Tuesday Night Tasting- White Birch Brewing: Wrigian

White Birch Brewing – Hooksett, NH
Wrigian Belgian Style Ale
Brewed by Brewer/Owner Bill Herlicka
Bottled March 4, 2010, Batch 2, Bottle 74 of 288
10.4% ABV, 1pt 6oz.

The first thing you notice when you pour this unique Belgian inspired beer is the great pale color, which is similar to many Belgian brews. It has a malty aroma, which belies its sharp taste. It has a minimal head, is rather dry, and has a moderate mouth feel. While it has malty flavors, it is not too heavy.

The bottle suggests that it’s great with BBQ, Thai, and Indian food, or by itself, but I would probably suggest it be consumed with food. It has several distinct characteristics, notably rye, but it has a crisp, bitter spiciness. Typically when you hear that a beer is bitter and spicy, you automatically think of Pale Ales or India Pale Ales; however, it doesn’t have that typical flavor, due to it being Belgian inspired.

It should be said that this beer reminded both Sarah and I of my homebrews. The aroma and color are similar to those first few batches of beer that I made in my kitchen, produced from the boil and the transferring to the primary fermenter or bottling buckets. Though I haven’t visited Herlicka’s facility in Hooksett, from what I have read on his website, each batch of beer is produced in limited quantities, which creates the ultimate craft beer experience.

Though I purchased this bottle for $9.25 from Bert's Better Beers, which in my opinion was a bit high for this particular beer, it would not necessarily deter me from trying other offerings from White Birch Brewing. Check out the White Birch Brewing website, where you can find more information on the company, and the very wide selection of Ales, oak aged beers, and Lambics.

*As a side note- we need to get new bar ware. Not all of our glasses are ideal for each style of beer, but we’re working on acquiring the appropriate ones.