I never could get the hang of Thursdays: White by Allagash Brewing Company

There was a time when drinking a Belgian (or Belgian-style) witbier conferred an aura of refinement upon the drinker. Being seen with a bottle of Hoegaarden in your hand meant you had taste that went beyond the plebian and, if you could pronounce the name correctly, well, that was a mark of true sophistication. Then Blue Moon became available and drinking a domestic version of the classic Belgian style put you into petite bourgeoisie territory, at the very least.

The witbier was the diametric opposite of Miller and Bud. It had wheat in it instead of corn and rice; it was flavored, not simply with hops, but also orange peel and coriander which gave it an unfamiliar, more complex taste. According to my memory, the style became rather popular here with Leinenkugel even brewing their own witbier, a cloying, Tang-like take on it called Sunset Wheat. While it might not be Leinenkugel's fault, the style fell out of favor and was replaced in the hearts and minds and livers of craft drinkers by the IPA and Summer Shandy.

But in defiance of the vicissitudes of the craft beer world, the Allagash Brewing Company has been brewing Allagash White, their witbier, for decades. The first batch was brewed back in 1995 which, I believe, is the same year Blue Moon was invented. It has gone on to garner a reputation for being the best American brewed Belgian-style witbier and one of the best microbrews ever. At least those are the terms I've usually heard it spoken in.

In addition to a lot of effusive praise, previous talk of Allagash White also involved admonishments that tasting it meant going on a pilgrimage to the Northeast because it wasn't available here in the Midwest. I noticed that this situation changed 2 or 3 years ago when I saw Allagash in a suburban Chicago liquor store. And then last year I read that it would be returning to Wisconsin. Returning? Apparently, Allagash did distribute here but pulled out of the state to concentrate on their home turf around 10 years ago. I have no recollection of seeing Allagash back then. Did they distribute only to the Milwaukee area, perhaps? Harumph.

I recently decided to take the plunge and bought some of this stuff to discover if it would live up to its reputation. My sample was bottled on 6 April.

The stuff was a bright lemon yellow and quite hazy. A small white head decided not to stick around for long which was odd because I thought the proteins in wheat produced a larger head that went away more slowly. Maybe there's an anti-foaming agent in orange peel. It sure looked pretty sitting there on a hot, sunny summer day. The aroma was great too with wheat and coriander joining a lemony citrus scent. So far, it had certainly lived up to the hype.

I tasted the orange peel first and it was joined by some banana and coriander in slightly lesser doses. And there was the wheat as well. The body was medium-light, towards the latter, and it had a nice, solid fizz to it. With a swallow, all of the flavors mellowed just a bit and some bitterness became apparent while the orange peel taste lingered.

What really stuck out for me was an overall "fuzziness", as my notes say. The flavors were gentle, for want of a better way of saying it. Nothing very sharp or sprightly. It tasted like the flavors were all in disarray and then came a soft, effervescent blanket which put everything right. All the edges were rounded and rogue piquancies were checked. I don't think I've ever tasted anything quite like it in a beer.

This is an excellent beer and certainly tasted like an exemplar of the American witbier. It is flavorful yet light and mellow. Simply wonderful stuff. It should come as no surprise, really, as it embodies the adage "Practice makes perfect". Allagash has been brewing it for 26 years so it ought to be good. And I am very glad it's still around instead of having been discarded in favor of something trendier.

Junk food pairing: Belgians love their frites so bust open a bag of Andy Capp's Cheddar Fries to go with your Allagash White.