Belgian White

The beer

The orange peel is the introduction. Valencia zest comes up first, coriander a step behind, then soft wheat grain and a little citrus sweetness. Bright, easy, almost no hop. That is the familiar Blue Moon register, and it is in place before the first sip.

The pour is hazy golden-yellow with a soft orange tint and a generous creamy white head that settles to a collar. Light-medium in the mouth, rounded in the wheat, lively in the carbonation. Orange zest and sweet citrus lead; soft cereal malt, coriander and a faint herbal bitterness follow. The citrus stays forward without going sharp. The malt underneath is delicate, so carbonation and the orange do most of the work.

The finish is clean and short. Orange peel and mild spice linger after the wheat has already left. Bitterness stays low; a slight sweetness is held in check by the citrus and the bubble. It drinks as the American wit it is meant to be — not a hop ale, and not a deeper wheat than the original. Refreshing, recognizable, and limited by depth and length rather than by a wrong flavor. Pour it cold, in a wheat glass, when you want the orange-and-coriander glass.