Some of my parings this Christmas season have been a little weak. Friday's was a little thin, and I'm sure it won't be the last. Today's is a little on the obvious side. Bell's Winter White and White Christmas. I looked at Bell's other seasonal beer last year, Christmas Ale, a very tasty Scottish ale. Check out my thoughts on that one here. Bell's seems to be determined to subvert the usual expectations for Christmas beers. Their Christmas Ale is a simple sessionable Scottish ale, and Winter White is a Belgian style witbier. None of the hearty, ABV heavy, spiced ales that we're used to this time of year. But if Winter White is half as tasty as their Christmas Ale, then it absolutely will not disappoint.
Winter White pours a hazy, clouded over, pale gold underneath a finger of bubbly head that recedes fairly quickly but persists as a thin rim.
Aromas of tart lemon and lime and grassy, herbal hop notes are laid over a hearty, sweet malt base on the nose.
On the palate Winter White is appropriately light in body with a nice creamy mouthfeel. Spritzy, lively fruity flavors of lemon and white grape lead things off. Grassy, herbal, spicy hops follow and add balance and end things with a nice snappy bitterness.
Once again, Bell's offers welcome counter programming to the usual winter seasonals. It's light, drinkable, wonderfully balanced, and most importantly, very tasty. Unlike all of the other winter seasonals you're likely to find, but sometimes you need a change of pace.
Now on to the movie. The connection here ought to be pretty blatant. Winter White and White Christmas. Hey that would work as one of those dumb Wheel of Fortune before and after clues. White Christmas is one of my Mom's all time favorite Christmas movies. I'm not sure whether or not she'd be wild about the beer though. She usually tends towards the maltier brews. In revisiting the film I can't help but be surprised by how funny it is. You would think that my first thought would be toward the musical numbers. Honestly most of the songs, except for the title track of course, I could take or leave. They tend to drag. But this is a legitimately funny movie. Especially Danny Kaye and his banter with Bing Crosby. There's so much great subtle physical comedy, reaction shots, unspoken gags, and every time Danny Kaye's voice cracks. It's available on Nexflix. Don't feel bad if you find yourself fast forwarding through most of the songs.
My 2nd favorite winter seasonal to come out this year- a great beer! Like you wrote, this witbier is an awesome change of pace to the usual seasonals. For me, Bell's never disappoints.
ReplyDeleteBTW, in my opinion, this year's best winter beer award goes to New Belgium for their Accumulation. The Better-half and I actually debated who would finish off the 6-pack I recently purchased!
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