Ommegang Witte Beer Review

Ommegang Witte

Review Date 9/11/2004 Last Updated 2/8/2018

Try? Re-buy?

If you have read reviews on the various products of Cooperstown, New York’s Ommegang Brewery, you will already be aware of the high regard in which I hold that esteemed beer-making concern. I’ve been to the brewery and walked through its quaint and beautiful brewhouse. I’ve drunk many of their beers and marveled at their wonderful complexity. I’ve boasted of the great value of their products, most of which can be had for $4 to $5 for a large 750ml bottle.

That being the case, I obviously had great expectations for Ommegang’s newest brew, Ommegang Witte, a Belgian-styled wheat ale spiced with coriander and orange peel. Since Ommegang was acquired by the Moortgaat brewery of Belgium, makers of the divine Duvel , my expectations were ratcheted up another notch again.

Ommegang claims on their website to be the only Brewery in America dedicated to producing all bottle-conditioned Belgian style ales. I think I would dispute that claim, since Maine’s Allagash brews nothing but Belgian style beer, too, and I believe they are all bottle-conditioned as well. Still, Ommegang is class act to be sure.

Belgian Wits are a most wonderful and refreshing style of beer. Light but flavorful, crisp and spicy, they’re a perfect summer beer, I think. They’re not overpowering in alcohol content (Ommegang’s has an alcohol content of 5.1% by volume, about the same as Budweiser.).

The label certainly set expectations as well. Worth the Wheat! it says. Samuel Johnson is quoted, too: He who has provoked the shaft of wit, cannot complain that he smarts from it. . There’s just nothing like a well-read beer.

So, enough waiting I thought, and poured the beer into my wide-mouthed, bowl-shaped Ommegang glass. The beer pours to a hazy yellow-white color and forms a very large, thick and foamy head. As I pour, I’m careful to leave the yeast sediment in the bottom of the bottle. Frequently I’ll drink this (it’s good for you!), but here I don’t want it to interfere with the delicate flavors of a Wit.

I sniff my beer, and get light crackery notes of tart wheat in the aroma. Then I sip. The palate is lighter than I expect, even for a Wit. Wheat has less fermentable and non fermentable sugars than barley, so imparts less body. The more wheat you use, the lighter your beer will be.

Then I started looking for the notes of spice. In a Wit beer, I’m looking for the distinct notes coriander imparts, plus some citrus from the orange peel. Many Wit’s I have tried have subtle blueberry fruit notes, too. Astonishingly, Ommegang Witte features only a faint hint of citrus and very, very light coriander spice. It finishes slightly thin, with just enough tartness to make the beer quenching.

Overall, this is a disappointing effort. I’m looking for a lot more flavor, and I find even Blue Moon White has more. Allagash White is much preferable in my opinion. I’ll likely give this a try again in the future, hoping that subsequent batches improve. But for now, this is the least impressive offering in Ommegang’s lineup.

Update 2/8/2018: Well, I said I would give this beer a try again in the future, and here we are, the future! Almost 14 years in the future mind you, but still, the future. I was at Taco Mac in Alpharetta, Georgia, and there was Ommegang Witte. Ommegang has always been one of my very favorite breweries, so I'm sure I've had this beer in the interim years, but not sure why I didn't take notes.

Ommegang says:

Witte is our version of the classic Belgian wit or "white" ale. Witte, which is actually Flemish for white, is brewed with malted and unmalted wheat, orange peel, and coriander - offering a refreshing style that showcases the Belgian talent for brewing full-flavored ales that are also light and balanced. It is pale straw in color, slightly hazy from the yeast, and topped with a huge white, fluffy head.

Ingredients from the website:

Malts: Pilsner, unmalted and malted wheat, oat flakes
Hops: Spalt Select
Spices: Coriander, sweet orange peel
Yeast: Ommegang house yeast

Alcohol by volume is now given as 5.2% and IBUs at 11. I paid $6 for a 23-ounce mug at Taco Mac.

My mug of Ommegang Witte arrived a beautiful hazy pale blonde color with a thick head of foam and a tart fresh wehaty nose. Crisp crackery wheat, bright citrusy orange, pungent spicy coriander all showed up in the palate, and I found this to be the very model of a Witbier.

A much better experience this time around, and I am upgrading this from 3 stars to 4 1/2. It's that good and I can promise you, it won't be 14 years before I enjoy one again.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

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