New Holland White Hatter Belgian-style White IPA

I have to stop agreeing with people who say the "black IPA" is the latest hip trendy style. Keep forgetting that the new cliche everyone is dying to try is this one, the White IPA. Take an existing style, hop it up, and give it a new name. Is that how we do things? Hm.

Anyway, let's try this out, one of the Hatter series, the White Hatter Belgian-style White Pale Ale, which I presume is a witbier with extra hops. "Ale brewed with natural flavors, brewed and bottled by New Holland Brewing Company, LLC, Holland, MI. 1 pint, 6 fl.oz." No word on alcohol content.

Clear, pale golden appearance, slim, soon gone head.

Aroma: sweet, floral, & fruity. Every bit a wit. Love it, citrus notes, orange and coriander. Very airy, and lively, and pretty, with a hoppy undercurrent.

Taste: there it is, the marriage of wit and IPA, high hopping mixed with wheat, citrus zest and spice. Smooth, sweet and sessional, for sure. But I'm not sure those hops work well in this blend. Let's keep drinking and find out for sure….

While we drink, let'd read" "White Hatter flavorfully blends wheat, oats, & barley with hops & spices; artfully sewn together with delicious notes from fermentation. Pairings: seafood, fennel, mushrooms."  "delicious notes from fermentation"? That's odd, never heard that before. A new way to say "yeast"?

Everything is fine with this ale except that no matter how artfully sewn together they might seem,
I don't think they work well together at all. Are going to have more of this, hoppy wheat ales, will there be India Weizens and such? I hope not.  Some things are classics for a reason, and don't need tinkering.

Here comes the celery, here comes the pepper. Smooth wheat, and then just a smack of bitterness on the tongue. I still don't think the parts mesh well. A hoppy wittier is never on my wish list of beers, it's not a style that needs improvement by adding more hops.

Can I be pegged as a traditionalist? Perhaps. I'm still against imperializing everything under the sun. Wheat IPAs, India Wits, which ever way you paint it, it's just not working for me.

But not a bad experiment, in the least. And, actually, what do you know, but halfway in, the best of it's parts outshine the least. Liking it more.