Whirlwind Witbier - Victory Brewing Company

flagmantho

Washington

4.1/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 12oz bottle into a tulip. Bottle says best by April 28, 2011, so I'm in the clear there.

Appearance: hazy, clean, silvery-white body with a thick finger of creamy white foam. A nice looking wit.

Smell: slightly sweet, slightly dry; there's a nice Belgian yeast character here of light pear and apple flavor. Quite good indeed, though there's not much of the coriander or citrus that I normally think of with a wit.

Taste: slightly tart, citrusy notes complement a good, smooth wheat flavor. Some of that yeast character remains, but is unfortunately subdued. Still, a well-balanced and tasty beer.

Mouthfeel: medium-light body with a well-integrated carbonation which yields a pleasing creaminess. I could stand even a little more, but this was pretty good.

Drinkability: this is a very pleasing witbier. Victory rarely disappoints me, and this beer is no exception. I have thoroughly enjoyed consuming it; now if only it were available in six packs around here.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2010 03:35:15 | More by flagmantho

Pencible

Virginia

3.38/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: This poured a translucent light gold with quickly disapating white head.
S: It smelled like lemon zest and creamy yeast, with some earthy bread crust.
T: It tasted like light lemon and creamy yeast, with some bready malt and a bit of honey. It had a mild bitter aftertaste.
M: It was watery with lots of light carbonation.
D: This was not super clean and tasty, but it wasn't bad either. Easy to drink but boring. There are better summer beers out there.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2010 19:50:39 | More by Pencible

SassyBootblack

Colorado

3.78/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served in a bottle with no glass.

Appearance: Seemed pretty clear. The yeast and sediment were weird little flakes that didn't easily stay in suspension when swirled.

Smell: A subtle fruity smell.

Taste: A touch of wheatiness, and a nice, understated fruitiness. Soft orange flavor. Very nicely balanced with nothing unplesant. Flavors are nice, but not bold.

Mouthfeel: Pretty clean with a medium body. This is no milkshake.

Drinkability: This beer won't kick you in the teeth with flavor, which makes it pretty sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2010 18:35:52 | More by SassyBootblack

mynameisbuzz

Massachusetts

3.1/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Looks pale and cloudy (I had to shake it up a bit first to incorporate the completely precipitated yeast). Nice head that dissipates too quickly.

Smells pretty typical, citrusy and pleasant. Not too strong.

The taste is a lot more peppery than I expected. Fairly full and not too watered down as many of the style are. I'd like it to be a bit fruitier.

Mouthfeel is smooth and full.

You could drink 100 of them if it tasted a little better.

Overall an okay beer. Not impressive by any standards especially for a Victory.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2010 03:04:07 | More by mynameisbuzz

EwaldEichstaett

Jordan

2.9/5  rDev -21.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appears cloudy yellow gold color with a weak quickly dissipating head.

Smells like some very sweet malts. Not much smell overall.

Tastes like cotton candy, this beer is very sweet. There is a bit of a honey taste in with the malts. No hop bitterness detected.

Feels a bit light and under carbonated. I would not drink more than a few of these.

What happened Victory? first the pils then this one.... hmmmm, maybe there is some funk in the brewery that bothers me...

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2010 01:17:54 | More by EwaldEichstaett

jhammel01

New Jersey

4.08/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a hazy yellow with no head at all. Keeps nicely carbonated as it sits.

Smells strongly of Belgian yeast, banana and some sour fruits. A bit spicey too...

Tastes just as it smells! Strong begian yeast, lemon zest, fruit, banana, spicy notes. Finishes dry

Decent mouthfeel, bit thin, but suits the style. Nicely carbonated

Great beer for a humid night like tonight!

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2010 02:16:23 | More by jhammel01

TCHopCraver

Michigan

4.28/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Reviewed from notes on 7-26-10.

A: Yellowish-gold with no head of which to speak. The most important aspect to note is the crazy amount of tiny yeast chunks suspended in the body. In all, this is sort of a flat, hazy, and somewhat uninspired looking beer.

S: Spicy Belgian yeast is the dominant aroma. Banana, clove, coriander, cumin, and other sweeter spices abound. A bit of a cider character is also present. This is a bold Witbier bouquet.

T: Spicy-banana-clove-wheat. This is really very flavorful with a big presence. The clove and coriander spice notes sizzle on the sides of my mouth while the banana creaminess disperses over my tongue. Quite yummy.

M: This is an exciting MF with the spicy yeast as the main player. Whirlwind is light bodied with just the right amount of zesty kick on my palate.

D: I enjoyed this Witbier, which is usually not my favorite style. The spicy yeast character won me over and I would have another.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2010 22:14:37 | More by TCHopCraver

bsp77

Minnesota

3.98/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Serving glass:Poured from bottle into Summit Scandia Chalice.

Appearance: Pale, slightly hazy, yellow without much head or lacing.

Smell: Orange peel, slightly sour wheat,and dry clove & coriander.

Taste: Slightly sour wheat and orange peel upfront before drying out with clove and coriander. As expected for a Witbier but quite well done.

Feel: Moderate carbonation, light body, dry souring finish.

Drinkability: Fairly standard Wit but very refreshing. While definitely good, I had expected a little more from Victory.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2010 02:01:26 | More by bsp77

Mebuzzard

Colorado

4.28/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pour starts cloudy golden. Large fluffy head. Then the clouds go away leaving some floaties. Head settles to a light collar.

Aroma is fruity and sweet. More than a hint of cream corn. Seems a bit chalky too. Could be me. The downside is the corn-ness.

The corn does not come through in the taste, which is a tad lemony and persimmon. Softly toasted biscuit with sweet breadiness. An orange like twang and the carbonation gives it a refreshing crispness. Bite lasts a bit longer than usual, and I like it.

Very drinkable. Good hot summer day.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2010 07:04:11 | More by Mebuzzard

Augustiner719

Connecticut

4.15/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

Poured from a growler into a pint glass.

Pours a nice yellowish golden color with a big fluffy head. Has very nice retention but no lacing to speak of. Aroma is very appealing. Has a banana clove thing going on with some lemon peel. Taste is very similar to the aroma. Has that banana flavor. Very smooth. Really an easy drinking beer. Overall this is really a nice beer. Really god drinkability on this one. A great summer beer especially on a hot humid day like today. Highly recommended.

Serving type: growler

07-24-2010 04:13:48 | More by Augustiner719

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.68/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served from tap into a standard pint. Pours golden yellow with a one finger pure white head. There was no lacing evident throughout. The aroma was comprised of wheat and bananas. The flavor was of bananas and had a wheat bite as an aftertaste. It was light on the palate with medium carbonation. Overall this was a not a bad Witbier. Needs more complex flavors to be the greatest of its type, but it does pretty well with what it has currently.

Serving type: on-tap

07-16-2010 14:42:38 | More by thagr81us

garuda

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Slightly hazy straw with a one finger white head that has minimal retention and no lacing.

S - Dominated by dry coriander spiciness, with maybe a touch of lemongrass.

T - More spicy yeast, and finishes with a clean dry tartness.

M - Light body, high carbonation and finishes clean and dry.

D - Tasty drink, something you can consume a lot of in the summer months, but has nothing that really makes it stand out from the crowd.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2010 20:40:46 | More by garuda

Tone

Missouri

2.88/5  rDev -22.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a cloudy, pale gold color. 1/4 inch head of a white color. Poor retention and poor lacing. Smells of lemon, slight tart malt, hint of hops, and slight sweet malt. Barely fits the style of a Witbier. Mouth feel is sharp and crisp with a high carbonation level. The feel is also slightly watery. Tastes of lemon, pale malt, slight sweet malt, and a hint of hops. Overall, more reminiscent of a Weissbier than a Witbier.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2010 20:01:35 | More by Tone

FickleBeast

New Jersey

4.2/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle poured into a pint glass

Pours a bright yellow with chunky bits of yeast throughout. I tried to leave most of the yeast in the bottle. Very little foam, and what foam is there dissipates very quickly. Aroma is redolent of spicy Belgian yeast and some clove-like aromas.

This Wit is quite refreshing. Clove-like yeast flavors are most dominant. Carbonation is light, and this beer finishes pleasantly dry and crisp. Even though this beer is built around the yeast, it avoids the phenolic and spicy yeast flavors that I dislike. I'm enjoying this one!

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2010 04:21:20 | More by FickleBeast

Bouleboubier

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Best-by date's sometime in 2011. I'm safe.

Leaves a tiny ugly pad of head immediately after the pour, but it don't stick around long. Really lovely yellow-moon color with seemingly millions of star-like specks suspended within.

The aroma bursts forth straight from the bottle, and is good. Best element of the beer, at first. Maybe I quickly got numb to it, but it didn't maintain the magic. That's life. The coriander and orange zest are perhaps shown strongest here.

Kind of cool (as in cold) meringue notes and creaminess. The acidity, though appropriately moderate, is a little out of balance with the spices, which seem pushed to the back. Peppery in the aftertaste. Overall, it's tasty, if not as spicy and complex as I hoped.

There's a good bit of zip when it hits tip of the tongue, but I'm having trouble telling whether the lactic acid or the carbonation is the prime provider. The tangy burn slowly, but briefly, permeates the bottom half of the mouth while a wave of delicately sticky sweetness rolls to the sides and up and back, leaving a orangey (as in an orange) film. Light-medium body and finishes somewhat dry.

Among the better domestic wits. I'll be pairing this up with some grilled chicken and salad (as in not-grilled).

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2010 02:31:07 | More by Bouleboubier

t00sl0w

Florida

4.22/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- yellow/pale gold, finger head that dissipates and leaves nice lacing

S- grassy, wheaty

t- wheaty, tad bit of hops.

m/d- mouthfeel was carbonated at first, but after it sits it becomes smoother. easy to drink, and stays that way when it warms up.

i like this beer, i have become partial to witbiers lately. i would recommend it for a hot day, or for when lounging and you want something simple yet enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2010 20:24:28 | More by t00sl0w

krausenman

North Carolina

3.43/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A-The beer poured a lightly hazy blonde color. As the beer was poured into it's glass it was capped with a foamy white head that disapated into a slender lace ring around the glass edge.

S-Initially, a spicy yeast note was strong but as the beer warmed, herbal and peach like aromas were present.

T-The beer is slightly sweet on the tounge with a very low bitterness level. There is a astringent aftertaste after the beer is swallowed. The beer has little to no hop flavor.

M-The beer has a light body that it accented with a low to moderate carbonation.

D-With the beer's light body and lower level of carbonation, it definately is drinkable but has a lackluster quality.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2010 00:33:15 | More by krausenman

CSAsylum

Indiana

3.45/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

So here's a review of a beer, probably improperly stored for at least 6 months at a local package liquor store.

A: Pours a hazy straw with a rapidly disappearing pale ivory colored head of about 1/2 finger.

S: Wheat, coriander, slight citrusy tones and some Belgian lists.

T: Bananas hit first with a wheaty muskiness. The carbonation is crisp and helps cut through an otherwise medium bodies brew. Cloves follow. Not so much citrusy as straight-up lemony. Leave is sweet with a short-lived yeastiness.

Overall: I'm not a huge fan of wits but this one is good and exceptionally good on a hot June afternoon. If this is an older beer as others in this batch have been it doesn't seem to have suffered any from improper storage.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2010 22:08:41 | More by CSAsylum

gatornation

Minnesota

3.88/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

pours a hazy pale yellow color with a fast receding head with a brilliant white ring..smell is wheat and bread with coriander and citrus peel.some belgian yeast bananas and other spices..the taste was clean and crisp with a clove and citrus peel hit followed by bananas and spices..mouth feel was light/medium and refreshing on this warm summer day..this white hit the spot after work..it had a nice Belgian yeast taste present with clove ,coriander, and bananas and a wheat bread finish.very refreshing..will drink again and recommend

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2010 21:22:14 | More by gatornation

vette2006c5r

Wisconsin

4.1/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Victory's Whirlwind Witbier was a light color, with a very small head that dissipated quickly. It had a spicey smell to it. It has a light taste, but very flavorful. There was alot of spices, and some hints of citrus, and bananas. It was very easy to drink. Overall a very good beer, a very different beer from victory. One of the better summer beers out there.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2010 23:43:44 | More by vette2006c5r

goblue3509

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a very pale hazy straw yellow color with almost no head at all. The aroma is that of wheat backbone with hints of clove and a little banana present. The taste is good, nice wheat backbone with hints of clove, banana, and maybe some citrus. The taste is ever so slightly watery. The mouthfeel is moderate carbonation. The drinkability is good, nothing to make you dislike this beer. The taste is good and strong, a nice summer beer.

Serving type: on-tap

06-07-2010 17:32:16 | More by goblue3509

nanertak

Massachusetts

3.8/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured 16 oz bottle to tulip.

Appearance - pale, pale, pale straw. Poured less than 1 finger head, dissipated very quickly. Strikingly clear, looks like a decent amount of carbonation.

Nose - Sweet Belgian. Honey, some pleasant banana/clove esters. Was hoping for a little more punch to the smell, to be honest.

Taste - Pretty subdued, but pleasant. Again, was hoping for a little more, somewhat watery. Yeasty finish, which I like.

Mouthfeel - Some mild zip from carbonation up front, a little thin on the body, but it's a summer refresher they were aiming for.

Drinkability - Despite me wanting a little more to the flavor and smell, it's a very refreshing summer beer. Mild and understated, perhaps too easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2010 20:23:03 | More by nanertak

alleykatking

Indiana

3.73/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured 12 oz bottle.

A- Poured a light golden yellow. One finger bright white head. Not the best retention and well it dies rather quickly. No lacing on the sides of the glass.

S- Tons of banana and clove in the front end of this. There is some light citrus tones to this in the middle with some light malts in the ending. There is some funk in the middle to ending of this.

T- Nice big citrus blast in the front end of this. Banana and clove in the middle of this with some light Belgian yeast in the ending. Not much of anything else...simple and sweet.

M- Light mouthfeel. Carbonation is dead on for the style. Clove and banana left on the palate with some lemon sweet alcohol in the aftertaste. Flavors were crisp and well defined.

D- Nice crisp summertime beer. I liked the way this tasted all together. There was a ton of yeast in the beer which I could have done without. Overall crisp flavors and clean tasting. Do yourself a favor and try this beer out.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2010 04:40:35 | More by alleykatking

WestValleyIPA

California

4.2/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into the evertrusty Zatec fluted glass. Got 2 fingers of head from an aggressive pour. Smells like classic witbier, coriander, belgian yeast, corn tortilla. Flavor is kind of citrusy, flavorful, and a bit of the aforementioned corn tortilla/enchilada. Refreshing, savory, great example of style.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2010 06:20:40 | More by WestValleyIPA

GoalieRon33

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A-Light, sunny yellow with a nice haziness/cloudiness

S- Citrusy, fruity bready. Standard Witbier stuff.

T- More citrus than expected, which was a nice surprise. Definate bready/yeastyness to this beer.

M- Smooth, filling, inviting. Wanted to have more than just one based on mouthfeel alone

D- Easy to drink. great beer for warm weather. Spring/summer refreshment at its finest.

Serving type: on-tap

05-22-2010 18:40:22 | More by GoalieRon33