1 February 2012

Flying Dutchman (Waitrose) [By @SpectreUK]


This Wit Bier (wheat beer) was brewed by the Caledonian Brewery, in Edinburgh, with the aid of specialty brewer Henk Oexman from Heineken, in the Netherlands. This is a 4.5% volume malted wheat beer, made with barley and hops, with the addition of coriander, orange peel and liquorish in the brewing. At the mention of orange peel I first thought this beer would go well with fish meals, and would have been a keen rival for the orange peel beer that I like to buy from Marks and Spencer’s in the summertime. On opening I could smell mainly liquorish mixed with a leafy or coriander undertone. On initial taste there was a quick hit of coriander, then an almost peppery bitterness, followed by a heavier liquorish flavour, ending with a mild bitterness from the hops. I couldn’t detect a hint of orange peel in the flavoured beer. The aftertaste mainly consisted of liquorish with the undercurrent of hoppy bitterness. Henk Oexman’s 30 years of knowledge and experience really shone through, making this beer a tour de force of the care and attention from Scottish Brewing mastery mixed with Henk’s European influence. I really enjoyed this wheat beer and would hunt it out again. I changed my mind after the first couple of mouthfuls, as I wouldn’t necessarily drink this beer with a fish meal. The robust flavour from the liquorish lends my thinking more towards a roast pork or sausage meal. I reckon Henk Oexman’s influence has been most welcome at the Caledonian Brewery, and I’m sure he would be welcome to visit again any time he likes!
By Spectre

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