Witch's Wit - The Lost Abbey

Mosstrooper

California

4.7/5  rDev +24.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 750ml bottle into Guinness tulip pint glass.

Appearance: Slightly hazy pale straw in color with a large, creamy white head that dissipates slowly. Some thick lace spots around the glass.

Smell: Wheat, obviously, with lots of citrus- lemon and a touch of bitter lime. Pepper and coriander.

Taste: Begins with a banana/clove yeast flavor that remains throughout. Rounds out to more of a bready flavor and finishes with a touch of spiciness. Some citric and honey sweetness remains on the tip of the tongue after the finish, which is one of the most delightful things I have experienced in any beer.

Mouthfeel: Light in body with sharp up front carbonation that quickly smooths out giving this beer an almost creamy character. Finish is very refreshing.

Overall: One of the better beers I have had of this style. I wish it were a hot summer day, because this beer would be just about perfect for it.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2012 00:52:59 | More by Mosstrooper

PatriotsRule

Massachusetts

4.55/5  rDev +20.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Lost Abbey is a respectable, reliable brewery, and you've gotta love the cork cage 750mL bottle
A: Nice and light yellow, great head and ample carbonation. Lacing that lingers
S: Wheat, citrus, honey, hops and strawberry
T: Follows the nose, with a little sour fruitiness and a strong wheat backbone
M: Wheat! This is like a refined hefeweizen in some ways. The yeast is active and interesting
O: Extremely drinkable, sweet and special. At 4.8% abv this is a safe choice if you love wheat!

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2012 02:11:58 | More by PatriotsRule

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.47/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I was able to procure this bottle from Joey last week and was very anxious to try it. One of my favorite styles an a nice session able wit beer for a hot weekend. I served this one cold, right out of the fridge in a tall pilsner glass. Consumed on 09/14/2008.

This one poured out a very nice, and very bright golden yellow. Lots of cloudiness and haze in here, as there should be for the style. Some nice sediment pooling on the bottom as well. Nice one inch high head of white that fizzled out quickly but left behind a copious amount of side glass lacing.

The aroma was on the lighter side of things, lots of spices, wheat and grass like smells coming together nicely. A hint of lemon zest or orange peels in there as well, brightening it up very nicely. The flavor was superb for the style. Lots of coriander and spices running through it, a touch of clove and an almost banana like flavor in the middle. Lots of fresh grass as well in the finish. Wonderful body on this one was chewy most of the time and really just came across very well. Great carbonation kept it lively throughout. I drank this one outside on the deck in 96 degrees and it was wonderful.

Overall I really think it is interesting seeing this one get slammed soo much, as it really is a very good beer and should not be discounted. Great Mouthfeel with a really nice profile just added to the mix. I would not mind at all having a case of this one every summer, it was a perfect hot day session beer for me, with a little extra kick. Very well done.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2008 10:39:47 | More by mikesgroove

waltonc

Colorado

4.43/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle purchased at CBS.

Hazy golden honey color. Some white head that disappears to virtually nothing after a while. Smells and tastes like cloves, citrus, wheat, and faint honey. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium carbonation that complements the taste. Low ABV and non-extreme flavors lend this to prodigious consumption.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2008 03:31:02 | More by waltonc

CraftLoverSD

California

4.4/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I tried this beer for the first time having just found out about Lost Abbey a few weeks ago. This is their new relesae for 2010 that just came out about two weeks ago. I had it in a sampler 4 oz glass. So onward to review:

A - there was a medium - low head of foam on this that went down fairly quickly with little lacing. The color was a typical wheat beer color.

S - I didn't notice anything really sticking out regarding the smell besides the usual wheat.

T - tasted less sweet and had more depth than a typical wheat beer.
D- Very drinkable. I had the 4 oz and was ready for some more. Can't say that for all beers I've tried at breweries.
Overall, great refreshing beer that will plan on coming back for a growler fill for. Great for summer.

Serving type: on-tap

07-19-2010 17:48:03 | More by CraftLoverSD

jbmorch

California

4.38/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had 5-oz in a chardonnay glass with my watermelon salad at The Linkery in San Diego.

First thing I noticed was the legs on this beer as I swirled it - intricately deep threads that hung onto the glass forever. The beer was a pleasing yellow color and the smell of spices (citrus and Indian kitchen spices) was prominent.

It was smooth tasting for such a sharp smelling beer. And the flavors kept coming... sharp Christmas spices followed by a easy wheat blanket on the tongue and then an aftertaste that lingered without getting in the way of the next morsel of dinner.

It was like Tomme aged this beer - has he been sitting on these bottles for a year? I'll be getting some more.

Serving type: on-tap

08-06-2008 05:26:24 | More by jbmorch

GClarkage

California

4.38/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

09/03/08- Purchased at Ledger's in Berkeley, CA.

Presentation- 750ml bottle, caged and corked. 2008 release, poured into my Russian River tulip.

Appearance- Off light yellow in color (a healthy pee color). 3/4 inches of head upon pour. Leaves light lace patchwork behind.

Smell- Light musk nose. Some clove, corriander, lots of white pepper and grassy yeast.

Taste- Very traditional in flavor. Spices meld about as perfect as you can get. Maybe a bit more grass-hay-earth flavor would have put it over the top. Still wondeful clove and white pepper and confectioniers sugar meld.

Mouthfeel- Medium to higher carbonation, very crisp though with a fuller mouthfeel for a wit.

Drinkability- One of the better wit's I have had hands down. Right up there with St. Bernardus and Little White Lie IMO. Good stuff worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2008 23:50:34 | More by GClarkage

largadeer

California

4.33/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Appearance: Pours a hazy straw color with a couple inches of white foam; nice retention and lace.

Smell: Zesty citrus and whole wheat bread. Faint sweetness, but more on the dry side. Smells great.

Taste & mouthfeel: Wheaty, bready, yeasty and spicy. Dry, light-bodied and incredibly refreshing. The finish brings out a touch of honey and grapefruit. Ridiculously drinkable stuff; this one was gone in no time.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2008 03:48:44 | More by largadeer

Georgiabeer

Georgia

4.33/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Interesting how the reviews for this beer are all over the place. I put it down to on tap versus in bottle to start with, but looking through all of the reviews that doesn't seem to hold true either. I liked this beer a great deal. I like its low abv, and it certainly tastes nothing like Hoegarden mixed with Budweiser. I had this on tap at Toronado San Francisco and it was served in great condition. Poured a nice hazy golden with a light head that fades to a ring. Smells very spicy and herbal with loads of coriander. Tastes quite herbal and spicy as well with anise, coriander, some pepper, a long herbal finish and some minerality right at the end. No appreciable sweetness from the honey, but I'll bet some of that herbaceous taste is coming from there. The mouthfeel is fairly clean with some more of that herbal tang. Nice drinkability. I haven't had the bottle yet, but I'm interested to see if it holds up as well as the tap version.

Serving type: on-tap

09-09-2008 01:22:53 | More by Georgiabeer

beagle75

Iowa

4.33/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 750 ml bottle into a tulip glass.

A: Very hazy, medium golden color with over one finger of diminishing white foam head. No lacing remains on the glass. Specks of rusty brown sediment are visible at the bottom of the glass.

S: Prominently featured in the smell are wheat and yeast, also joined by bright lemon citrus and faint banana.

T: Begins with bright, acidic grain, followed by lemon and lime citrus and cloves emerging in the middle. Wheat begins to blanket the palate late. Dryness prevails throughout this beer's flavor profile, becoming particularly evident in the crisp, but slightly astringent, finish.

M: Medium viscosity, soft and creamy on the palate, with moderate carbonation.

D: This beer represents a very strong effort to capture an idealized Belgian-style wit--hardly unique nor extreme, but classic. In fact, it reminds of one of the greats of the style--St. Bernardus wit--as much as any other bottled American wit (and blows away those few other west coast renditions that actually make it into the bottle). Such a comparison is not given here lightly; while it is remarkable that this beer is a San Diego rendition of the style, no handicap is necessary to compare it to the best around.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2010 05:04:10 | More by beagle75

donaldchapman

Colorado

4.25/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Clear golden yellow, with huge frothy white head.
S - Wheat, complex spice, phenolics, and slight hops.
T - Dry and complex, wheat complexity, spices mingle well with malt and hops.
M - Medium mouth feel, dry with a perfect level of carbonation.

This is a great, beer, the spices and malt flavors mingle very nicely. Finishes dry and crisp with a good mouth feel. Aftertaste is very nice.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2008 22:46:38 | More by donaldchapman

Docer

Washington

4.25/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks again to BeerMolly for the brew.. how could I ever repay.. it's a nice hot day here so i thought this would go great w/ a BBQ'ed steak after fishing!

- Slightly cloudy light yellow/orange with a thick froth of white head.. down to a ton of little bubbles and lace..

- A wheat 'n grain scent with a touch of sweet honey and bitterness.. and lemon zest.. a bit of a zing..

- Little bit of a Belgian yeast taste with a touch of wheat, barleygrain and honey... with a lovely bright citrus zing.. perfect for a hot day.

- Slightly dry, citrus lemon aftertaste.. but also very refreshing..

- Super drinkable... would be nice in a 12-pack! A great summer brew.. Highly recommend this one!

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2009 01:20:05 | More by Docer

scottoale

California

4.22/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from the standard Lost Abbey brown 750ml. cork/caged bottle a cloudy pineapple gold with a finger of solid white clingy foam. Good retention here, carbonation is spot-on for this style.

Lightly sweet and spicy nose is very Belgian-esque. Wheatgrass, lemon, spice and yeast come through in a very pleasant manner.

The flavor, as it smells, is very mellow, tasty and smooth...ever-so quaffable. The perfect hot weather thirst quencher with it's mild ABV and super easy drinking taste.

I think I prefer the bottled version here a notch above what I've tried on tap, none the less a nice Wit from one of my favorite breweries...cheers!

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2008 23:00:35 | More by scottoale

Reino

Oregon

4.22/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Received in the Trick or LIF from scubarex. Thanks man.

Appearance- A gingerly pour into my pint glass produces a finger of white head that is creamy, but settles to a creamy film very quickly. The beer itself is a beautiful apricot gold, with blond highlights that shine bright when held to light. The lacing was phenomenal all the way down the glass.

Smell- The aroma of this beer changed directions on me quite a few times. Initially, I get a ton of sweet floral notes with clove and a bit of dull honey. The second wave of aroma brings about nutmeg, lavender and a banana creme sweetness that is very nice. As it warms up, I start to get plenty of coriander (was wondering where this was) and some orange with a tiny bit of earthiness/grass that changes to breadiness as the beer continues to warm. The aroma is very refreshing/cleansing, like a mint tea. At it's very warmest, I think I can settle on describing this beer's aroma as a very sweet floral smell combined with fresh out of the oven wheat bread.

Taste- Coriander makes its presence felt early and often along with some clove. Sweetness comes in second from a bit of that banana creme from the nose, but much more from golden apples. A dull sweetness from some honey comes in late and lingers along with some bitterness and orange peel. Actually, there's a nice underlying hoppy bitterness throughout that never overpowers, but accents the flavor and keeps this Wit from being a one trick pony.

Mouthfeel- Crisp, lively carbonation gives life to a fairly creamy, medium body upfront that gets a watery at the finish. The beer leaves a cooling, refreshing feel on my cheeks as the bitterness of the hops dry my tongue a bit, but not a whole lot. Obviously, there is no heat to be felt from this low abv brew.

Drinkability- It has sweetness, spice, and everything nice. It goes down extremely smooth, and has a low abv that would make it okay to have more than one 750ml to yourself. If this beer were available to me, I'd surely buy it again on a sunny day.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2008 00:07:11 | More by Reino

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I shared this 750 w/ tenderbranson 69 @ shady mcgrady's in Hbg. Served chilled in two goblets

A - A golden straw color with appropriate haze and a thin white cap. The yeast cake was still packed to the bottom of the bottle from bottle conditioning, swirled a bit and added to the glass

S - Sulfury belgian yeastiness w/ a hint of citrus, coriander and the yeast is a dominant odor providing pleny of fruit notes

M - A crisp, fresh feel w/ pleasing carbonationand light, sweet honey tinged malt w/ light spiciness in the finish

T - A crisp wheat w/ pleasant citrus peel that has an orange flavor and the creamy taste is refreshing w/ hints of hops and the contrast of subtle pepper flavor is fantastic. The taste has a tangerine-like sweet note from the peel and the malt is soft and balancing in contrast from the yeast, not grainy in any way. The spice flavors do the trick and the wheat is tasty w/ light herbal hops rounding out the flavor

D - The refreshing quality of this ale is off the charts, I consider this one of the best American wits I have tasted- A great beer for quaffing, no matter what the season

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2009 17:02:08 | More by Slatetank

drummstikk

California

4.22/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Outstanding spices meld with tangy wheat and Belgian funk in a delicious and refreshing beer. Color is a hazy straw and carbonation is nice and brisk, perhaps 3V. Smell is of citrus, and orange and citrus flavors are balanced by a noticeable hop bitterness and not quite enough Belgian yeast character. The sweet spices accentuate the residual sugar to make the beer slightly too sweet. But these are quibbles one only notices in beers that are close to glory as Witch's Wit.

Serving type: on-tap

08-09-2010 07:07:53 | More by drummstikk

phichifiji00

California

4.22/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2009 bottle poured into Lost Abbey tulip.

Appearance: Hazy straw color, pours 2 inches thick white head that fades very slowly. Lots of lacing.

Smell: brett, barnyard funk, earthy, citrus, grassy, orange zest, coriander, honey, spices, floral notes.

Taste: Orange zest, coriander, orange blossom honey, spices, subtle funk, white pepper, salty.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, moderate carbonation, smooth, crisp, zesty.

Overall: Very drinkable. Well balanced. Fairly complex. I think this bottle definitely improved with age.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2011 16:06:28 | More by phichifiji00

Halcyondays

California

4.18/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750 mL bottle, purchased at Lone Hill,

A: Pours a hazy cloudy yellow with a small white head, fair retention, no lacing.

S: Coriander, bubblegum, wheat, rose petals.

T: Definite Grains of Paradise right out with a lot of fruity spice character. Honey is clearly evident which I really liked and it complemented the various spices very well. Flowery and sweet finish, cantaloupe, banana chips and light lemon zest.

M: Well structured, a lot like Avery's White Rascal, the flavour holds and has a strong finish. Easy to drink, spritzy, smooth brew, a tad too much carbonation for my liking, but a minor quibble.

D: A very good wit here, a well made brew which I always find from Port/Lost Abbey, if you find a bottle, definitely pick it up, great drinker, the bottle lasted 40 minutes, but easily could have been gone in 20.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2008 22:41:24 | More by Halcyondays

Thehuntmaster

South Africa

4.16/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml bottle 4,8% Abv.
Served chilled in an oversized wine glass.
Bottled on: 26/07/2012

Appearance: The appearance is fairly standard for a wit beer - murky (I purposefully shook up the yeast) golden-yellow body, topped by a large white head. The head could have lasted a little better, but it does leave some nice rings of lacing as it recedes.

Smell: Oh wow, the honey is immediately apparent, with a big raw honey note dominates the first few sniffs. After a few minutes the more traditional notes of malted wheat, banana, coriander and clove become apparent. Warming yields a light citrus character (sweeter than I'd expect from grapefruit peel), a little peach and a perfumed note that might just be the cardamom.

Taste: As with the nose, the initial flavour offers a fair amount of raw honey. This is soon joined by malted wheat, an unexpected light hoppy note (sweet citrus fruits), coriander and clover.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied, with a medium-high level of relatively smooth carbonation.

Overall: I love wit beers and this is a very interesting (and delicious) example of the style. It was fantastically refreshing and I could happily see myself drinking a few of these during summer!

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 14:04:23 | More by Thehuntmaster

0110x011

California

4.15/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

Pours a pale straw into a Lost Abbey long-stemmed tulip. Frothy one finger head dissipates into a thin collar. Very little lacing. Banana and spice on the nose. The honey is in there, and it makes a nice addition to the profile. Flavor is quite fruity, with some yeasty spice to balance things out, and the honey making itself known again. Light bodied and crisp.

Probably Lost Abbey's most drinkable brew, I could sip on this stuff all night. Seek it out if you're a fan of witbiers.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2008 04:06:32 | More by 0110x011

Yetiman420

Ohio

4.15/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Unibroue tulip glass. Split the bottle with my wife.

Pours a hazy peach color with a 1/2 finger very light gray head.

Aroma is a very pronounced lemon and light malt.

Taste is incredibly clean and smooth - mouthfeel part of the equation.

Aroma after a couple of sips presents more of the wit yeast aroma and less lemon.

This one almost drinks too easy. More pronounced yeast flavor would help. If not for the aroma, I'm not sure I could easily pick this out as a wit. The taste is just so clean which is good but bad from a flavor standpoint. I'm lowering it from my original 4.5 to a 4 for flavor.

On a warm sunny day, this is the beer to turn someone on to the wonderful world of craft beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2009 00:42:06 | More by Yetiman420

grub

Ontario (Canada)

4.15/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Viggo brought this one over. thanks eric!

750ml bottle, corked and caged. sampled june 7/09.

pours fairly clear pale yellow with a small cap of fine white head. the head drops fast and leaves spotty lace behind.

aroma is great. lightly sweet caramel and honey. cracker and white bread. just a touch of alcohol. lots of nice belgian spice. orange peel, clove, corriander. other light citrus and floral character too.

taste is good. white bread with just the slightest toasting. cracker. hint of alcohol. orange peel. bit of bright floral character. nice belgian spice. low bitterness level. at moments this feels like a lighter tripel. after a few sips i'm noticing the alcohol a bit more and it starts to feel like more than the listed 4.8%. i'm not sure if it's my imagination, but i feel like there's just a touch of brett in here. it's more in the mouthfeel than anything, but there is just a touch of horse blanket and leather.

mouthfeel is great. nice light body with a fairly dry finish.

drinkability is good. nice balance. unlike many american interpretations of belgian styles, i really think lost abbey has nailed this one. often the malt profile won't be quite right, or the spice too obvious, or the sweetness too high. this one scores well in all regards. blindfolded i'd easily guess this was from the other side of the ocean. good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2009 00:30:17 | More by grub

tedsox31

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 750 ml into a tulip glass. The color is pale golden/orange and a small white head that quickly dissipates. Some lacing.

The smell is very nice. There is a strong presence of citrus, both from fruit and hop additions. Some coriander is also evident.

The taste follows the aroma, with citrus very strongly up front and coriander in the middle-back. The end is somewhat wheaty in character.

The mouthfeel is carbonated and dry. Very refreshing.

A very drinkable beer with more depth than your typical wit. I would go back to this beer again and again.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2010 21:55:29 | More by tedsox31

DrJay

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The first glass poured out of this 750 was very bright and clear, a yellow/gold colour with a dense white cap. Good head retention with a thick layer of bubbles clinging to the glass. Things were a bit cloudier in subsequent glasses, much more in line with what I expected. Nice aroma. Crackery and yeasty with a lemony twang and citrus zest smell. Spice was coriander for the most part, maybe a hint of clove character, a little sour too. Flavour was great. Crackery wheat with just a bit of sweetness, citrusy and zesty with spices filling things out nicely. A little grassy mid-palate with a balanced finish. The body was a little fuller than you normally get in a wit, but still retained a pleasant crispness with the slightly higher carbonation. Dry, but not overly so. Quite refreshing and very tasty.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2008 00:28:40 | More by DrJay

Patrick999

Florida

4.13/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured into a very tall, large weizen glass, this shows typical whitish-gold witbier body, with a soapy-looking head that leaves some random thick gobs of foam on the side of the glass before settling to a thumbnail cap. Coarse-looking bubbles furiously rise from the heavy bottom of this tall glass. Clearer than I would expect, but then again this is the first pour of the 750ml bottle. Indeed, on the second pour, this really clouded up, and I noticed a couple large bricks of sediment falling out of suspension. Extremely cloudy, completely opaque witbier we have here. I like that, but your mileage may vary.

Aromatics are mostly fresh sourdough bread, citrus, freshly molded plastic and a little sweaty sock testifying to the yeastiness of this brew. True to style.

Hmm, here is where we deviate from the norm and realize that this is indeed a Lost Abbey beer. In most other witbiers I've tried, I don't get much hop presence, if at all. Here, there is a definite citrusy hop along for the ride throughout - not overbearing IPA-type citrusy hop, but just enough to let you know it's there. Otherwise, the flavor profile is dominated by the yeast, with sour mash notes riding on the back of the wheat, with a thick peppery coriander bite. I see that this is brewed with honey - I don't really notice, I think much of that residual sugar has been eaten.

Feel is a pillow-like feel that I normally associate with stronger beers, like a tripel. Given the coarse-looking carbonation, I would have expected something more spiky. For a witbier, it's a little too luxurious.

Given the low strength of this beer, and the breadth of flavor, I'd say this is very drinkable. I'm glad this isn't "just another witbier," which helps justify the high price. Would be a good one to pair with food. Not your starter Belgian White, I don't think I'd give this one to Shock Top or Blue Moon drinkers.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2009 23:43:26 | More by Patrick999