December 3rd, 2006 by Andy
I’m not normally a fan of wheat beers due to a sharpness I find in their taste from time to time. In fact, when I first tasted the Struise Witte from Belgium’s Noordhoek Ostrich Farm (yes, you read that correctly, this brewery is an Ostrich farm) I was a bit underwhelmed. Reading the label proved to give this beer a second chance as I noted that it’s a bottle-conditioned beer– accordingly, I decided to stick a few in the back of the fridge to let them age and hopefully mellow out.
The Struise Witte, which roughly translates to “Robust White”, pours a slightly cloudy yellow hue due to its unfiltered nature. It reveals virtually no head and has a pleasant malty nose with citrus hints. The ale’s taste is delightfully smooth like a Belgian blonde; however, its edge, typically associated with these beers, has significantly abated leaving a citrusy warming taste with subtle spicy hints. I was quite impressed with this beer’s smoothness and could pick up a slight lime presence that could be emboldened with the addition of a lime slice on a warm summer’s day.
I’ve been pleasantly surprised with this beer’s soft aging, which has revealed an inviting spicy essence bound to please even the most demanding of beer connoisseurs. Just remember to give this beer time to mature!
