin perlage, compact head.
Very fresh smell, camomile, white and yellow flowers, and a good pepper (pink, maybe).
It's a dubbel wit, with all the witbier notes, a little more strong.
The taste i still fresh, fruity, with a great flowery note. Orange peel, coriander and peppery. Citric.
Well done, and pleasant.
Quite light body.
In the aftertaste the spiciness is stronger, coriander, herbal, and a long citric.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2007 21:27:05 | More by stcules

mnj21655

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750 mL capped bottle wrapped in paper. Dated 11 Maart 2006.

Pours a cloudy, pale straw in color with a finger and a half of dense white head that has good retention and leaves some good lacing. Aroma is slightly sweet, grainy with some spicy wheat, some coriander and light orange zest; very mild, not overpowering, pleasant. Taste is quite complex. Sweet, slightly tart, a bit dry, some orange zest, coriander, and wheat. Good mouthfeel, medium-light body, high carbonation, well balanced, dryness is offset by a slight sweetness. Drinkability is quite good. This beer is complex and enjoyable. It hides it alcohol quite well and the only reason I know that it clocks in at 7% ABV is the slight buzz that I get from drinking most of the 750 mL bottle. Overall this is quite refreshing, probably better suited to a warm summer's day than a cool late fall evening but I thoroughly enjoyed this and will seek it out again.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2007 23:53:05 | More by mnj21655

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

4/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle: Poured a cloudy orangey color ale with a big foamy head with great retention and some lacing. Aroma of spicy yeast with some coriander and loads of wheat. Taste was also dominated by some spices with some notes of coriander and huge wheat malt profile. Body is full with some limited filtration and great carbonation. Very nice take on the style wit some nice balance with some great notes of complexity.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2007 14:39:05 | More by Phyl21ca

crookedhalo

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottled 13 May 2006. Pours a yellowy golden color with a thick bone white head that subsides after about 30 seconds. Good lacing left behind. Aromas are pretty typical of a wit- orange zest, coriander, but the wheat and malt plays a slightly more significant role. Light underlying funk to it as well. Malty and lightly sweet with loads of citrusiness. Lemon Pledge comes to mind a bit. Kind of slick on the tongue but not quite full-bodied. Pretty refreshing and very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2007 00:20:39 | More by crookedhalo

rallison

California

4.43/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a very golden color with a 1 finger fizzy white head that settles to a light ring. Smells very spicy with a nice touch of Belgian funkiness.

Taste is very spicy with a nice bit of funkiness for the style. Kind of a white crossed with a saison - but keeping that great brightness and lightness. Nice. Spices don't tend toward the sweeter orange peel flavors, which is also kind of nice.

Mouthfeel is well carbonated - prickly indeed - with a definite lightness. Drinkability is excellent - the shared 750 went very fast.

Recommended. A very excellent witbier indeed.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2007 08:15:01 | More by rallison

emerge077

Illinois

4/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a dull, cloudy yellow with a slight tint of orange. Only a finger of head results from the first pour into a Hoegaarden glass. For best results, pour two glasses, then swirl the yeast and distribute evenly.

Smells of faint coriander, curacao, citrus, and wheat.

Taste is fairly mellow in character, livened up by the racing carbonation that's present. A basic wheat & citrus blend, with faint spice again coming out halfway through. Carbonation gives the illusion of a fuller body, it's nearly too much, but tapers off eventually. Wheat and pale malt are the backbone elements, which give it a fairly sturdy mouthfeel.

Drinkability is good, it's agreeable yet mild for the style. The abv is nowhere to be found.

This is my 2nd experience with this particular Witbier, not sure if i'll return to it as often, since it's $12 in my area. To me, it was similarly well-crafted, yet plain like the St. Bernardus Wit, which I also had high hopes for.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2007 02:13:28 | More by emerge077

Freshie

Massachusetts

4.45/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked up a bottle of this at the Belgian Beer Fest last October. It has been aging in my beer fridge, ever since.

Nice stream-lined bottle. 1 pint serving. Basic label, but all the Belgian makes it look very foreign. Which depending on how shallow a beer drinker you are, may add to it's street cred. HAH.

Pours a nice clear, pale golden color, with active bubbles, and frothy large white head.

Aroma is wild yeast, with fruity spices. Sweet grain malt.

The taste is very lively. Coriander, with malty backbone. Active carbonation lends to the spices brewed into the ale.

A very great example of witbier. What a treasure I snagged.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2007 01:05:55 | More by Freshie

Vancer

Illinois

4.3/5  rDev +7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

As I poured this into my sippy cup, the rocky white head boiled up like a volcano, mounting up like a frothy ice cream cone. At first, crystal clear bright golden pour, dulled at mid-bottle once I started swirling the yeasties around.

Sour apple champaign aroma, then it changed into a surprisingly sweet candied fruit & sugar cane in the quaff. Very nice finish with a dollop of coridnder.

Highly charged bubbly mouthfeel – in fact, a little to effervescent. Dry, dry, dry brew – this thing is a close cousin to champaign. But I really dug it, and the wifey likey too – a double score for me!

Beer snob, newbie or a crossover drinker will like this fine brew.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2007 14:46:02 | More by Vancer

Bierman9

New Hampshire

3.65/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Brown, capped 750ml bottle; simple white label with the name, brewery, abv, ingredients, and the usual blurbs about not driving, screwing, getting stupid, etc...

Poured into a Rapscallion goblet, it is a light-to-medium golden colored brew. Head is a healthy, snow-white mound of microscopic, tight bubbles. This topping slowly ebbs yet maintains a thick covering for quite some time, and laces the goblet very nicely. There's a plentiful stream of carbo rising within, akin to a fish-tank aerator. Nose suggests dryness and has a large dose of spiciness, It's a touch crackery as well as quite peppery. Very enticing, and a little Tripel-like. Mouthfeel is very light and airy, passing foamily and with a prickliness over the tongue. Body is just able to sneak into the medium category.

I found the flavor to be considerably fruitier than suggested by the aroma. It's a bit bready, and has a light citrus, lemony character. Crisp and light as a wit should be, with only a subtle hint of spiciness here, a lot less than expected from the what was in the nose. The bottle had a large amount of residue at the bottom, and this was swirled into the gob near the end of quaffing. Aside from giving the bier a murky, dull brown look, it did not change the flavor in any appreciable way. A standard wit, with nothing overly exemplary about it.

Prosit!

overall: 3.8
appearance: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | mouthfeel: 3.5 | drinkability: 3.5

951

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2006 20:00:42 | More by Bierman9

andjusticeforale

Connecticut

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

I uncorked a 750ml for thanksgiving dinner.

It had a nice cloudy look to it, medium brown golden mostly opaque.and had a grand cru type aroma to add to the citrus smell of the nose.

The body and mouthfeel were terrific, the tang balanced perfectly by the wheat malt. There was a terrific level of carbonation which cleansed the palate nicely with a fantastic dryness at the end. Alcohol was just in there enough, and it was noticeably 7% insterad of 9% or up.

This was a nice witch up with thanksgiving. It didn't fight the turkey like a saison or a heavier alcohol offering.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2006 13:31:06 | More by andjusticeforale

TheLongBeachBum

California

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

Presentation: 750ml brown glass flask with a dimpled bottom. Unlike other De Glazen Toren brews that I have picked up, this one did not have any of the rather cool looking white paper wrapper that is usually decorated with a repeating design that is found on the main label. For the ‘Jan De Lichte’, that main label design is of a blue colored brew kettle silhouette set against a red and blue background. No cork in this sample, as others have had, this bottle was just sealed with a large brass colored crown cap. Described as an ‘Imperial Style Belgian White Ale brewed with spices’. Listed at 7% ABV with no freshness date.

Appearance: Massive off-white head rises quickly; the carbonation is feisty and strong. Despite this strength, the head (at least when the beer is poured carefully) forms a super looking smooth creamy plug which seals at least 2” - 3” of my Duvel Goblet. The faded polished golden body has a straw depth when held to the light and is full of small sized fast rising streamers and exhibits a light haze. Restrained lacing forms and then slowly dissolves back into the brew whilst working my way through the bottle. Fine looks, a very Belgian Wit in appearance.

Nose: Strong fruity citric aromas from the Curaçao and Coriander seem to dominate. Spicy wheats blend with yeast and some zingy lemon sherbet to grab the nasal hairs. The finish exhibits some hops and floral aspects that add yet more complexity to the overall small. Tends to fill the air nearby with a lovely fresh aroma - deeply inhaled, it starts to becomes addictive.

Taste: Sharp start, the lemon citric elements assault the tongue like a squadron of fine pins. Floral character rises, as does the bitterness and spiced up fruits. Curaçao and coriander are relegated to the back end, but there are some sharp, clean “hop pulses” to balance out. A complex brew for sure. Hints of alcohol and light grain. Prickly body wraps up with a smooth creamy finish. At times the order of the composite elements seems to change around and move back & forth. Thing is, what ever order you experience the components they all work together. A word of warning too, the Orange burps that work up your nose rather than out of your mouth can tend to make your eyes water if you are not too careful !!

Mouthfeel: The lively over-exuberant head hints at things to come in the Mouthfeel. Sure enough, as with one or two other De Glazen Toren brews, the carbonation is prickly. Conditioning is high throughout and never seems to rescind. That said, once swirled in the mouth, the texture finishes with a creamy palate, soothing and comfortable like a thick towel bathrobe after a hot bath. It has a fine flyweight feel to it though, making it all too easy to quaff.

Drinkability: The only thing that slowed me down from polishing this one off sooner that I did, was simply the fact that the fast rising head had me patiently waiting around for it to settle after the pour before topping up. The 7% alcohol does peep through once in a while but the spices help to balance it out.

Overall: Another high quality from those very talented and nice chaps at De Glazen Toren. I have never seen this one before, so when I spied this at Holiday Wine in Escondido for $11.79 it was a no-brainer. Some attribute Imperial prefix style brews with the US, but it is very interesting to note that the “Imperial craze” has even reached back across the Atlantic to the shores of the Belgian Wit motherland. You can’t keep a good beer down no matter what its pedigree, or style, pseudo or otherwise.

This one is Highly Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2006 04:11:35 | More by TheLongBeachBum