White out

De Bocq's Blanche de Namur is one of the world's standard witbiers but I realised recently that I had never tasted it. When the opportunity to buy it came my way in an Italian supermarket last summer I bought a bottle and gave it a whirl.

It's a light one at 4.5% ABV and quite a milky pale yellow. There's no shortage of foam as it pours from the large bottle. Sweet lemon curd and lemon candy is the first hit, smooth and slightly oily with it. For balance, a crisp wheaty cracker crunch follows that, while the coriander comes in late. This adds a bitterness that could be described as soapy, were one prejudiced against coriander in the first place. I'm fine with it, though.

The comparison with Hoegaarden is inevitable, and I don't think this quite has the beatings of it. It's just a little too sickly. More flavourful, sure, but not the right sort of flavours for the style, I think. If the lemony sugar doesn't bother you, however, it's bang on.