Judge’s Review: 90 Rating – White Pine Belgian Witbier by Two Saints Brewing Co.

Witbier | Year-Round | USA

By Rick Franckhauser

Judges Rating: 90.00
Aroma: 21.00
Appearance: 6.00
Flavor: 36.00
Mouthfeel: 9.00
Overall Impression: 18.00

Two Saints Brewing White Pine Belgian Wit was judged as BJCP category 24A, Witbier.
Pronounced pithy lemon aromatics initially dominate the aroma. The citrus seems like a combination of American C-hops and lemon zest but may also be via a coriander addition. A touch of white pepper spice comes through after acclimating to the zest.. Some low level white bread and a slight doughy note come up as it warms. Nothing off and all seems fresh but the citrus seems a little too elevated in the overall presentation. I would just like a little more of the malt and yeast character to balance things out a little. The beer is a very cloudy straw color and capped with a dense creamy white foam. The foam retention is outstanding, lasting to the very end. The haze does present some whitish glow. 
The lemony zest character is first to greet your palate. Brite and immediately refreshing. The lemon quality is enjoyable but as in the aroma takes away from the overall balance and complexity of the beer. It takes a few seconds for the white pepper spice and wheat malt to make an appearance. The malt is soft and a touch doughy. Low level bitterness and the spice notes keep the malt from presenting too sweet. There seems to be a touch of acidity adding to the tart impression from the lemony character and the wheat malt. As it warms the malt and spice come out more and help balance the lemony notes.
The beer finishes semi-dry but could be a touch drier to aid in the drink-ability. Medium body and smooth with moderately high carbonation and no astringency but a low level acidic bite. However, I think it would benefit from some additional carbonation to lift the wheat malt off the palate.  
Overall White Pine is a very enjoyable witbier. I appreciated the fresh and bright character. If I were to compare to other well known and respected versions, I would say it’s closer to Allagash White than to Hoegaarden, but that’s pretty good company to keep. The biggest distraction for me was the initial dominance of the lemon character. Obviously I don’t know the true source but for my palate it reads like a combination of lemony hops, lemon zest and the lemony quality of coriander.
While this was enjoyable, the beer seemed somewhat out of balance. Had this been somewhat reduced I think the malt and yeast qualities may have been more dominant and allowed the beer to fall closer to what is expected for a world class example of the style. A slightly drier finish or maybe just increased carbonation would have also assisted in moving the beer into the classic realm. Having said all that I will note that all of these critiques are related to the BJCP style guidelines and not the beer itself. Nuances of style aside, this is a very enjoyable witbier.