Jun 14, 2011

Cisco Brewers Grey Lady

I don’t normally got for Witbiers per se, but with the weather being pretty darn warm the past couple of weeks, I had a hankering for something light and refreshing. This Belgian influenced beer from Nantucket’s Cisco Brewers is just what I was in the mood for.

Grey Lady is brewed with fruits and spices before being fermented with Belgian yeast. The result is a 4.5% ABV beer that is light on the palate with delicate notes of spices, fruit and wheat. Not overly herbal or chock full of banana, this brew is a Witbier that I can see myself sitting down with for a nice long afternoon of relaxation.

Grey Lady photo
The massive head is a result of an aggressive pour.

Appearance

Pale straw in color the beer developed a pretty large head from a rather aggressive pour on my part.

Aroma

Delicate wheat, lemon, cereal and light spices all come together for a clean nose that smells fresh and inviting.

Taste

This is definitely what I was in the mood for. A sharp, crisp mouthfeel delivers hints of wheat, herbs, spices, citrus and light malts. There’s a surprising bit of tartness that is slightly jarring at first as it’s completely unexpected, but it quickly grew on me. The lemony citrus lingers for a bit before fading slowly in the clean finish.

Overall

A welcome surprise! The nose gave the impression of a nearly standard wheat beer, but the flavors (and tartness) delivered something else all together more exciting. The lemony tartness was a pleasant surprise that was certainly unexpected at first, but the more I darnk the more it really fit with the overall nature of this beer. I’ll be on the lookout for more of this.

Rating: 3.5/5

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