Wittekerke (re-review of a can)

3.2

   AROMA 6/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 6/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 12/20

Chad9976 (930) - Albany, New York, USA - AUG 5, 2013

I poured an 11.2oz can into a tumbler. It had a best before date of 9/29/13 and cost $3.29 ($0.29 per ounce).

Appearance: Pale, washed-out yellow. Forms a large, white, foamy head which retains and laces quite well.

Smell: No skunkiness thankfully, but not much of anything else. Hints of wheat, but no spice or other appealing aromatics.

Taste: I thought this beer deserved another shot since the bottle I reviewed a few months ago was obviously old. It reeked of skunkiness and just tasted off. The can is definitely a step up, but not by leaps and bounds. All the spoiled taste I had in the bottle is gone, but it’s not replaced with anything particularly interesting. It’s lacking that distinct coriander and orangepeel zest I look for in the style. Though there is an almost minty character on the backend. Otherwise, it’s mild all around, but there’s really nothing off-putting about it. I’ve had this on tap and it was noticeably more robust, so I can honestly recommend that serving if you can find it.

Drinkability: Though not all that flavorful, Wittekerke is at least easy to drink. The mouthfeel is thin with gentle carbonation. It goes down smooth and has a clean aftertaste. It would definitely be refreshing if it were very cold on a hot day. It seems lighter than its 5% ABV weight, though. It doesn’t seem to take full advantage of its body. 

Grade: 5/10
NOTE: read my review of a bottle of Wittekerke at: http://www.chadzbeerreviews.com/2013/05/wittekerke.html