Sherwood Forest Brewers's Friar's Belgian Style White Ale

This came in a BOTM shipment a while back, and I've been avoiding it like the plague. I'm not a fan of whites, and this brewery doesn't impress me with its name or label, so, let's just get it over with.

Pours a very pale yellow with a thin white head.

Well, it smells yeasty but not overly so. None of the plastic or chemical smells I hate in some lighter Belgians, especially the lighter styles.

Yeah, there it is. More plastic than chemical, but it's there. Light in body and fairly fizzy, it's right on type. If you like whites, you'll like this one. I just don't.

Lakefront Brewery's White Beer

I know I'm not going to like this beer. But it was free, and I'm a glutton for punishment.

Pours perfect for the style. Big fluffy white head with tiny cells and a hazy yellow color with moderate carbonation. Kind of an odd neon-like appearance. Slightly glowing.

Yeah, smells like a Belgian. It has the standard phenolic yeasty smell that many people call bananas and cloves, just because they think that's what they're supposed to say. It smells exactly like a Belgian wit should, but nothing like a banana and not even close to cloves.

Huh. You know what? It's OK. Still has a lot of the phenols I'm not fond of, but it's balanced by a twang that makes it work. Not bitterness from hops, really, but a citrus type of zip that evens out the odd dullness of the yeast.

I'd have it again. I'm not a huge fan of oranges even in Belgians, but I bet it would make this one even better.