New Belgium Mothership Wit

Dug · April 24, 2008

I have been looking forward to New Belgium Mothership Wit for quite some time now and tonight was the night to put it to rest... my only problem... I made the same mistake tonight as I did last night and I drank it straight out of the beer fridge.  My problem = my beer fridge is too cold... colder than our other fridge, so it has been good for some brews and not so good for others.

Being a problem solver, though, I have already ordered the necessary equipment to ensure my beer drinking is as ideal as it can be.  Here you go:

• Instant read thermometer to insert into the brew prior to drinking to ensure the appropriate temperature: Taylor Waterproof Digital Thermometer
• Refrigerator thermometer to keep the fridge at the ideal temp (not to cold, not too hot): Taylor Professional Freezer-Refrigerator Thermometer

Now, that isn't going to be enough, so I have scoured the web for ideal beer drinking temperatures and here is what I have found:

• The folks at realbeer.com have a great summary... too bad I didn't find this 30 minutes ago... :)http://www.realbeer.com/library/beerbreak/archives/beerbreak20000921.php. 
• Taken from the above link:
  • "Some general guidelines:"
    • "Serve fruit beers at 40-50° F"
    • "Serve wheat beers and pale lagers at 45-50° F"
    • "Serve pale ales and amber or dark lagers at 50-55° F"
    • "Serve strong ales, such as barley wines and Belgian ales, at 50-55° F"
    • "Serve dark ales, including porters and stouts, at 55-60° F"

So... now that I know all of this, here is the review... New Belgium has to be one of my favorite breweries.  They consistently produce great beer.  This one isn't far off as long as you drink it at the right temperature.  At first, when cold, all I could smell was yeast and all I could taste was plain.  It wasn't impressing me and I didn't have a good feeling about it.  As I let it warm up though (remembering last night), it started to open up and get some flavor.  I started to taste some of the citrus and unfiltered-ness of the beer and I ended up with a overall solid perception.  A good white beer with a good balance.  I will have to say, though, that the White Rascal from Avery is a better choice... sorry New Belgium!

JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again