Wit is it?

Poor neglected witbier is today's subject. The style's problem, as I see it, is that the archetype Hoegaarden has perfected it and there isn't much room for improvement. I'll grant you St Bernardus may have managed it, but otherwise* it's not something worth brewing because you'll only get "not as good as Hoegaarden" as feedback. I don't think any other beer style suffers from quite the same issue.

Anyway, I'm giving two other Belgian examples a whirl, beginning with De Brabandere's Bavik Super Wit. The brewery has a raft of tied pubs in west Flanders, which is presumably why this exists, a Hoegaarden-matching 5% ABV. Immediate negative points were scored when it poured completely clear in the glass, looking identical to a pils. I gave the lees a good shake but no extra haze was forthcoming. They've nailed the soft wheaty texture but the distinctive witbier flavours are very muted. Coriander is no more than a mildly soapy twang, and I couldn't pick out the alleged orange zest at all. What remains is a dry grain effect, bringing us back to the similarity with pils. Nothing wrong with pils, but not what I was after. This is a very dull affair, and not even the glorious sunshine could save it for me.

I figured La Chouffe would make a better fist of things. For one, they've struck out on their own with a bold 6.5% ABV on Chouffe Blanche. That gnome has hollow legs. Again, it was initially clear in the glass but a swirl at the bottom of the bottle gave it some haze, as well as an oddly deep orange colour. Spices and herbs fill the aroma pleasingly, while citrus zest sits up front in the flavour. I was expecting it to be a little hot and heavy, but if anything it's thin, lacking that rich Belgian warmth. I guess when your flagship is 8% ABV you're really slumming it down here in the mid-sixes. It does bear a closer resemblance to La Chouffe Blond than Hoegaarden, though. A peppery spice suggests that La Chouffe's signature yeast is involved here somewhere. And maybe that's the key to breakout witbier: don't clone Hoegaarden; go somewhere else with it. This didn't deliver what I wanted from a wit, but I still really enjoyed it. I can see it being a nice trade-down for the dedicated La Chouffe drinker looking for something lighter but still packed with gnomeish character.

Conclusions? Err... still Hoegaarden for me please. Or Bernardus when I'm feeling fancy. The Chouffe does indicate that there's room for exploration here still, though.

*yes, yes, I hear you, Allagash White fanboys and fangirls.