Season's leavings

I don't often buy beer in Marks & Spencer, and I think Marks & Spencer knows that people don't buy beer there much either, as the range in their Dublin shops is severely limited, to the point of tokenistic. Passing through in late January I noticed they were offloading the Christmas White Beer for €1.50 a throw. Seems worth a look, I thought.

The beer is from Belgian brewery Haacht. "Warm spices" says the front label, which I guess is what makes it Christmassy, but there's nothing warming listed on the ingredients around the back, only standard witbier components, including coriander and orange peel. It looks like a normal wit too: medium yellow and hazy with a fine white froth on top.

Sure enough it's a basic witbier on tasting. There's a mild bitterness and bathsalts herbs, all set on a soft and fluffy base. It's refreshing to drink and, dare I say, even quite summery. I don't detect anything even vaguely wintery about it. I guess they needed something to fill a niche on the shelves in December, before discovering in January that they actually didn't. It's worth €1.50, though. No regrets.