Corsendonk Apple White - Brouwerij Corsendonk

blakesell

Ohio

3.53/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from the 750ml caged and corked bottle into a German Hefeweizen glass.

Appearance- Beer pours cloudy and yellow with a huge pillowy head that rises insanely high to the top of the glass, a full 9 fingers going by the finger judgment scale. Lacing is slow to die down but eventually does and does leave some ample lacing.

Smell- Apple is no joke here, crisp apple cider scents with a light witbier wheatiness and pilsner malts. A dry champagne nose is also present, a light graininess is also coming in as the beer warms. Very suitable for the style along with a lot of apple.

Taste- Sweet tart fiji apples, lots of wheat content, a lot of honey flavor, the taste actually goes against everything that makes up a witbier. The smell was closer to what a wit should smell like along with an overly apple scent, the taste is completely off. It is sticky and sweet and a good beer that I don't mind tasting, but so off style that I have to dock it at least a half point.

Mouthfeel- Strangely sticky for the low ABV. It also gives the perception of warming which shouldn't be possible at all for such a low gravity beer. Medium bodied, not near as highly carbonated as the appearance suggests, I would call it medium low in carbonation.

Drinkability- Smooth and drinkable. Not something I particularly prefer, but it is a smooth drinkable ale. As Corsendonk goes, this is the least likely to be repeated of their lineup.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2009 00:23:04 | More by blakesell

wonothesane42

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +7.5%

03-14-2013 04:49:10 | More by wonothesane42

djrn2

New Jersey

3/5  rDev -19.4%

02-28-2013 20:04:19 | More by djrn2

DersOne

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%

12-05-2012 18:12:59 | More by DersOne

TonyTalon

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%

12-05-2012 06:10:22 | More by TonyTalon

Beeradelphia

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

10-13-2012 17:28:47 | More by Beeradelphia

SFC21

New York

4.25/5  rDev +14.2%

10-03-2012 00:41:08 | More by SFC21

CuteZombieDoll

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +14.2%

08-09-2012 02:13:35 | More by CuteZombieDoll

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +19.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

These may not be everyone's favorite kind of beers but I really enjoy these Apple infused Belgian Witbiers. This poured out as a very light yellow color with a touch of haziness to it. The head was pure white. The smell of the beer was perfect for the heat index of the day that my friend and I drank it. The aromas of fresh apples and hints of spice fill your nose and makes your mouth water. The taste of the beer is sweet, it's got the apple juice flavors mixing with the wheat and other grains and finishes sweet with some spice in the back end. The mouthfeel is nicely carbonated, it's light bodied and massively refreshing. Overall I thought this beer was fantastic. The price tag hurt a little but it was still very good in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2012 19:57:34 | More by Knapp85

seaweedsoup

Massachusetts

4.75/5  rDev +27.7%

07-08-2012 19:38:31 | More by seaweedsoup

salvy31

Pennsylvania

2.5/5  rDev -32.8%

05-30-2012 15:59:40 | More by salvy31

flagmantho

Washington

3.68/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 750mL corked & caged bottle into a tulip. Best before 9/27/2014.

Appearance: silvery-white hue with a nice light haze and lots of effervescence. Head is three fingers of pillowy white foam. I cannot imagine a more perfect witbier look.

Smell: extremely floral and perfumey aroma. Not particularly witbier-like, but as this is a fruit witbier you expect a sweet fruitiness. It's a bit heavy on the perfume for me, though.

Taste: nicely refreshing apple and perfume flavor. It reminds me of Canadian floral gum candy. It's not bad, but its flavor is just a bit too weird for me.

Mouthfeel: medium-light body with a giant carbonation. Wonderfully delightful creaminess.

Overall: this beer has the look and feel of a perfect witbier. Unfortunately (for me, at least) some of the flavor/spicing choices are questionable. Very well crafted, but not formulated to my taste.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2012 17:49:47 | More by flagmantho

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.73/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a hazy to cloudy pale straw yellow in color. The beer has a finger tall fizzy white head that reduces to a thin film over the entire surface of the beer and a much thicker ring at the edges of the glass. Significant lacing is observed.

S: Very light/mild aromas of citrus and spices but the aroma is dominated by the smell of apple juice.

T: Tastes like a sweeter than normal witbier, there is a light hint of the wheat flavors, some light citrus notes, and very light hints of spices. But overall there is a moderate presence of the apple juice with just a slightest hint of bitterness but the lingering flavor is sweet.

M: Light bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation.

O: Extremely refreshing, extremely easy to drink, and extremely enjoyable. I could easily drink this beer all afternoon long, even on the hottest day.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2012 23:26:36 | More by dbrauneis

PEIhop

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +7.5%

11-23-2011 17:30:04 | More by PEIhop

waiting4lunch

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +34.4%

11-18-2011 19:14:28 | More by waiting4lunch

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

3.15/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle shared by Sammy, 750ml into some tulips. Civic day tasting.

Poured a very pale yellowish white. Moderate retention and lace. Nose of apple cores and flesh, some light tart green apple notes and mild citrus rind. Taste has some light tart notes initially, but has a general apple juice profile to it. More red apple notes than green apple, with the sweetness overpowering the tartness and minimal acidity. Moderate spicing. Low bubbly carbonation, would've liked a strong mouthfeel with a bit more spritz. Mild tartness in the finish, a general air of apple juice is really all that can truly derived from this; fairly artificial if that. Alcohol content improves its drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2011 14:46:32 | More by liamt07

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.45/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bomber from Cleveland. A fresh smell, apple. Yellow cloudy appearance, lace. Its apple juice, carbonated. Real apple juice or artificial flavour added? Average mouthfeel. OK drinkability.Hay, straw, sugar, on the too sweet side.orriander, spritzy carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2011 02:51:56 | More by northyorksammy

secondtooth

Indiana

3.78/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Cloudy gold, with a thick head and no lace.

Aroma is like fresh apple juice. Appealing and delicious!

Taste is sweet and thick, and reminds (not surprisingly) of a smoother, less alcoholic cider. Not too sour or artificial with the apple. Nice touch.

At only 3.1% ABV, this one's easy to drink and quite mellow.

My aged bottle seemed to have blended the apple, coriander, orange zest, and licorice into a light cider. Not bad at all, but not one I'd seek out again.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2011 07:05:38 | More by secondtooth

jampics2

Ohio

3.88/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Angelyn for bringing this over!

We thought this would be a nice, light treat while ramping up for some sours and big beers, and it was!

Hazy and yellow. A white head sticks around forever.

Smells of yeast and a sour apple note.

Taste is really nice. Apples dominate, with some Belgian wheat and nice yeast presence. This doesn't taste like I expected, I thought tartness, but it's more red apples than green. Nice malt too. More of a fruit beer than a wit IMO, though.

Nice carb and body.

One dimensional but enjoying to drink. Could be a great summer beer!

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2010 23:55:17 | More by jampics2

errantnight

California

3.68/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a hazy, almost milky pale orange straw with an abundant, creamy head that leaves little lacing and dies down quickly but has superb retention (so maybe my glass was to blame for the poor lacing). I don't mind hazy beers, but the milky/dirty look knocks this down a bit in my book.

Aroma is rich and complex, musty apple against a light warm spice, but it's towards the licorice or star anise end, a bit earthy and a hint of sharpness to it. Rich and complex, but I also don't love how it pulls together.

The taste hits home the blend of apple flavoring, although it's more of a red delicious than a granny smith, and the finish is sweet instead of dry, and musty funky instead of sharp and tangy. Blend of flavors with a nice bready maltiness and the subtle interplay of spices make this enjoyable, but it's a bit too sweet (and expensive) for a refreshing summer or spring brew.

Mouthfeel is very nice, creamy with a bit of a lift at the finish, but moderately bodied.

Despite my reservations, it's an interesting and complex brew, and it gets marks for that even if I find it a bit sweeter and a bit richer than I'd want in a wit, particularly such a low ABV wit. Masterful touch with the spices, here, however.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2009 01:32:34 | More by errantnight

Halcyondays

California

4.22/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at Beachwood BBQ,

A: Pours a very cloudy light yellow, strong 1-finger white head, good lacing.

S: Apple concentrate, some yeast notes.

T: Apple flavour is not overly sweet and it melds well with the wit backbone. Tart, candied yellow apples, mild wheat flavour. Tasty, the flavour is not overdone and quite balanced.

M: Smooth, easy to drink. Very light-bodied on the tongue, but what do you expect from a 3.1% beer.

D: Good and drinkable due to the very low alcohol. I was glad the apple wasn't artificial tasting, it definitely made the beer much more enjoyable. I never heard about this one before today, quite a nice little beer.

Serving type: on-tap

02-13-2009 21:56:24 | More by Halcyondays

Hojaminbag

Colorado

2.68/5  rDev -28%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

This is a pretty good looking beer. The body looks almost like a light colored honey. Very hazy and somewhat bright shades of yellow around the edges. A good sized white head that has a little bit of retention, but leaves some pretty good lacing around the glass.

There isn't a ton going on with the aroma here, I pick up a bit of tart green apple but not much else.

There is quite a bit going on in this one, but I just don't think it works out. I can't tell which flavor dominates this beer: the spice characteristics or the sweet apple flavor. Either way, both are too extreme to be pleasant. The peppery coriander is the best flavor, but that is eradicated quickly by the anise/black licorice flavor. Next comes a huge, cloyingly sweet apple flavor. Just like the smell, the taste is green apples, very sweet, not tart at all. I would guess the abundance of sweetness comes from added sugar and not malt or apple additions since it is so huge. I can't say that I like this one that much.

Mouthfeel is a little too thick for my tastes. Especially for a beer that is only 3% ABV.

I had trouble finishing this one and I only had a small tulip of it. Way too sweet, a little out of control, and a little too thick. I like corsendonk in general, but this is not one I would try again.

Serving type: on-tap

02-08-2009 15:52:59 | More by Hojaminbag

sawyerlover

New Jersey

4.1/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

very interesting beer. thick honey color. nice head. The aroma was a nice mixture of apples and light cinnamon. quite sweet with coriander,strong apple and lemon. I would say it's a cross between a Hoegaarden and a Magners Hard cider. maybe an after dinner beer, its a dessert all in itself.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2009 03:29:00 | More by sawyerlover

WVbeergeek

Ohio

3.35/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appears a light hazed burst of sunrise gold, imagine a keller bier or a really yeast wit bier, large voluminous bright white head is fluffy like some cotton candy. Lacing is fine but speckled, head retention is pretty solid.

Aromatics first off the bat I'm picking up sharp citrus zest with a touch of spiced anise. Apple is there but not at the forefront the wit bier combo outweighs the apple at least in the nose.

Flavor battles it out, instead of harmonizing I feel the apple and citrus with wit spices are opposing forces on my palate. As the label puts it beer brewed with spices (coriander, orange zest, and licorice) with natural flavors. No apple juice here just some apple extract, however I'm proud to report that it doesn't reach the artificial Jolly Rancher green apple that most of these Belgian flavored beers usually pull off. The coriander is light and anise tones are very modest, again heavy citrus peel bitterness with a juicy apple finish sums up the flavor profile for me. Alcohol plays real no effect on the flavor this is much like one of the Welch's sparkling apple ciders but with more yeast and spice flavorings. One for the girlfriend to sample, don't attempt a whole 750ml bottle a dessert beer with Belgian candi sugar added to the mix for sure.

Mouthfeel is light and airy with fluffy soothing carbonation, light bodied slightly sticky with residual sugars. You could definitely reduce this and pour it over any dessert as a syrup.

Drinkability is okay as an aperitif or a dessert beer but not one to stand on it's on. I may get a sugar high on this one, it doesn't do any justice for Corsendonk I love their abbey brown and the Abbey pale isn't bad, this one just turns their label into a Lindeman's wannabe.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2009 17:10:20 | More by WVbeergeek

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.1/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

"Millions saw the apple fall, but Newton was the one who asked why."

--Bernard M. Baruch

Milky pale honey with milky pale lemon edges. This is one of the most visually unique beers that I've ever seen. The massive cap resembles French vanilla mousse topped by hundreds of glassy bubbles. A thing of beauty. Unfortunately, one thin band of bubble bath-like lace is the only glass decoration.

It's too bad the aroma is weak (almost no fruit or spice) because Apple White should smell as fascinating as it looks. In addition to the usual coriander and orange zest, the brewers have added licorice, which is able to be appreciated. Oddly enough, the label doesn't mention apple, although 'natural flavors' probably covers it.

This is a strange beer in a lot of ways. It's too sweet for starters, as if quite a bit of sugar has been added. There's no way that a 3.1% witbier is going to contain this much malt sugar. As a result, it will be a struggle to get through all 750 ml in one sitting.

It also tastes musty and oddly grainy. Sweet-tart apple (Golden Delicious and Granny Smith) is the primary flavor, with artificial tasting orange right behind. Coriander and licorice might be in there, it's hard to say for sure. Sweet fruit beer is enjoyable on occasion, but this one doesn't hang together very well and is too offbeat for its own good.

All that extra sugar makes the body/mouthfeel much more full and much stickier than the ABV would usually allow. A fine spritz of bubbles is noted on initial contact, then fades before the finish.

It's odd that a brewery as traditional and as classy as Brouwerij Corsendonk would brew something as faddish and as pedestrian as this overly sweet, incongruously flavored wit. Eve could never have tempted Adam with Apple White. My suggestion is to spend your hard earned $8.99 elsewhere.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2009 22:34:09 | More by BuckeyeNation