Special Edition - White Ale - Mendocino Brewing Company

PorterLambic

Florida

4.2/5  rDev +22.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Just happened across this at my local Whole Foods as I was shopping for a hefe-weizen for my visiting bro-in-law.The label promises "sensuous spices" with orange peel & a twist of lemon. Looking forward to this.
It pours a hazy, pineapple juice color. An ever so slightly off-white head develops, lasting a good long time and is made of tight little bubbles. Some lace is left but it's spotty.
Smell is everything I want in a wheat/witbier, malt, wheat, lemon & orange, clove & pepper. Great balance and one of the most complex of this style I've had to date.
Taste is exactly the same as the smell with the addition of some light hops to the mix.
Light, crisp, with a light effervescence all over. A nice malt/lemon/spice aftertaste stays for while so you don't have to drink it fast to keep the taste around. This is a very good beer and I am so very glad I bought the 6-pack instead of just a single bottle.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2006 17:29:34 | More by PorterLambic

matjack85

Illinois

3/5  rDev -12.5%

01-26-2013 16:44:33 | More by matjack85

cliff1066

Virginia

3.25/5  rDev -5.2%

12-26-2012 00:19:37 | More by cliff1066

kb2250

New Jersey

3/5  rDev -12.5%

09-27-2012 00:48:18 | More by kb2250

chasmandocharles

Pennsylvania

2.75/5  rDev -19.8%

06-06-2012 19:40:55 | More by chasmandocharles

getbehindthemule

Kentucky

4/5  rDev +16.6%

02-12-2012 15:15:06 | More by getbehindthemule

JohnK17

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev +2%

02-08-2012 01:46:14 | More by JohnK17

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

yellow in color with tons of carbonation and a huge fizzy white head that let down quickly. Aroma is light banana, clove and citrus, nice and light and airy with touches of lemon zest and fresh spice as it warms. Very clean taste, perfect hints of citrus and spice layered on the banana based malts. Quick, clean, light and very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2011 16:22:54 | More by mikesgroove

djrn2

New Jersey

3/5  rDev -12.5%

12-01-2011 20:09:19 | More by djrn2

GbVDave

Illinois

3.4/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a Loterbol tulip.

A: Pours an opaque pear nectar color with lots of suspended sediment. Topping this was one dense finger of creamy, bright-white foam that featured good retention. Lacing was minimal.

S: Yeast and coriander loom large here, as does citrus and a bit of toasted wheat.

T: The citrus of the nose steps it up and clobbers the other "Wit" flavors into oblivion...wearing out its' welcome in the process.

M: A little too on the tart side for the style, for me. A bit too thin also.

D: Not horrible in the least, but a bit meh.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2010 23:23:38 | More by GbVDave

maddogruss

New Jersey

3.53/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Got a bottle of this from Cloverleaf Tavern.

A: Pours a hazy, straw yellow body with a silky, but small white head with pretty low retention but some lacing along the glass until the finish.

S: A nice, lemon zest smell with some sweet, honey-earthy malt undertones.

T: A pretty earthy and floral taste with a lemon backbone. Lemon notes make themselves more evident in the aftertaste, but as the beer warms up, the floral notes start to make their presence more known. Overall, a nice tasting beer.

M: A pretty silky smooth, medium bodied beer that was crisp and refreshing overall.

D: A nice mouthfeel and taste combination makes this beer pretty nice on the palette and a pretty drinkable beer, especially for the summer. Overall, not too bad of a white ale.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2010 18:00:01 | More by maddogruss

GeneralZod

California

3.6/5  rDev +5%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

APPEARANCE
Clear golden color. Did not have much head retention.

SMELL
Smells of citrus. It is what to be expected of a white ale.

TASTE
Taste good. Almost like a water downed version of Hoegarden

MOUTHFEEL
Slippery, watery, and slightly carbonated.

DRINKABILITY
It is good beer for a hot summer day.
Would come back for more.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2010 02:21:33 | More by GeneralZod

gromis

Pennsylvania

2.58/5  rDev -24.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

This pours from the bottle a medium gold with lots of carbonation. My glass almost looked like a glass of champagne, not that I'm complaining.

The nose on this one is a zesty citrus and carbonation smell.

The first impression is that it has a heffi type taste. It does have a subtle sourness in the fade which is not unpleasant.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2010 02:10:15 | More by gromis

HURTemHIZZY

Virginia

3.33/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours a hazy yellow with an absolutely massive white head that is very fluffy and sticky. actually too much head for me, its pretty hard to pour this in one pour even with the gentlest pour you can muster. Leaves some grea tlacing down the glass.

Smells primarily of wheat, fairly light, with some nice hints of citrus, lemon and orange. A bit of coriander, and some noticeable spice. Nice aroma, a bit light, though.

Taste follows suit, but has a bit more spice and some more coriander to it. The lemony citrus also makes itself a bit more noticeable in the flavor. Nice tasting brew.

This beer had a lot going for it, but the body really threw it off for me. It looked fairly carbonated from the pour and the head, but this is just ridiculous. The carbonation level is so high that the beer is at times difficult to drink. Makes it much less drinkable and enjoyable than it should have been.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2010 17:59:41 | More by HURTemHIZZY

NA1NSXR

California

3.23/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - A touch more transparent than other unfiltered white ales I've had. Nice large foamy head and the trademark carbonation rush. Decent lacing.

Smell - I'm getting some wheat, orange peel, and coriander. Not so much lemon in the nose. Overall a reasonable mix of aromas for a white. The is a decent strength to the smell.

Taste - There is certainly nothing bad about the taste here. It lacks bite. I am getting a tasteless type of flavor to start that is mixed with some of the orange, lemon, and coriander elements and then the beer ends with a decent dose of wheat.

Mouthfeel - It turned out to be less carbonated in the mouth than it looked in the appearance. I'm not really a big fan of carbonation in general but this beer could've use a tiny bit more.

Drinkability - This is a decent effort and its certainly drinkable. My qualm with the beer has more to do with the balance...I would prefer more citrus, less coriander, a bit more tart. There is nothing bad though, so its really more of a matter of preference, and I've been having a lot of white ale lately so this unfortunately takes the back seat to some other examples.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2010 05:48:15 | More by NA1NSXR

floraday

California

3.8/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a wine glass.

A: Quite cloudy gold in color. No head to speak of with lots of carbonation and big bubbles.

S: Aromas of yeast with citrus and spice. Hints of coriander. Citrus and yeast are the dominant aromas with wheat in the background. A rather pleasant smelling beer. No metallic off-aromas that I find common to this style.

T: Lots of yeast and citrus. Nice! The aromas mentioned above are present on the palate. A little spicy.

M: Feels good in the mouth. Nice summer brew.

D: Very nice brew for the price. Would pair perfectly with lighter fare.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2010 01:15:15 | More by floraday

wnh

Missouri

3.95/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle poured into a mug.

Pours a hazy, murky old-gold-tinted straw, full of yeasty sediment, with a large, fluffy, foamy, quick-rising white head hinting at a high level of carbonation.

Fresh and clean citrus aromas, big on the orange and lemon. There's a good bit of coriander spice to balance--considerably more than the "subtle hint" mentioned on the bottle label, but still pleasant--with a clean sort of yeastiness on top of a strong backbone of (unmalted?) wheat. Fresh and inviting. Fruity on the palate, dominated by orange peel. I don't know that I've tasted such strong orange zest/juice notes in a beer that was in fact so devoid of hops. Interesting. Quite strong on the coriander--a little too strong, really--but brightened by clean, semi-sweet lemon peel.

Highly carbonated, which could very well be the result of my timing in drinking this beer; brewed for the summer, and I'm drinking it in early November. Has the yeast in the bottle worked to make this beer more carbonated than the brewers intended? Whatever the case, some careful pouring is necessary to let the beer settle to make this more palatable. Easy drinking and quite sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2009 23:50:25 | More by wnh

colts9016

Idaho

3.35/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a pint glass at 41 degrees.

Appearance: A nice white frothy creamy head that has a fair amount of retention. The body of the beer is a pale straw color. There is a lot of effervescence in the beer. A lot of yeast is floating and suspended in the beer. The clarity of the beer is slightly hazy.

Nose: A fragrant spice, wheat, a herbal note, zesty orange, and bouquet of flowers. There is a light honey note in the background of the beer.

Taste: A light wheat beer, there are herbal, spice, zesty orange, and floral notes.

Overall: The mouth feel of the beer is carbonated, astringent, and edgy. The body of the beer is light and the finish is crisp. This beer is descent there isn't a lot of flavor in the beer. I was expecting the beer to be more flavorful because of the pungent nose.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2009 06:25:49 | More by colts9016

brownbeer

Missouri

3.75/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours hazy orange-yellow with suspended sediment.

A lot of coriander on the nose(almost too much) with a pretty straight for orange and lemon citrus.

Zesty lemon, coriander, yeast, caramel maltiness as it warms. Banana, vanilla?

Well made beer that's easy to session and pretty true to the belgian style.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2009 00:21:32 | More by brownbeer

kimcgolf

Georgia

3.45/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle to a hazy golden color with thin whitre head that lingered awhile with little lacing, and suspended yeast throughout. Nose was a spicy, biscuity scent with a hint of fruit. Mouthfeel, while a little on the thin side, was tingly and a hint tart. Flavor picked up the scents of the nose, though not quite as strongly, and the finish was pleasant.

Nice summer beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2009 02:22:44 | More by kimcgolf

adamette

Ohio

4/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Live review. Poured from a bottle purchased at Heinen's in Willoughby Hills, Ohio as a single for $1.35 into my Brewery Ommegang Witte tumbler. I also saw this for sale as a single at the Mentor Cost Plus World Market earlier today as a single.

A Nice white creamy head over a straw yellow, slightly opague body with visible sediment lingering around in the body as well. Very nice look, better than I expected. 4.0

S Nice spice profile over the expected wheat, yeast grain smells. 4.0

T/M A bit harsh on the spices in my opinion but a very solid Witbier that I welcome with nice wheat notes and a good smoothness that you do not always get from a Witbier. 4.0

D Good with enough interest to keep you sipping until it is gone.

Notes: At this price point it is my favorite Witbier. I would go so far as to say that it rivals Ommegang Witte.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2009 01:17:46 | More by adamette

Wasatch

Utah

3.93/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks goes out to stephens101 for this one.

Pours a cloudy yellow/white color, nice carbonation, nice little fizzy white head, which does leave some sticky lacing behind. The nose is malty, with some yeast, lemony, citrus, and some spices. The taste is malty, yeast, very nice lemon/citrus thing going on (I like), with some spice. Medium body. Drinkable, this is a very nice thirst quencher, I'm very surprised by it, nice brew, thanks Lane.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2009 02:47:44 | More by Wasatch

secondtooth

Indiana

3.5/5  rDev +2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Mmm. This cloudy, unfiltered Belgian-style spiced ale is
characteristically bold, rich, and complex. Hints of citrus,
coriander, and clove, and nicely zesty and strong, yet still
well-balanced. Mendocino's White Ale is not one to chug, but for a
sipper, this one's a treat. Forget the diets and try one of these.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2009 03:20:43 | More by secondtooth

nickynick

Illinois

3.45/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Mendocino white poured a nice cloudy light amber, with a nice white head, and good lacing. It had a classic white ale look. Smell was full of citrus, with a hint of yeast. The taste had hints of bread. A good amount of citrus flavors. I found the taste a bit on the sweet side, and lacking spice a little bit. Mouthfeel was ok, it lacked a little of the carbonation I am looking for in a white ale. Drinkability was good. Overall I found this a decent white ale. It was an ok version of the style. Nothing I would go out of my way for, but would not turn one down.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2009 17:08:53 | More by nickynick

Hojaminbag

Colorado

3.1/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A hazy yellow body that has tons of yeast sediment that swirls around in clumps and specs. A finger and a half of white head that hardly sticks around at all.

A little bit sour with lemon and orange flavors. A little bit of coriander.

Up front comes mostly orange and lemon flavors. The little bit of sourness that was in the nose is magnified in the flavor. The sourness is a little bit more than just something coming from the lemon flavor, I think it might be a bit of wild or contaminated yeast. The fact that it isn't entirely unpleasant and kind of works with the beer makes me review this bottle instead of chalking it up to a dud. In the finish, the bite of the peppery coriander comes in, followed by a wheat bite.

Really high carbonation here, but enough body to stop it from being unpleasant.

Pretty drinkable beer. I can't say I like any sourness in my Wits though.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2009 04:12:13 | More by Hojaminbag