Milwaukee Brewing O-Gii Double Wit, tea-infused

O-Gii, A monstrously tea-infused wit. Ale brewed with spices and flavored with tea. 9.2% Alc. by Vol.

O.G., as in Original Gangsta? Orginal Gravity? Or, as in Godzilla who seems to be appearing on the label with a giant pint in hand? Or is there some other reason for the odd spelling?

Poured into a big, Wittekerke glass. Hazy, pale yellow with a large white head.

Aroma: Orange and wheat discernible in the nose, not so much the spices. I'm picking up on the tea, though, rather than any kind of coriander, which is the typical witbier spicing.

It's even more evident in the taste. And, in exchange, I'm not getting a lot of else. Wheat texture, yes, some citric notes, light spices, and the premonition of booze to come. Juicy, slightly sweet, and altogether odd. I just don't know what to think of it.

I wonder if the gobbledygook on the can will tell me anything? "Herb-In Legend is our series of adventure brews. Created by our brewer Kurt Mayes, O-Gii is a collaboration with Milwaukee's own Rishi Tea, infusing organic tea character to this wit beer. The name is our nod to the brewing abbreviation OG which defines the potential for alcohol level prior to fermention. Enjoy this monster fusion of balance and aggression."

This was described to me, if I remember right, as unique, being a "double wit." Not true, there have been plenty of double wits, and I'm not especially fond of doubled-up versions of styles that shouldn't be anywhere near so strong. Their strength is in their delicacy, and moving up the booze factor robs them of their special qualities. I've only liked a few of them, and somewhat reluctantly.

I'm just as baffled by this as I was by their tea-infused double IPA. The tea doesn't deliver anything particularly rewarding, and the booze is way higher than it should be, for the body and the flavor. Is it malt liquor? Monster might be right, but more Frankstein's than Godzilla. This doesn't taste like a wit, the tea-infusion just mucks it up and dilutes it, and the high alcohol content does nothing but make me want to knock over some buildings.