Imperial White Orchard - The Bruery

Overlord

California

3.58/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Certainly an improvement on the base.

Pours a slightly hazy/cloudy white with a huge white fluffy head. What's the abv on this?

Smells yeasty with some flowers ... some spice .. and ... a faint tinge of orange.

Tastes like exotic spices (ugh), some peppery coriander, some weird flowers (but not lavender ... I think) along with some citrus rind and a bit of yeastiness. There's a weird citrus/sugar slurry aftertaste.

Interesting. I think they've taken this style about as far as it can go.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2011 02:42:28 | More by Overlord

orangesol

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%

03-20-2013 01:09:03 | More by orangesol

t0rin0

California

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%

03-02-2013 02:47:02 | More by t0rin0

VaTechHopHead

California

3/5  rDev -21.3%

02-22-2013 16:28:50 | More by VaTechHopHead

Squatchito

Virginia

3/5  rDev -21.3%

11-27-2012 16:40:44 | More by Squatchito

EJLinneman

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +5%

07-24-2012 04:05:54 | More by EJLinneman

tjfinkle

California

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%

04-10-2012 05:45:59 | More by tjfinkle

John11486

California

4/5  rDev +5%

02-15-2012 19:49:13 | More by John11486

ygtbsm94

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%

01-12-2012 07:55:50 | More by ygtbsm94

clarkenstein

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%

01-08-2012 20:57:22 | More by clarkenstein

mhaugo

California

4/5  rDev +5%

12-18-2011 17:19:02 | More by mhaugo

spycow

Illinois

4/5  rDev +5%

12-14-2011 00:30:24 | More by spycow

pperez38

California

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%

11-29-2011 07:07:22 | More by pperez38

GRG1313

California

5/5  rDev +31.2%

11-26-2011 13:42:42 | More by GRG1313

lcmir23

California

4/5  rDev +5%

11-22-2011 03:50:26 | More by lcmir23

Callmecoon

California

4/5  rDev +5%

11-21-2011 05:41:16 | More by Callmecoon

jerz

California

4/5  rDev +5%

11-16-2011 06:18:06 | More by jerz

glid02

Georgia

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

Bottle shared by Grant – thanks!

Pours a hazy lemon-yellow color with a white head that leaves decent lacing.

Smells of smooth light malts interspersed with twangy wheat. Also present are good amounts of lemon and orange peel and lighter amounts of coriander and white pepper.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Crisp light malts up front are joined quickly by bright citrus peel flavors. Midway through light wheat comes into play before it’s pushed aside by robust spices that carry through to a crisp ending. Mouthfeel is good, with smooth carbonation.

Overall this is another solid beer from the boys in Placentia. A well done imperial wit that’s well worth a shot.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2011 15:30:08 | More by glid02

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.38/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Super cloudy pour, has a vague light green brown earthiness to the appearance at first pour, but settles into the yellow/orange thing with lots of haze still. Big massive noseful of a spice cabinet, coriander, clove, pepper, nutmeg, orange, wheat and a bunch of other stuff I'd guess, was just overkill at some point.

Taste, didn't miss the style guidelines, and hammered home the taste. Tons of flowers and spices in the mouth, separating what you were tasting was kind of a chore. It does hide the alcohol nicely. Definitely a beer for sharing, it really overwhelmed my palate with flavors and spices that I'm not too into, even if I can admit that it seems to be well made and delivers it with a heavy hand.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2011 18:04:50 | More by Beerandraiderfan

HopHead84

California

3.98/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

7/10/2011

The Enforcer demanded I open this. I didn't dare contravene his wishes so I quickly popped the cap and poured with a loose wrist and a heavy hand.

A: Burnished yellow gold with a small creamy white head that quickly recedes. Nice color. Head retention isn't great for the style,

S: Notes of wheat and honey accompany pronounced coriander. There's a lot of orange peel and a little nutmeg, as well as white pepper and floral notes. Fruit reminds me of apple, apricot, and pear. Nicely balanced. I'm pleased with the absence of lavender.

T: Lightly sweet and spicy with coriander, nutmeg, white pepper, and orange peel. There's a nice balance between the various elements. Apple, pear, and apricot are pervasive. The beer finishes dry with lingering orange peel.

M: Lower medium in body with upper moderate carbonation. Mouthfeel is dry and sticky.

Overall: Refreshing and enjoyable, and much better without the lavender. I'd pick this up again if I had the opportunity.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2011 17:45:03 | More by HopHead84

craytonic

District of Columbia

3.2/5  rDev -16%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: straw-ruby-gold, small head on the pour with not much left and no laciing

Smell: Very sweet and sugary with touches of coriander, orange juice concentrate, spices, white pepper and wheat

Taste: Similar to the smell, a bit too sweet and sugary. I get orange juice concentrate, spices, white pepper, coriander, and wheat

Mouthfeel: Very big and full, too much so for a wit

Drinkability: I wasn't too impressed with this one and prefer the non-imperial version.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2011 03:47:52 | More by craytonic

mdfb79

New York

3.1/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

From 06/04/11 notes. Thanks again to nimbleprop for sharing this one. Poured into a tulip.

a - Pours a murky light yellow color with one inch of white head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of wheat, oranges, citrus, yeast, spices, pepper, and coriander. I thought the nose was ok, but kind of average. Lots of wheat and spices; I would have liked more fruit and floral notes personally.

t - Taste is very heavy on the spices. More pepper, yeast, coriander, wheat, and very ligh citrus. Not bad, but too much spice and pepper for me. A slight step down from the nose.

m - Medium body and moderate to low carbonation. A little undercarbonated, but pretty easy to drink.

o - Overall I thought this was a pretty average witbier. I thought it was pretty heavy on the spices in the nose and especially the taste, as well as wheat. Not awful or offensive, but I wouldn't seek it out...there are better witbier's out there.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2011 15:43:30 | More by mdfb79

drabmuh

Maryland

4.22/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

You know this is the imperial white because the "5" has been replaced with a "7", someone wrote over the 5 with a sharpie. Nice. I don't think this beer is around anymore.

Beer is served in a tulip. Beer is yellow with a slight haze to it. Forms a weak thin head that breaks. Carbonation is moderate and steady, not much lacing on the glass. Looks fine.

Lots of bright citrus flavors to the aroma. Someone suggested some corriander in there, I can't argue, there are some spiciness to it. There is also some zest to the whole thing as well, lemony.

Beer's flavor matches the aroma. Its a very bright beer with strong carbonation on the palate, slightly souring the whole thing and the resulting carbonic highlights the zest of the citrus and some mild bitterness in the mid- to late palate. There is some hints of fruit with the forward sweetness...perhaps some pear. Overall pretty good.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2010 19:34:03 | More by drabmuh

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.33/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Brad for sharing this at his tasting on Saturday!

7% abv written with a Sharpie is the only way to distinguish this bottle from Orchard White, other than drinking of course...which is what I did.

This beer appears a hazy yellow straw hue and has a decent head and fair amount of lacing. The aromas are many, including coriander, misc. other spices, pear, hay, and lemon zest. The taste follows suit, and has an ample offering of everything described in the aroma. This is a very complex beer, and well done. The mouthfeel is decent. With all that is going on here, and the use of so many spices and ingredients, my palate can only handle so much of this. A fun beer and one I'd be happy to drink again. However, one glass was plenty for me.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2010 16:45:23 | More by Huhzubendah

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

4.47/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Thanks goes out to swillnbrew for providing this "mistake" in a recent trade. Split with oglmcdgl.

Imperial Orchard has a hazy bold yellow/orange mix with some tangerine juice mixed in. A rising bright white head reaches 1 & a 1/2 inches into the Duvel tulip. Just shy of being a true Belgian head in looks this is damn close. Fades down into a fairly tight cap with loose lace and no legs.

Orch White has a striking nose, bold and assertive and with the extra ingredients thrown in, even better than before. This imperial version really packs in the clove scent, it almost knocked me over. Other main contenders include coriander and wheat and Belgian yeast. Runners up include honey and some lemon zest. Also getting some soapy aspects.

Big shots of raw wheat and clove on first sips, the wheat is lovely but does not steal the show. Hops are a afterthought as they dont make a dent but they give off a slightly earthy taste. Mashed bananas and Belgian yeast giving off some bubblegum and there is some sourdough bread tucked away. Coriander is a plus. I like the light lemon squeeze towards the end. There is just a bit of granny apple with extreme warming. This is a balls to the walls wit.

A bit crisp once right out of the bottle and cold, but that smooths into a mellow quaff when the temp rises. A step up from light bodied with some carb to go with it, I think it's at a good point and does not distract. Just think a bigger version of the regular orchard. No bitterness from any hops and some sweetness. The ingredients while being increased are well balanced on the tounge and don't intrude, OK well maybe that clove slicks around for a bit to long. IOW has a super clean finish

Well I think I found a wit that rivals my favorite, Allagash White. This one really hit the spot and a whole bottle is in order one day, easy clean drinking. That's not to take away from Imperial's younger brother which kicks ass too, this is just something brand new. The 7.7 does not come into play at all. This was a good mistake on the Bruery's part, maybe some more will come down the line.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2009 20:06:06 | More by onix1agr