Shivers and anxious paranoia is what that label elicits. Why? Because the shark ate a surfer, accidentally bit the surf board, walked out of the water and onto the beach to stand the surf board in the sand, and have a beer without fear of repercussion. Yeah, pretty scary right? Not really, and neither is the beer. I went to the store and needed a beer to review and thought "why not help out a brewery from California." The turn out was not as good. But that's for the overall. Sorry for the late entry but I'm back and here we go.
Appearance
So there you are--a light orange color that's more cloudy looking than what the picture relays. A lot of carbonation bubbles made the drink look light and the consistency looked thinner than most of the other beers I've reviewed. It was as cloudy as some Hefeweizens but more orange than yellow. There was about an inch of head, again not represented here but that's my fault. But in my defense, the retention was weak and it's receding looked messy and a little ugly. By ugly, I mean one side went away faster than the other and the side that retained longer looked like spider webs. That's all I got for appearances.
Smell
The smell was sweet and full of citrus. It was a good smell and prepared me for a taste that'd be equally strong. Not overpowering, but clearly present with clear distinction as to what the smells were consistent of.
Taste
So the smell was good, known, basically saying, this drink was aromatic. On a scale of one to ten, this was a six or seven. Thus, you'd think the taste would be comparable. Nope, I was wrong in anticipating a strong citrus taste. Maybe it was my fault. Maybe I expected too much from this beer. I bought the beer because it was made in California, had the shark on the label (not because it was a shark but because with such a corny label, maybe it'll make up for it through taste) and I didn't feel like trying something else. The citrus was there but very very subtle. There was a little bit of spice or herb and a little of citrus. That was it though. It was extremely light tasting and I have to say flavored water is stronger.
Mouthfeel
This is where the beer had some complexity. With such lack of taste, I couldn't help but review as if the mouthfeel made up for it. The texture was not frothy and had a medium light bite from the carbonation. The liquid was like drinking an ice tea made of syrup instead of brewed (ie. Black Mint or Mango iced tea). It wasn't fulfilling and, again, very light. I guess that's it. I think I hyped this section up only to disappoint myself.
Overall
What else can I say? This beer was weak. It wasn't bad nor would I absolutely refuse if offered and there was nothing else, but it was weak. The profile of a Witbier is subtlety, but this was almost nonexistent. The herbal taste was a peak for me and the citrus was plain. This beer is comparable to Blue Moon if Blue Moon made a light beer. I was thrown sideways because of the smell. There is a disclaimer: I've been really getting into strong beers. I've been wanting stronger and stronger beers since I've been reviewing beer. My palate (the point of this blog) is developing and becoming more and more jaded to light beers and beers that lean closer to BMC. So I hope you fel the same, and if you enjoy this beer, then there's no problem. Opinion people, this is opinion.
Afterthought
So what's a "Witbier?" You can go here: Witbier. Or you can read on. After reading the description of the what a witbier is, I've realized that this drink fits the bill. Apparently, always spiced and usually with coriander. Often brewed with orange peels and other herbs. The name 'witbier' means white beer due to the cloudiness of the brew. Also, witbier is a wheat beer; one type out of two common wheat beers, the other being Weissbier. Witbier, though, is Belgian wheat beer. Remember when I referenced Blue Moon. Yeah, it falls under this same thing, Belgian White at least. And sometimes, you go to a bar and ask for Blue Moon and they put an orange or lemon, that is an American favorite usually used for these beers, as well as hefeweizen. So there you have it. I have a beer waiting for me and I'm pretty sure it's going to be a flat review as well, be we'll see.
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