Florida Cracker White Ale - Cigar City Brewing

tectactoe

Michigan

3.69/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Pours a weird color, somewhere in limbo between straw and yellow with a pretty hefty haze, giving a grungy, unfiltered look and feel. The skull-white head grows and then bellies up almost instantly - completely vanished within 20 seconds of the pours. Being so volatile, a quick swirl can bring it back, but only for a very brief moment. Aroma is packed with some nice spices; clove, coriander, and other warming spices. Some moderate bubblegum on the very tail end thanks to the Belgian yeast. Not really picking up much of a hop flavor - maybe some lightly floral notes deep down in there, but it's stretch.

Pretty light on the palate with a thin-medium body, densely packed with carbonation; crispy and snappy on the tongue. Orange peel and lemon zest come out in the flavor right away - the lemon more so as it warms up. More clove, coriander, and perfume-like spices jump on the palate while a very light hop profile makes its way in. Slighty wet and floral, they are almost too far in the background to matter, though. I'm picking up a moderate funky flavor and aroma near the latter half of the beer now - corky, musky, cellar-like, wet wood. Is this a characteristic of the yeast strain? It was actually quite pleasant, not overpowering or off-putting at all - a nice little addition. Very "wet" on the palate despite the high carbonation. At times, it seemed a bit watered down and not packed with as much flavor as it should've had - but at 5% ABV, you've gotta give them some leeway.

Listed as a witbier, but it drank more like a spin-off of a toned down Belgian style. Not a bad crack at the style, especially when you consider the relatively low ABV, but nothing comes close to the real thing. I could imaging this one going down well on a warm beach somewhere.

Serving type: can

02-08-2013 04:23:35 | More by tectactoe

InVinoVeritas

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +5.3%

05-19-2013 12:12:19 | More by InVinoVeritas

jakeox

Illinois

4/5  rDev +5.3%

05-19-2013 01:45:56 | More by jakeox

clay23

New York

3.75/5  rDev -1.3%

05-19-2013 01:35:40 | More by clay23

Ctruskey

New York

4.5/5  rDev +18.4%

05-18-2013 21:59:09 | More by Ctruskey

HeyOhhh

Florida

4/5  rDev +5.3%

05-15-2013 22:27:39 | More by HeyOhhh

Mikel772

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +18.4%

05-15-2013 20:27:50 | More by Mikel772

MatthewPlus

Florida

4/5  rDev +5.3%

05-15-2013 14:36:14 | More by MatthewPlus

aLenwell

Florida

3.25/5  rDev -14.5%

05-14-2013 00:50:31 | More by aLenwell

jkball01

Kentucky

3/5  rDev -21.1%

05-13-2013 16:19:27 | More by jkball01

nickfl

Florida

4/5  rDev +5.3%

05-12-2013 18:39:21 | More by nickfl

sandiego67

California

4.5/5  rDev +18.4%

05-11-2013 04:14:38 | More by sandiego67

Hopinista

Nevada

3.25/5  rDev -14.5%

05-10-2013 00:54:26 | More by Hopinista

JRBecks

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -7.9%

05-09-2013 21:44:52 | More by JRBecks

BDstripp

Florida

4/5  rDev +5.3%

05-08-2013 02:01:36 | More by BDstripp

bigbluebeerguy

Kentucky

3.75/5  rDev -1.3%

05-08-2013 01:51:29 | More by bigbluebeerguy

MADPolo

Florida

3.25/5  rDev -14.5%

05-07-2013 17:14:05 | More by MADPolo

Skrypt

Florida

3.25/5  rDev -14.5%

05-07-2013 12:30:09 | More by Skrypt

BBrewington

California

4/5  rDev +5.3%

05-06-2013 23:30:03 | More by BBrewington

emottram

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -21.1%

05-06-2013 00:20:51 | More by emottram

RoamingGnome

Wisconsin

3.78/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Cigar City Florida Cracker

Poured from a 12 oz can into a shaker pint glass. Served chilled...

A) A golden brew with a bit of haze to it. Lots of bubble trails. Nearly two fingers of white foam reached the top of the pint. This settled quickly.

S) Pale malt, yeast, coriander, lemon zest, and a little spice that had me thinking black pepper.

T) Faint wheat, citrus flavors of orange peel and a little lemon too. The yeast gives it a little farmhouse funk. Nice spices as well.

M) Medium to lighter medium. This is well carbonated. Crisp and highly refreshing. Finishes dry with a nice aftertaste.

O) This was pretty darn good. Definitely a great option on a warm day. It's also nice that it's in cans. I'd buy some if it were in Wisconsin, but it's not. Oh well....

Serving type: can

05-05-2013 21:03:50 | More by RoamingGnome

rlee1390

Indiana

3.89/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A-Cloudy yellow, nicely carbonated, one finger head that doesn't last.

S-Orange, lemon, some grass, nice wheat and even vanilla.

T-Nice balance of orange and lemon. With corriander and grass. Mild wheat and no bitterness.

M-Medium to light in body, nicely carbonated and smooth.

O-A solid witbier, very sessionable and approachable.

Serving type: can

05-03-2013 19:03:10 | More by rlee1390

TheSixthRing

California

4.01/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Appearance - Pours a cloudy pale yellow with a white 2 finger head. Decent retention, leaving small islands of microbubbles on the surface, and a ring around the edge. Spotty lacing with little stick.

Smell - Strong yeasty sourness with bright citrus tones; lemony. Lesser hints of orange.

Taste - Moderate lemon sourness and yeast funk hit upfront. Very subtle wheat and banana character once the beer warms. Sweet and bright. Touches on orange peel and slight grassy bitterness near the finish.

Mouthfeel - Light in body with lively, somewhat bitey carbonation. Goes down smooth and easy. Semi-dry finish. Maybe the best bodied witbier I've come across thus far.

Overall - Great witbier all-around. It doesn't kill me that this beer isn't on shelves in California, but it'd be a welcome addition if it were.

Serving type: can

05-03-2013 06:07:48 | More by TheSixthRing

jminch

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -1.3%

05-02-2013 20:14:33 | More by jminch

ajtorres311

Florida

3.25/5  rDev -14.5%

05-01-2013 15:01:12 | More by ajtorres311