Friday, May 17, 2013

Full Pint White Lightning

I think wits are broadly underrated.  I've always enjoyed them quite a bit, but I hear others panning them, and I'm really not sure why.  I recently had the chance to try a wit I've never had before -- Full Pint's White Lightning Wit:


Vittles:
Witbier
6% abv
18 IBU

Appearance: 9/10
The body is a decently cloudy pale gold, with over an inch of dense, white head.  You can see some effervescence rising through the hazy beer, which is just awesome.  My only nit pick is that it's not as hazy as I'd like (looks cloudier in the pic than it really was due to some mild condensation on the glass).

Aroma: 22/25
I love the wheaty and yeasty smells in this beer, which are followed by a lemony character.  There's also a slight spiciness that makes it smell more enticing.

Taste: 34/40
The wheat and yeast characters are what I notice first, and they're very satisfying.  I taste some orange and coriander, too, which are pretty typical for wits.  Flavor-wise, it reminds me of my homebrew grand cru, which uses sweet orange peel and coriander, but without the heavier alcohol presence that my brew had.  The flavors are nicely balanced and are off-set by a mild spiciness that adds a small kick to the beer.

Mouthfeel: 9/10
The medium body and good level of effervescence add somewhat to the experience.  You can feel the yeast in the beer as you roll it around your tongue, and that brings out more complexity in the flavors and a smooth, velvety feel, as well.  The finish is a little dry, but not overly so.

Style: 5/5
The level of spiciness is the only point where this beer might diverge from the style a bit, but it doesn't get in the way of the rest of the flavors; instead, I think it rounds out the flavor profile very nicely.

Drinkability: 8/10
This is a very drinkable beer, but not sessionable due to the abv.  I keep running across situations where I want to give a beer a high mark for drinkability, but it doesn't quite fit my rubric descriptions.  I may have to adjust this category a bit.

Overall: 87/100
I certainly am partial to this style, and while Full Pint's White Lightning Wit isn't the best example of a witbier I've ever had, it's definitely up there.  If you haven't tried it yet, it might be worth your while.

So many beers, not enough time.  Cheers!

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