Elegant burgundy-sweetened pale-hazed Belgian brings floral-spiced hop persistence and carbolic intensity to swerved mineral graining. Its peculiar sesame wheat charm should appease exploratory greenhorns and connoisseurs alike.
All posts by John Fortunato
WELTENBURGER KLOSTER URTYP HELL
Made at reputed oldest monastery brewery since 1050, this medium-bodied smoothie maintains polite peppery hop bitterness underscored by allspice, coriander, and thyme, but its sweet buttery malt finish fades abruptly.
WELTENBURGER KLOSTER HEFE-WEIZEN HELL
Pale golden, eggshell-headed, yeast-affected German wheat treat slips clove-coriander up-front, sidling summery lemon-grapefruit-plantain juicing to sourdough finish. Feisty hop bite envelops latent white-breaded surge of medium-bodied delight.
WELTENBURGER KLOSTER BAROCK-HELL
Casual fizz-hopped bitter underscores sourdough yeast with orange-peeled lemon rind tang, but scant caramel creaminess compromised by indecisive malt impact and dry cork must.
WELTENBURGER KLOSTER ASAM-BOCK
Claret-hued dark double bock (with cascading bubbles quickly rising to tan-headed surface) gains dry prune prominence as strong cereal-grained barleycorn influence beckons. Cocoa, coffee, and raisin notes scattered.
WELTENBURGER ANNO 1050 LAGER
Cascading tan bubbles reach top of golden ‘malt liquor’ as fuzzy hop-roasted opening softens to pale malt frisk, sustaining spicy nose and bitter lemon peel twist to counter sugary caramel suggestion.
WELLINGTON S.P.A. (SPECIAL PALE ALE)
Petty dry-toned translucent amber procures baked bread mouthfeel and toasted hopping for light-bodied creamy balm. Honeyed wheat and roasted barleymalts satiate sugary finish, though slightest phenol nature seeps through.
WELLINGTON IRON DUKE STRONG ALE
Chestnut-hued dry body finds initial prune-fig presence lingering to brooding burgundy abstraction. Nutty chocolate malting covers earthen hop roast.
WELLINGTON ARKELL BEST BITTER
Clear golden copper English-styled Bitter retains courteous bread-like lightness and sugary bottom. Buttery almond-caramel nuance masks cardboard-y finish admirably.
WEINHARD’S RED ALE
Friskier phenol hops are just about all that separates this from Weinhard’s Pale. Vacuous.
WEINHARD’S PALE ALE
Boring Irish-styled pale ale with skunky malt aroma, crisp hop flow and unassuming dry-fruited finish. Neither bitter nor sweet, just an average ale lost in the middle of the pack.
WEINHARD’S ICE ALE
The original Blue Boar brand mixes ‘classic hand-crafted ale with the crisp, smooth finish of authentic ice brewing.’ But this ain’t no quality brew, folks. Skunky malt aroma and cloudy pale hue mismatched against unexpected cloying nature similar to Rolling Rock (sans the creaminess and dank yeast finish). Serve only to novice ale dabblers.