New Holland Zoomer Wit - New Holland Brewing Company

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4.08/5  rDev +22.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Slightly hazy, bright lemon-gold with an eggshell white head that's on the small side after a vigorous pour. The aroma is appropriately wheat malty with the unmistakable scent of Cascade hops. As a consequence, it smells more of lemon and grapefruit than it does of actual orange peel. Interesting choice of hops in a wit, but since I love Cascade, I approve.

This is one flavorful witbier. Again, the hops are right up-front, a position that they occupy without drowning out the other flavor elements. Orange is definitely evident on the palate, much more so than it was in the nose. Coriander is also present (naturally) and has been added in a 'just right' amount. The finish is mildy bitter with a refreshing cleanliness.

Zoomer Wit may not be a classic witbier by virtue of its unashamed use of Cascade hops, but as far as I'm concerned it's an excellent Americanized version of the style that runs neck and neck with Bell's Oberon for top honors in the great beer state of Michigan.

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2004 19:00:32 | More by BuckeyeNation

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.33/5  rDev 0%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A fair beer that has little to complain about. However, difficult to find much praise with this one either. Estery, with a mild yeasty aromas, decorated with spiciness and citrus. Looks lightly murky and a neutral straw hue. Head retention was lacking. Tastes sorta Wit-like, but without the creamy, soft, delicate flavors expected. Mildly grain-like, citrusy, grassy, and spicy. The feel was a bit harsh for the style and the hop balance allowed for a bite. Not a bad beer, but certainly not my pick from the style.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2007 20:02:04 | More by BEERchitect

oberon

North Carolina

3.5/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap at Ashley's in Ann Arbor over the weekend,poured a hazed straw color with hint of peach hue a thin white head atop.Mild toasted wheat malt in the nose very light citric orange as well,dryer flavors with toasty wheat being in the forefront there is a citric hop presence in the finish though that you dont see in many beers of the style that others have noticed on their reviews.All in all a little boring a summer no brainer I guess here.

Serving type: on-tap

07-03-2007 23:28:51 | More by oberon

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +18%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

With the yeast roused from the bottom of the bottle, New Holland's Zoomer Wit delivers the typical hazy light-golden-orange appearance that's excpected of the style. The head retention is a bit limited, however, and it drops quickly to a narrow collar of bright white. The nose is bright and exciting with distinctly wheat-ish malt that's peppered with swirling notes of coriander and orange peel. The body is light-medium, and its very fine carbonation leaves a gentle zest on the tongue. Coriander dominates the flavor right from the get go, with orange peel taking a solid stance behind it right in front of the malt. As expected the bitterness is kept to a minimum allowing the spice to balance it; and it finishes with a distinct coriander flavor and spicy (mildly chalky) dryness. It's not a bad beer by any stretch of the imagination, and it might be one of New Holland's best, but it doesn't quite stack up to the finest examples from Belgium. Still, it's fresh, domestically made, and cheaper - so I say load up for your next summer party or just grab a case for yourself during the hot summer months!

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2004 15:43:04 | More by NeroFiddled

WesWes

New York

3.88/5  rDev +16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours a hazy pale gold color witha thick frothy white head that quickly fades to lacing. The aroma is decent. It has a dry wheat scent with a hint of orange zest. It is a bit weaker than most wits and the yeast doesn't really have much of an impact. The taste is good. It has a nice dry wheat flavor with a wonderful orange aftertaste. It goes down easy and refreshes. It is a low bodied beer with good carbonation. This is a decent wit. It has good flavor, but lacks a bit on aroma and appearance; a good drinker.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2004 22:01:07 | More by WesWes

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

2.03/5  rDev -39%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

I think this beer may have been an old bottle or maybe a bad batch. I'm almost sure that this beer shouldn't have been as bad as it was. I like most Wit beers but this one fell through the cracks for me. It's almost tasted sour, and nowhere near as refreshing as it should have been. Anyway this brew was a cloudy yellow color, with a lot of lively bubbles in it that tingle your mouth.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2011 18:40:58 | More by Knapp85

emerge077

Illinois

3.13/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at the Charleston...

Pours like pulpy, peach-orange juice. A shade lighter than real OJ. A few spots of lacing linger after the glass sits for a minute. The small amount of head fades to a ring around the glass. When swirled, there's a big coriander spice aroma. Muted wheat and citrus in the background.

Wheaty and smooth feel, pale malts, coriander, with a sort of dull earthiness. It feels a little too heavy on the palate, and dries out in the finish. One pint was easy to consume, two maybe on a hot day. Not my favorite Wit though...

Serving type: on-tap

08-29-2007 02:05:51 | More by emerge077

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.3/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked up a bottle at Abe's and this one's a bit of a foamer.

This shows possible signs of age, but I can't tell since New Holland doesn't date their bottles. It appears a hazy straw yellow with an almost overwhelming fluffy white head. The aroma is a mix of mild Belgian candy spice with doughy bread. The flavor follows up on those notes with a little more emphasis on wheat and ending on a sour note. No really, it gets quite sour at the end. The body is appropriately light, and the sour is interesting, but I don't know if I'd go back to this one with so many good wit's available.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2008 09:39:12 | More by tempest

WVbeergeek

Ohio

3.73/5  rDev +12%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Sporting a newer label than what's pictured here, the new one has a summer deck chair soaked in sun okay crack this baby. Appears a clouded hazy lemonade yellow golden hue forms a large soapy white head bubbles rise above the glass with good retention leaves thin uneven lacing behind. Aroma contains bread like mildly spiced yeast profile mild citrus peel low grade herbal hop bouqet, prett much the yeast breadiness stands out here with some sharp wheat accents arising as well. Flavor contains some sharp citrus bitter zest with spciy corainder offerings blended nice together while their bready yeast chalky aspect doesn't accomplish what other wits do for me with authentic Belgian yeast strains, really bready spiciness with a finishing herbal hop character. Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied some yeasty protein dregs are noted in teh texture here carbonation is a bit spritzy like the style usually is so this works. Drinkability great for summer I was refreshed after my portion it didn't over do the coriander my complaint with many American brewed wits but my gripe with the yeast strain here made this offering much more powdered yeast cake flavor than should come through but I was able to overlook this and give it a try.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2007 18:21:25 | More by WVbeergeek

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a beautiful color of clouded straw/yellow. A small white head forms and then leaves. Nose is mild with minimal funk there. Mild dough. Seems a little boring to me on the nose. Flavor is definitely showing thorough wheat characters. Yeasty funk is there, but not overpowering. Gives a smooth offering. Feel is good on the liquid and has a full carbonation hitting the mouth. Overall this is an easy drinking beer. Smooth and unobtrusive as far as flavors go. Nothing wild here, but nothing bland or mediocre either. Just a smooth and even brew.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2008 03:27:07 | More by RblWthACoz

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a hazy, medium yellow gold with a 1/2 finger of fizzy brite-white head. Fizzles down pretty quickly into just some wisps of retention that leave a small smattering of lace behind. The aroma is mostly floral hops, citrus, and some undelying notes of wheat and yeast.

The taste is a firm base of wheat and bread set against some citrus character and a moderately tingling hop profile. The mouthfeel is light-medium bodied with a prickly carbonation and slightly oily feel at times.

Not bad for an American Pale Wheat Ale. It wasn't overly assertive or anything and the oiliness in the body was interesting but it didn't detract from the drinkibility too much.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2008 16:57:28 | More by Kegatron

Bighuge

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +20.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Hazed golden-white appearance. Thin and bubbly ivory white head leaves adequate lace. Really nice malt/wheat blend on the nose. The spices are subdued, but noticeable. Sweet orange. The body's pretty light and the carbonation just a tad low. Taste is solid. Nice belgian malt and wheat tones. Coarse corriander and a little pepper spice it up. And a little bitter orange as well. Nice lingering dryness begs more and more drinks. Now my beer is gone...quickly.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2004 21:26:28 | More by Bighuge

Dogbrick

Ohio

3.33/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Sampled at From The Vine beer tasting Jul 9th, 2004: This brew is a bright yellow color with simmering carbonation and a thin white head. Thin lacing as well. The aroma is lightly spiced with some citrus. Light-bodied and crisp, with spices, citrus and toasted malt flavors. The finish is mildly bitter hops and citrus again. Fairly easy to drink but it doesn't really stack up against the many exemplary beers of the style that are readily available.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2004 03:59:16 | More by Dogbrick

scruffwhor

Illinois

3/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a hazy hay, banana peel yellow. Light to nonexistant bubbling and head retention. The aroma is a lightly spicey cuboard of lager like wit. The flavor is very lagery for a wheat ale. A little sweat sockey with some old yeast and real pale malts. Hints of herbs undefined to my palate. Refreshing, but not terribly flavorful.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2006 17:49:47 | More by scruffwhor

cokes

Wisconsin

3.55/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Murk-filled golden straw, but more-or-less beige with the sediment added. The head is short and lacy.
Nose full of lemon cookies, grain, and oranges.
Taste begins with a full doughiness. Some abrupt grains poke through. Continually doughball-esque throughout, brightened in the close with coriander spiciness, orange rind bitterness and lemon cleanser.
Light bodied and quaffable.
Fairly decent Witbier, if a bit on the bland side.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2004 01:28:35 | More by cokes

blackie

Virginia

3.78/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

a: into this new Allagash wit glass, low white head leaves a nice coat atop a very hazy golden-wheat colored beer

s: full, soft wheaty aroma, big clean yeasts, light crisp lemon, gently spicy noble hops

m: delicate low-medium carbonation with a light body

t: doughy yeasts carried on a big wheat base, a little lemony in the finish, light bitterness, a good wit but a little one dimensional

d: easy

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2008 03:22:26 | More by blackie

Vancer

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Zoomer pours out a hazy lemon yellow, nice white head since I poured aggressively. Lots of yeasies on the bottom of this bottle conditioned brew.

Note of soapy wheat malts in the aroma, taste is extremely smooth and malty. No off tastes or special notes, just your garden variety wheat ale. “Honey” printed on the inside of the cap gives a clue to some ingredients.

Should be a winner for lighter drinkers or summer session
enthusiastic types.

I also see they changed the label, it now has a wooden summer deck chair sitting alone in the sun.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2007 14:14:52 | More by Vancer

tgbljb

Pennsylvania

3.15/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured a cloudy bright amber-orange color with moderate white puffy head.
Smell is notable for wheat and yeast, but not much in the way of spices or fruit.
Taste is sharply hoppy and tends to drown out any other vlavor sensations.
Finishes with a strong dry bitternes that leads to a distinct lack of refreshment.
A bit of a dissapointment. Too dry for my taste.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2007 16:40:37 | More by tgbljb

brewdlyhooked13

Ohio

2.5/5  rDev -24.9%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1.5

Appearance - fills up the glass with four fingers of off-white foam. The bottle swirling adds some cloudiness to the lemon yellow beer, and there's still an impressive yeast ring left at the bottom of the bottle. The head forms up higher than the glass by about one finger, then slowly falls back.

Aroma - fresh grain, light yeast. A little on the plain side but it does smell fresh.

Taste - the tanginess hits before anything else. Tart, lemony. With the yeast it almost emulates that sour funk that I don't care for, but it doesn't quite get there. Some wheat character shows up but its on the downward side of the taste. Finishes with a sour lemon rind flavor. Not to my personal liking.

Mouthfeel - light smoothness, lots of carbonation, a lighter feeling beer.

Drinkability - in short, not for me.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2007 20:23:45 | More by brewdlyhooked13

kmpitz2

Tennessee

3.05/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

The beer pours a hazy, light yellow color with a smallish white head that falls to a light ring over the top. The nose is a little too harsh in the wheat for me. Ther are hints of orange and spiceyness, but they take a back seat to the wheat. The flavor shows the same skew. The finish is actually a bit unappealing with the intense grainey flavor it gives. I want a nice spicey finish, with just an accent from noble hops. None is found. Boo. The feel is moderate with a moderate carbonation. Okay. Definately not a whit I would get again.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2005 02:37:57 | More by kmpitz2

Mitchster

Michigan

3.63/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Brewed with Pilsen and Wheat Malts, Cascade & First Gold Hops, coriander and orange peel.

OG 1.050, 5.0% ABV, 22.19 IBU.

Even with a vigorous pour, this brilliantly clear, light orange-golden brew formed a tiny head atop small bubbles with sparse lacing. Retention is poor. Carbonation is medium-light. Aroma is full of that typical Cascade nose (which I don't really care for) with a subtle, bitter white celery note (is that the coriander?). Taste starts with a full Cascade hop flavor with characteristic New Holland huskiness, sweet feeling in the back of the throat when the crisp malts kick in. The orange peel is just barely noticeable in the finish, which is a well-balanced bitterness complementing the husky, sweet pilsen malts. Mouthfeel is very crisp and wet with a medium-light body. The finish is lightly astringent, secondary to the husky grains. Drinkability is OK, and I would prefer this over Oberon as a summer thirst-quencher, which tends to more bready, and limits it's drinkability. New Holland has some great, unique brews which have not disappointed.

This is an average wit, but it doesn't hold a candle to the better wits out there like Celis & Hoegarden. The cascade hops really ruin this one...the Sierra Nevada taste competely overpowers any subtlety. Replace those with some Saaz and lots more orange peel and it might be good.

5/31/04 "Orange Infused" version. Pours out to a pale, cloudy, straw lemon, forming a modest white head with a vigorous pour with poor retention and no lacing. Carbonation is mild to moderate. Aroma of american standard wheat with lemon and orange citrus, and distant Saaz hops. Mouthfeel is tart and smooth with a light body. Taste is an echo of the aroma with a distant orange note towards the finish, preceded by a medium woody bitterness, and finishing with some grain husk and husk astringency. Nothing too exciting, and I can't say different from the previous version except for a slight orange note towards the finish.
A=3.5, S=4.0, T=4.0, MF=4.5, D=4.0

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2003 17:06:14 | More by Mitchster

Crosling

Colorado

1.98/5  rDev -40.5%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Yellow color with a white head. Strange smell, though vibrant aroma, with major hints of butter toffee (possibly diacetyl), with light spicing. Light body. Relatively no spice flavor, just overloaded with sour fruit. Poor yeast character. Blah, not good.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2006 06:10:13 | More by Crosling

mcallister

Ohio

2.63/5  rDev -21%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Very pale unfiltered orange yellow blandness. Clean head with sporadic carbonation bubbles arising. Fluffy and white with good retention.

Light wheat aromas with a git of grassy lemon and hints of clove. Yeast forward esters.

Thin and not very flavorful. Yet easily drinkable on a 90 degree day like today. Highly carbonated with a prickly, acidic somewhat acrid aftertaste. Lemon, yeast, wheat and watery.

Serving type: on-tap

06-24-2007 16:33:26 | More by mcallister

lackenhauser

Maryland

3.53/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured a light yellow color with a slight amount of cloudiness.No real appreciable aroma that I could detect.Had a smooth,clean taste that was quite refreshing though I got no hints of the coriander or orange peel it was said to be flavored with.Pleasing on the palate though I couldnt find one overwhelming flavor.Good for a hot summer's day.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2003 00:39:54 | More by lackenhauser

BeerSox

Virginia

3.48/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle into pint glass.

Pale yellow hay hue with a white thin head that quickly turns into almost nothing.

Very light malt aromas with a touch of orange citrusy fruit.

Light biscuity malts with a slight amount of citrus flavor. Medium bodied with good carbonation. The finish is some light lingering grain.

A very mildly flavored witbier, but rather refreshing. Great for the summer.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2008 18:27:11 | More by BeerSox