When I first sampled this beer, the only Belgian-style wheat to hail from a Trappist brewery, it was while helping to plan a menu for the brewery's Canadian draught debut at beerbistro. For whatever reason, I wasn't expecting much from it.
Boy, was I wrong!
Perhaps the driest of any Belgian-style wheat I have ever tasted, it boasts a wonderfully fragrant, perfumey-spicy nose, the presence of which I find remarkable in view of the fact that this beer is not at all spiced, according to brewery export manager, Gijs (Gus) Swinkels, who I met several days after first experiencing the beer. According to the Koningshoeven website (www.latrappe.nl), the secret is in the "highly aromatic" hops used, but I'd be surprised if the special Belgian yeast didn't figure in there, as well.
In body, it has a light but firm malt appeal, with plenty of dry citrus notes and an utterly thirst quenching nature. Here, the spiciness of the aroma becomes quite muted, allowing the full taste of the lemony malted wheat - used as 50% of the total grains, according to Swinkels - to shine through in all its crisp, faintly biscuity glory. The finish continues dry, but with a very faint edge of alcohol to it.
At the dinner, the draught Witte was served with vodka-cured, Blanche de Chambly-marinated salmon, and even with the November winds howling outside, the pairing was pure summery pleasure.
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