Belgian White - Long Trail Brewing Co.

Thorpe429

Illinois

2.48/5  rDev -28.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Reviewed from notes.

Pours a light yellow coloring with a small white head. The nose is some really strong aromas of lemon and citrus plus a bit of zest and spicing. Taste is overpowering citrus, almost going toward a lemon-scented cleaner. Feel is spicy and quite light. Overdone; I'm not a fan.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2010 04:00:48 | More by Thorpe429

brentk56

North Carolina

3.03/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: Despite an increasingly hard pour, I could hardly raise a head on this beer, which is the first test for me of the style; the color was a cloudy honey, with a lot of yeast particulates suspended in the liquid

Smell: Bready and yeasty, with an orange citrus edge as well as some coriander

Taste: Lots of wheat bread up front, with a developing sour citrus and coriander flavor; after the swallow, the sour citrus fades and the refreshing wheat beer and coriander flavors predominate, but the damage was done

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body but lifeless carbonation

Drinkability: Maybe this was an old or off bottle, but I was pretty disappointed with this beer

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2009 22:58:45 | More by brentk56

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Typical appearance. Lacing could be better. Very nice aroma with bright coriander. Loads of spice in the initial sips, soon followed by delicately sweet, wheaty, and even subtly honeyish malt. Citrusy and floral. Mild bitterness. Very rounded and balanced... not necessarily smooth because of the spice, but of course it needs that edge to make up for the lower hop level and bitterness. Easy drinking but still full of flavor. Absolutely nothing to complain about here! Very well done.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2008 22:09:57 | More by NeroFiddled

WesWes

New York

4/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours a hazy pale gold color with a thick frothy white head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a solid pale and wheat malt scent along with a lemony zest and fruity yeast aroma. The taste is good. It has a crisp, pale and wheat malt flavor that goes down easy and finishes with a fruity witbier yeast taste. The coriander and lemon peel and well recieved here. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a low bodied beer with good carbonation. This is a great summer time beer. It's light and highly refreshing. Recommended!

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2009 23:01:27 | More by WesWes

metter98

New York

3.5/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is hazy pale yellow in color and poured with a finger high white head that eventually completely faded away.
S: There are aromas of lemons and oranges in the nose.
T: The overall taste has flavors of wheat and citrus, the latter of which contributes some hints of sweetness.
M: It feels light-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: The beer is very easy to drink and quite thirst quenching. It’s a good beer to have on a hot summer day.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2011 04:55:25 | More by metter98

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.53/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a light yellow color, with a thin white head that fades quickly and leaves a very thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is loaded with lemon and spices along with some Belgian yeast, wheat, light malts and a touch of hops. For some reason, it reminds me of Fruity Pebbles.

T: The taste is sweet, fruity and spicy up front with flavors of lemon, orange, coriander and clove. Then there are some bready flavors of wheat and Belgian yeast that tone down the sweetness a bit. There's a mild hops presence as would expect from a Witbier.

M: Smooth and crisp, light-to-medium body, medium carbonation, finish is clean.

D: Tasty, goes down easily, not filling at all, mild kick, decent representation of style, it's not a bad beer but there are definitely several others in the style that I would choose first.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2008 03:35:50 | More by TheManiacalOne

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

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

This one poured out as a cloudy looking yellow color with a thin fizzy white head on top. The smell of the beer gives off a light citrus aroma on the nose along with the malted wheat. The taste of the beer was fairly refreshing with some lemony orange flavors popping through with a grainy finish. The mouthfeel was watery and had a low carbonation. Overall this beer wasn't the best Wit out there.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2012 02:52:59 | More by Knapp85

jwc215

New Jersey

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

Following traditional pouring method for the style, pours clouded yellow with a thin head that is thin enough to show body underneath. Almost no lacing sticks.

The smel is of lemon, orange, coriander, very light floral notes.

The taste is of lemon (which dominates), wheat, a pinch of coriander. It hits the marks on the points, though there is a sugary sweetness that interferes. Finishes sweet and abrupt. Crisp?

The feel lags. It is light-bodied, but with a touch of syrupy sweetness. It misses the mark on a "Belgian" feel (not that all of the style I've had from Belgium have it, but...) This is just a bit odd.

Drinkable for a hot-weather brew (though how many other beers fit that...) A bit too sweet and too much of a pedestrian attempt overall for me to buy again with the current onslaught of the style. A worthy attempt at the style on its own though.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2008 11:14:12 | More by jwc215

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A 12 oz bottle courtesy of bwyker.

A: The ale is hazy, a yellow pale color of goldenrod. A half a finger of head on pour wasted away to a thick pool.

S: The aroma is a strong dose of wheat, slightly acid, with lemony citrus, orange peel and coriander. Great start to the ale.

T: The taste is more tart, showcasing the wheat body over everything else. Only after the initial wheatiness do the spice profile and barley bill shine through. The spices are orange peel and coriander with a peppery ring, full of citrus sweetness. The finish is pale biscuity malt with the spices. A post sip burp brings back the wheat tartness. An accessible, easy drink that tastes better as you go along.

M: I was not expecting the good flavors that came out of the glass. The wheat is tartly pleasant, supporting a broad spice profile and nice finish.

D: Under 5%, this beer is a great summer sipper. As it is, I'm off work for the week and this is helping me unwind.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2008 22:32:04 | More by akorsak

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.98/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Lots of clumpy yeast in the glass; classically cloudy. Modest, but lasting, head; good lace

Perfume aroma of fresh-cut wild flowers. No spiciness that I've come to expect from the style. But this is still very attractive and inviting.

Thin bodied and highly carbonated. Reminiscent of orange blossoms but very dry.

This does not show all of the qualities of a typical wit, but it is very tasty. Call it a mild wit--like Dennis Miller.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2008 21:35:35 | More by smcolw

Billolick

New York

3.6/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

31808 etched onto the bottle, "brewed on" date? I allowed this one to warm up for about 20-30 mins. out of the frig., set it on its side to get the yeast into the mixture and then poured into a Belgian tulip style glass. Medium apricot and cloudy, minor off white head and equally minor slippery lace. Floral, honey filled nose. The early sips reveal clear notes of coriander, ripe bananas, more honey, and some light pepper in the rear. Seems to be a little low on the carbonation scale, I like my wits a bit more bubbly and lively. This is a drinkable and enjoyable enough summer quaffer. Nothing amazing going on here, just a middle of the road take on the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2008 14:37:22 | More by Billolick

plaid75

New York

3.5/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On draft at Kodiak's, Farmingdale, New York.

Poured a hazy light copper hue with a half finger foamy white head. There was decent retention and no lacing.

The smell featured a sweet fruity ( blueberry, apricot and orange) aroma with a light wheat malt.

The taste was dominated by the aforementioned fruitiness with a thin malt note. There was little to no esthers detected.

The mouthfeel was thin for the style.

Overall a decent wit. Much better domestic examples available.

Serving type: on-tap

05-31-2010 16:16:36 | More by plaid75

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.2/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

I was scouring my local bottle shop for new beers to try and although I came up short on CANs, I figured that I would go in a different direction for a time, bottle be back to The CAN Quest (TM) is short order.

From the bottle: "Our Belgian White Ale is modeled after the original Belgian Witbiers brewed in monasteries during the early 14th century. The soft notes of citrus and spice are topped with a light fluffy head that finishes clean and crisp. This all natural ale is our latest seasonal brew, perfect for lounging lake-side or celebrating at trails end ... Enjoy!"

The pour netted just under a finger of fizzy, bone-white head with low retention. Color was a hazy lemon-yellow. Nose had an interesting spiciness - not as intense as black pepper, but still quite present and underlain by a light orange citrusiness. Mouthfeel was on the thin side and the flavor really lacked any oomph. It was like a dumbed-down version of the style, too soft for my tastes. Sure, it was spicy and citrusy, but I have had much better from other brewers. Finish was dry and refreshing, which is nice in the summer, but I just think it could have been done better.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2011 19:26:10 | More by woodychandler

Brad007

Vermont

3.68/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Just saw this today and I was like, "whoa! A new Long Trail beer! Been two years since I've seen one!".

Bottled 2/26/08

Color: Pours a pale white color with a very thin head. A bit cloudy but with good carbonation.

Aroma: Strong aroma with citrus and coriander present. Definitely concentrates on orange out of a possible range of citrus flavors. Aroma is very inviting.

Taste: Smooth and wheatish. Coriander and citrus flavors seem muted here. Dry in the middle. Drinkable at the least.

Mouthfeel: Smooth and dry. Not much citrus or coriander though.

Verdict: The aroma alone is inviting but I feel that the overall taste falls flat. Drinkability is definitely there but what I was hoping to see was a continuation of the aroma in the taste, something that any witbier should be able to do.

Still a good effort but I wouldn't seek it out as a benchmark of the style.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2008 02:10:28 | More by Brad007

LilBeerDoctor

New York

3.38/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed on 7/20/08. Bottle. Pours a cloudy gold/yellow with a white bubbly head. Aroma of yeast, yogurt/sour notes, and light fruits. Flavor is in the same vain as the aroma - sour yogurt, yeast, along with some lemon/citrus, light fruits, and strawberry rhubarb. This beer is not really like traditional witbiers as it lacked the usual wit spices. However, as a beer, it was pretty tasty and refreshing.
6/4/7/3/14 (3.4/5)

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2008 20:09:17 | More by LilBeerDoctor

hopdog

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

On tap at Capones.

Poured a medium and hazy yellow color with a small sized white head. Aromas of citrus and spices (noteably cloves). Tastes of citrus, lemon rinds, spices, and some wheatiness. I wrote down -> Lemon Pledge.

Notes from and tasted on: 4/20/09

Serving type: on-tap

04-20-2009 18:33:43 | More by hopdog

JoeyBeerBelly

New York

4.25/5  rDev +22.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

12oz bottle served in a pilsner glass.

L - cloudy bright yellow color with a big fluffy white head that stayed around for most of the glass.

S - lemon/citrus and some yeast in the aroma.

T - citrus tartness upfront is balanced out with a light sweetness on the finish.

F - light, crisp and very refreshing.

D - nice taste and extremely easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2008 05:12:37 | More by JoeyBeerBelly

Hojaminbag

Colorado

4.1/5  rDev +18.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Hazy yellow body with a big fluffy wite head that doesn't stick around long and doesn't leave any lacing. Some yeasties floating around in there too.

Smells slightly peppery from yeast, but mostly lemon zest dominates the nose.

Very slight peppery yeast flavor. Lots of orange flavor with some lemon zest. Wheat bite on the back end. Very smooth

Medium bodied for a wheat with medium carbonation. Smooth drink.

Great for a warm day, I could drink quite a few of these.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2008 00:51:28 | More by Hojaminbag

dsa7783

New Jersey

4.33/5  rDev +24.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 oz, single bottle just copped from Buy Rite on Oak Tree in South Plainfield...
Recommended to me by the in-house beer manager, I was glad I purchased this one... Pours a hazy, cloudy, murky, light, straw-colored appearance with a decent-sized frothy head that quickly receded and left a fair amount of lacing around the glass...
Sweet, fruity smell bursting with fresh florals and citrus essences...
Great creamy, sweet, flavor with noticeable hints of ripe fruits, pears, apples, and bananas...
Creamy, rich mouthfeel along with an excellent level of drinkability... probably one of the best Long Trail beers I've sampled and a terrific summer-time beer for sure...
Recommended...

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2008 19:54:37 | More by dsa7783

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

3.23/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

From BeerAdvocate Magazine Volume II, Issue IV:

Very pale, cloudy yellow color. The yeast was obviously swirled in the bottle and decanted in the glass as per the style. Aromas of perfumey coriander up front, fermented wheat twang and light wildflowers in the back of the nose. Refreshing smoothness and a moderate carbonation keeps the fluffy body afloat. Maltiness is a little wet with a clean graininess throughout. Hops are very modest with some bitterness in the middle. Quick flash of fresh coriander and citrus. A little soapy and floral middle to end. Finishes dry with some chalky yeast and a bitterness from the orange peel and coriander.

The balance is a bit off-kilter, and the flare from a good Belgian yeast strain seems to be missing here. The coriander runs amuck--flailing bitterness and a soapy flavor around. Decent at best.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2010 14:32:34 | More by BeerAdvocate

thekevlarkid

Maryland

3.9/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured off the tap at the Green Room, Thanks Rachel! Clear yellow color, pleasant but not cloudy like a Belgian should be. Light white head with not much retention. Aromas of lemon, coriander, citrus and sweet malt. Flavors are similar dominated by the lemon zest. Slightly bitter, sweet, cloves emerge as it warms, finishes on the citrus note. Moderate carbonation, crisp and refreshing but not particularly complex. A good stand alone but neither Long Trail's best nor a great example of the style. Weak compared to Hoegaarden.

Serving type: on-tap

08-20-2008 15:17:08 | More by thekevlarkid

sulldaddy

Connecticut

3.93/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured at cellar temp into a weizen glass the beer mimics champagne from its bright clear gold hue to the fizzy vivacious bleached white head of 5 cm. Several streams of bubbles rise to the surface and the head gradually recedes creating huge craters on its surface as it fades.
Aroma is sweet malt and tart lemon with bits of grain and floral notes as well.
First sip reveals a crisp lite body with a sturdy texture, carbonation is fine and fizzy.
Flavor is sweet malt briefly then rolls to some tart lemon and wheat malt, bits of doughy yeast poke through as well.
This beer is clean and crisp and easy to drink, not necessarily the most complex beer ive tasted but what it has is tasty.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2008 00:32:51 | More by sulldaddy

wagenvolks

Texas

3.68/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle into a Delirium Tremens tulip (brewed 3.26.09). Thanks to hojaminbag for the freebie!

Like a good Wit, Long Trail Belgian White pours with a hazy, bright orange core that fades to lemon at the edges. A sizable tuft of eggshell-creme head quickly recedes to a ring of small bubbles. Very nice aroma here--spot on for the style--as notes of fresh orange peel combine with soft coriander spice and a hint of lemon. Clean malt base with a slight grassy hop note, too.

Things start off smoothly in the flavor department, with a soft Belgian spice that couples well with the lively carbonation level. Citrus zest hits the sides of the tongue, while the middle is mostly wheat with a hint of vanilla. Finishes slightly stale with a hint of wet paper. Refreshing palate, but the light body feels too watered down. Still, this is a sessionable, tasty Witbier that did its job well in staving off the hot Austin afternoon.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2009 04:36:27 | More by wagenvolks

OtherShoe2

Massachusetts

3.03/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours hazy yellow with a bubbly white head. No lacing, and the head dissipates to nothing. Some sediment, but no floaties.

Some light wheat and citrus aromas. Not much here.

Tart lemon bite up front, with some light sweet grain. A touch of yeast. Thin flavors here. Just too damn light. Spice? -- good luck. Clean finish? Sure, because there isn't much flavor to start with. No off notes, as a plus.

Light bodied, watery, with some light carbonation. They didn't even get this right.

Overall, a very very mediocre Wit. Light bodied, light flavored, so-so structure. Color was nice! You can do far better than this one. Nothing you'd spit on the floor, but just average brew.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2010 11:56:30 | More by OtherShoe2

donkeyrunner

Massachusetts

3.05/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Love them bears! Belgian White has a monk bear under a tree with "Belgian Ale" encircled by a heart. I concur.

Bubbly white head that quickly fizzles itself out. Translucent lemon yellow color.

Aroma is yeasty Belgian wheat but with chamomile and lemon hand soap.

Maintains the trademark Long Trail clean and honey-esque malt character but with acidic lemon added. Fairly monotone, the acidity gets old pretty quick.

I had a few of these at fridge temp and while they were pleasant and drinkable they were fairly bland. I tried one at room temp (Long Trail recommends 45-50) and more aroma and flavor came out...but the acidity was cloying. As flavor goes increases drinkability goes decreases?

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2010 00:20:39 | More by donkeyrunner