Wit Happens

Belgian White Beer brewerd with coriander, grains of paradise and orange peel

A Belgian White beer brewed with coriander, grains of paradise, and orange peel. Delicate aromas of sweet citrus and bready malt rise from this hazy pale yellow ale. Although perceivably low on the nose, the spicy contributions from the Belgian yeast come through instantly upon first taste, offering pleasant clove compliments to the lively array of additional peppery flavors. Followed by a soft banana-like sweetness and a mildly pleasant tang, the finish is relatively clean marked by a slight lingering spiciness with a touch of bitterness.

  • ABV: 4.9%
  • IBU: 20
  • ABW: 0%
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Origin Story

Wit Happens is more true to style Short's take on Belgian White Beers. Unlike the White Falcon, which was a more heavily hopped version of what this style would normally offer, Wit Happens utilizes a classic Belgian White yeast strain along with the incorporation of spices and orange peel, to resemble the White beers brewed in Belgium for hundreds of years. White beers are an unfiltered style of wheat beer that originated in Belgium during the Middle Ages. The "White" refers to it's unfiltered nature and the cloudy whiteness of the beer as it appears in a glass. Uniquely different from other traditional wheat beers, like the Hefewiezens of Germany, White beers of Belgium generally incorporated the use of unmalted white wheat or other adjuncts like spices and Curacao orange peel. Although quite popular upon it's initial creation, White beers decreased in popularity throughout the 1900's, until the all time low for this style occurred when the last white beer brewery, in Hoegaarden, Belgium closed its doors. However, by the 1960's the style saw a revival thanks to a man named Pierre Celis, who decided to start a new brewery that would feature a White beer, based on his familiarity with the style from working in an original White beer brewery in Hoegaarden as a young man. Celis even called his breweries White Beer Hoegaarden, in honor of the town where this style was originally brewed. From there, White beers began to see some significant growth due to Celis's traditional Belgian version and a new "Belgo-American-style" called Blue Moon Belgian White, by MillerCoors. The brewers of this newer Belgo-American take on the White beer tended to use malted white wheat, opposed to the traditional dedication to unmalted wheat, because they could avoid the difficulties associated with using unmalted grain. Wishing to avoid the sticky issues that arise from using unmalted white wheat, we chose to focus on the malted versions of the white wheat varieties, technically making ours a Belgo-American interpretation of the style. Another popular introduction to the Belgo-American version of White beer, is serving it with a slice of lemon or orange, perhaps in an attempt to enhance some of the bright fruity characters of the beer imparted by the traditional Belgian yeast strain. Whether the true to style Belgium White or the more modernized Belgo-American White, both versions would incorporate the use of hops sparingly, to keep the overall bitterness low. Believed to be a decedent of medieval beers that predated ones brewed with hops, when spices and herbs were used for their preservative qualities, our version gets a creative twist from the use of coriander and grains of paradise. We also used some oats during the mash in to help retain some of the desired haziness often seen in these beers, which is commonly practice by many traditional brewers of this style. This additional light grain contribution possibly enhanced the notable "bready" aromas on the nose, but Ryan also encouraged the suppression of the dominant yeast esters (aromas) that Belgian Whites are known for, by fermenting it at a colder temperature. Although not incredibly prominent on the nose, the signature yeasty fragrances and flavors manage to poke through as the beer warms, but are especially noticeable as soon as the beer is tasted.

Hops

Golding, Organic

Nutritional Information

  • Carbs: 15.9

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