3944 Wit Review

A while ago I brewed a Belgian Wit Beer using a scaled-down version of a recipe supplied by the fearless leader of the homebrew club and using WY3944 yeast. A number of other people were supposed to have brewed the same recipe using different yeasts. Sadly, I wasn't able to take good notes of the brew, though I do remember that I had to run and so I pitched when the wort was still a little too hot. We'll see if the beer has indications of an overly aggressive fermentation.

Appearance: Hazy orange / yellow. I opened it at 9:50pm after putting in the fridge at about 5:30pm. So, not a lot of time for the chill haze to reduce. Thin white head that slowly dissipates but leaves a good lacing around the glass as I drink.

Aroma: Estery and yeasty notes dominate but there's a hint of sweetness and perhaps a slight tartness. No hop aroma.

Taste: I get a fruity taste (bananas, peaches, or some type of tropical fruit) with some pilsner grainy sweetness in the background and a little bit of tartness and / or alcohol warming. I don't get the obvious spicy character that some Wit Beers have. I do not detect any hop character.

Mouthfeel: Thinnish body despite that it's not carbonated enough. Leaves a dry aftertaste with a little bit of tartness but not as much spiciness as some wits. Maybe a hint of alcohol warming from a too warm start to fermentation.

Overall:  A light, fruity refreshing Wit beer that's neither as spicy nor as carbonated as some examples. Still, pretty refreshing. I do like it quite a bit.

I'm curious to see both how this one compares to the others at the September meeting of the homebrew club and commercial examples like Allagash White (one of the first craft beers I can remember having). Maybe I'll write up some compare and contrast tasting notes with the Allagash White.

Update: A bunch of people at the homebrew club shared their Wits using the different yeasts. None of them, including this one was considered very good. Overly-phenolic, overly fruity, under carbed, thin body - all of the beers had one or more of these qualities. My particular brew was considered too dry, and lacking in necessary body. Meh!