Serving Type: BottleABV: Five percent
Appearance: Bell's Winter White wouldn't appear to the casual eye as a beer that comes out during the winter months. It pours a straw gold with tons of carbonation bubbles dancing towards the crown of the glass. The golden body is somewhat hazy, but this can depend on how much of the yeast you pour into your glass. I usually leave a good portion of it inside the bottle. The head is very thick after the pour and consists of thousands of tiny bubbles. It fades away quickly and surprisingly doesn't leave much lacing inside the glass.
Smell: This beer smells very zesty and citrusy. There's a good dosage of coriander and orange peel. It's the orange peel that provides you with that spiciness. There's also an aroma of wheat and yeast, as this is a wheat beer. It better be there!
Taste: I got the wheat taste on the front of the tongue. This had a subtle sweetness to it. As your swig makes its way towards the back of your tongue the yeast and spices take over. I can't say enough about the way the coriander and citrus works in this beer. The orange is tart at first, but as the sip makes its way to the ending stages there's a spiciness that takes over on the finish. Oh, and as for that carbonation? Just provides a wonderful texture which finely compliments the taste. Such a wonderful experience.
Overall Rating:
This is probably my favorite winter seasonal beer. It in no way looks or acts like a winter ale. It's a wheat beer in almost every aspect. It has its own character and that's what makes this beer special. A good comparison to this is Troegs DreamWeaver Wheat. Bells Winter White is almost twice as spicy. DreamWeaver has more of a fruity undertone in the flavor. Both are excellent brews. I'f prefer this beer to appear a bit more full. Maybe that head can stick around longer and possibly provide more lacing? I think this beer's appearance is still open for experimentation. Maybe if you pour more of the yeast into it the head can be somewhat stronger.
