White Gypsy in Tipperary have recently started to bottle their wares, which is great news in my book. My only previous experience with the brewery came in the form of a pint of Bruinette a while back, and I'm dying to get into these new styles.
That's the big thing for me, the styles White Gypsy are brewing. First of all we've a Belgian Dubbel, and there's a Russian Imperial Stout in the cupboard. A German Doppelbock and American Pale Ale complete the selection, so articles on the remaining three should be forthcoming.
White Gypsy Belgian Dubbel pours a hazy orange with a fizzy off-white head, much lighter than I'd expected. The bottle nearly gushed upon opening, and when I eventually did get the cap off, there was a strong bubblegum smell straight away. In the glass, this was crowded out by citrus zestiness, hints of banana, a strong yeast character and a touch of Belgian Blonde spiciness. To be honest, though, there's a bit more Hefeweizen to the aroma than I'd like. The taste is more or less as above, but with a more pronounced sugary malt character in the middle. This is aided by the touch of syrupy alcohol that the 8% ABV is bound to lend. It finishes grainy, and the body is nice and wheaty.
Overall, this beer is a very worthy experiment on the part of both the drinker and the brewer. It's refreshing to see the styles White Gypsy are brewing, and they deserve plenty of credit for that. I must confess, however, that at around €8 a pop I won't be going back for seconds on this one. Roll on the Russian.
No comments:
Post a Comment