Woodchuck Belgian White

The latest from the Woodchuck Hard Cider guys in Vermont is their own Belgian White styled ale, which is crafted with classic Belgian beer yeast. Apparently an ultra limited private release, the fellas go so far as to state that I'm joining the select few who get to taste the fruits of their labors on the label.

Belgian White pours out a Golden cider color with just the faintest of heads, which disappears almost instantly. The smell is really something special to behold as it carries both the inviting sweet cider smell that Woodchuck is known for, but also a tangy citrus taste that reminds me of warm summer days for some reason. In fact the scent is so strong that its something of an eye opener. The taste follows my nose fairly well too as its basically a mixture of crisp apple cider, citrusy oranges and with a yeasty finish. Unlike most Woodchuck products its not overly sweet either, which is good, and its probably the most beer-ish tasting ale these guys have come up with. Essentially its like 3/4 Blue Moon with just a pinch of classic Woodchuck Amber on the top.

The bottle states that its well paired with sea food or cheese, but the small pictures suggesting this look more like some sort of sea monster and a sponge, but I guess that's just a shrimp and slice of cheese. I've regrettably not got around to trying it with any pointy monsters or sponges just yet. Frankly, it didn't go half bad with the Hungarian sausages I just ate, but that could just be my lack of care for pairing and my sudden desire to get a little buzzed. Curiously the ABV is nowhere to be found on the bottle, but the lack of any buzz forming after two of them would probably suggest that its not any more than 4%-6% total. These babies come as six packs and the $10 price tag wasn't bad at all as this is a fairly original tasting ale to me. Of course, remember its quite limited and will probably be gone in a few months! Weep, weep, weep!