Wittekerke Wit Biere (5% ABV can)- Witbier- Brouwerij Bavik, BEL
Grade: B

Cantastic!

The aluminum can unfortunately suffers from guilt by association given it’s long and less than glorious relationship with mass-produced beers. Luckily, solid craft beer offerings are appearing more frequently in cans helping to clean up the image of the much maligned metallic vessel. Wittekerke, a Belgian wit, is a good place to start an exploration of good beer in a can.

Wittekerke from the first pour looks like a wit should: a sunny yellow, hazy with yeast, and topped with a pillowy white head. It’s so inviting it almost glows -though that could just be the fluorescent lights. The only minus is the occasional chunk of sediment that floats by, but with wheat beers that comes with the territory.

The scent is light with some sour wheat and a bit of citrus peaking out. But generally there’s not a whole lot to speak of in the nose. The taste sticks with the subtlety, but the citrus that was hinted at really comes out here. It’s a sweet/sour tangerine that is far more prominent than you find in most other wits. While pronounced it’s not artificial which keeps Wittekerke light tasting. Add in a some zippy carbonation and a dry easy finish and you’ve got a refreshing little beer.

Wittekerke is nice, nothing over the top, just a simple citrusy brew. I envision this as a sunny afternoon porch sipping beer or even -dare I say it- a brunch beer. If you are a wit fan, give it a try. If you’ve had Bruexelles Blanche, Wittekerke is very similar and a bit of a bargain with a 6-pack of Wittekerke cans running about the same as a 4-pack of Bruexelles bottles.

Cheers!
-John