New Belgium Accumulation White India Pale Ale

New Belgium Accumulation White India Pale Ale, Brewed and bottled by New Belgium Brewing Company, Fort Collins, CO, and Asheville, NC. 6.2% alcohol by volume.

Clear, bright golden hued, slim ivory head.

In the nose: dry, spicy, yet delicately fruit-y notes in aroma. Already, I'm getting it, a nice blend of the best parts of a witbier and an IPA.

In the mouth: Big hop bitterness climbs on board the palate, followed swiftly by spices, clings to the mouth. Big citrus. Light-ish bodied, long, bitter, hoppy finish. Easy drinker. Very smooth, very tasty. Plenty to offer a hophead like me. Or you. I could take down a few of these with no problem at all.

Hey, there's gobbledygook on the label, let's check it out: "Flurries of mosaic and amarillo hops bring soft fruit and citrus flavor, followed by a layer of bitter, in our seasonally suited white IPA." Hm. I'm still wondering if it's a wheat beer, does it have coriander, like a witbier. Let's check the website....

"This winter, IBUs start accumulating like snow in Colorado with our new Accumulation White IPA . Brewing a white IPA was not only a way to salute the white beauty falling from the sky, but a direct revolt to the longstanding tradition of brewing dark beers for winter and winter seasonal beers . At least that’s what our rebellious brewer Grady Hull likes to claim as he shovels in plenty of new hop varietals and a bit of wheat for a smooth mouthfeel. Stack up a few cases of Accumulation White IPA to keep your long nights glowing blizzard white."

Okay, we've got the wheat, but no word about any spice or orange peel. I'm imagining that? Maybe. Is all the spice coming from the hops? Also, maybe.

Town Hall Snow Thief Session White IPA

Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery Snow Thief SWIPA, Session White IPA, 4.8% ABV. That is all that the website tells us. If I could ask just one thing of you, Town Hall, is that you tell us more about your beer, please. (Oddly, I can't find it on BeerAdvocate.com yet. I am not normally ahead of those geeks.)

Clear, pale golden coloring, slim, soon dissipating whitish head.

Aroma is soft, sweet, spicy, fruity, lightly hoppy. Nice

Taste: Jumps in the mouth with a burst of bitter hops, and a twist of spice, lays on on the palate, leaving the slightest astringency. Each new sip brings another bite of bitterness and spice, and a like it just fine. Easy drinking, mellow mouthfeel, light bodied. Sessionable for sure. Not sure why it has to specified as such, are the white IPAs usually so much higher in alcohol?

Anyway, it's a good drinker, and it has flavor. Not something I would pick over others, but there ain't nothing wrong with it. I'll finish this one. (and move on to the next.)I don't hate, but I don't love it, neither.

Town Hall Alpha Nimbus White IPA

Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery Alpha Nimbus White IPA.

Lightly hazy, bright golden coloring, big white head, leaving lace.

Aroma: Beautiful hoppiness, distinctly citrus, floral, and piney. Lovely stuff.

Taste: Bold and dazzling hop attack hits first. Lean bodied, light and smooth. I assume there's some wheat in here, but it's not terribly prominent. If this is a White IPA, it's not like others I've tried. Lighter on the wheat, or the wit, lacking the spice and orange found in a wittier, more hoppy than anything else. Not as hazy, hardly white.

Okay, I'm feeling it now. It's nothing but supple, it's everything smooth. All about the hops, and then some. Love this one. Good drinker, and while it's nothing like various beers that have called themselves "white IPA" whatever the hell that is, it's terrific.

how do they describe it on the website? "Melding of a Belgian White Ale and American IPA for your drinking pleasure." 6.8% ABV. Sure, that helps…not much.

Badger Hill White IPA

Badger Hill White IPA. It's an IPA and it's white. Or …oh, we've gone over this ground before, and here's yet another.

Throughly clouded, pale yellow coloring, vast, creamy white head, large and lasting.

Aroma: soft, light and spicy. Floral hop notes on top, slightly citric behind. Delightful.

Taste: Slides effortlessly down the throat. Glides over the palate with ease. Extraordinarily light bodied and gentle all the way down. Just a smidgen of hop presence, plenty of wheat, citrus and spice. I'm getting the coriander, and the orange…not so much the hops that you'd expect from an IPA. Which it isn't, it's a witbier with slightly more hops in it. That doesn't make it an IPA, white, red, pink or purple.

Hinterland White Cap White IPA

Another bunch of sample goodies came my way this week, more from Wisconsin. Two bottles and a can, one bottle which I'd already tried 3 years ago (Luna Coffee Stout). So, let's check out the first of 2 new brews from Green Bay, Wisconsin's Hinterland. And once again, it's a style I'm still "iffy" about.

Hinterland White Cap White India Pale Ale. One pint, can. No ABV found, if it's given.

Hazy, clouded, pale yellow, beautiful, crystalline snow-cap head, lace-leaving, long-lasting.

Aroma: Lovely blend of coriander and citrus zest. Ah! Belgian yeast funks it up, too. Not getting anything in the way of hops, really.

Taste: Okay, here they are. Hops are bouncing on top, with the Belgian yeast character and witbier flavorings keeping them company. Medium-bodied, smooth, wheat, malty, with hop bitterness laying low after it's initial pounce. Refreshing, easy-drinking, with enough of a hop bite to keep my taste buds tingling.

Okay, here's another one I liked. More of these, please.

MKE (Milwaukee Brewing) Little Bitta White IPA

This new style called "white IPA" has led to some confusing interpretations. This one of the most confused.


Milwaukee Brewing Little Bitta White India Pale Ale. "That's local flavor." 6.5% Alc. by Vol.

Appearance: hazy & yellow, small head.

Aroma: soft, slightly sweet, with very little hop bitterness, if any. Also missing are any of the hallmarks of a witbier. Often, this style is interpreted as a wit with more hops. Is this merely an IPA with wheat? Let's taste it and see…

Taste: smooth, creamy, and lightly hoppy. I can taste the wheat in this, and there's a certain amount of spice, but this is from the hop character, I think. Hop bitterness continues, then a wave of sweetness comes in, from malt. They do a bit of a shuffle, a dance for dominance, and the sweet comes out the conquerer.

This feels like the last "white IPA" I tried, with this blend of a white ale and an IPA being less than the sum of it's parts. I'm not getting the particular spicy, fruity delights of a wit, or the bracing, refreshing, thrilling aspects of an IPA.

Not sure what this is. It's not bad, but not for me. This is a very confused and confusing beer. And calling it an IPA just makes me yearn for a real one.

Deschutes Chainbreaker White IPA

Deschutes Chainbreaker White IPA. Bend, OR. Ale Brewed with Spices. 5.6% aBV.

This is one of those I should have gotten around to long ago, it's been around long enough. I'm a big fan of Deschutes, I like everything they do, what took me? Eh… "white IPA"? Really? Not sure on that one….That's why.

Well, I bought a single bottle, just to try it and check it off. Maybe after I've finished it I'll wish I had bought a six-pack?

Hazy, pale yellow appearance, beautiful, big white head, leaving lace.

Aroma: spice and citrus, the very staple of a witbier. Floral hoppiness. Light, airy, and lovely.

Taste: Mmm, delicious. Light-bodied, clean and crisp. Easy drinking, for sure. Smooth, with wheat malt sweetness. What I'm not getting is the promised hops. Is this merely a slightly hopper witbier? Is that all it is? Is it that the craft beer crowd eschews the wit as a "chick beer" or whatever, and will flock to anything called an IPA? Is that it?

I'm gonna read me some label gobbledygook: "What if wheat wasn't the goal itself? But a route to something absolutely new?" That's up on top. On the side: "You pair wheat, hops and Belgian yeast {can you "pair" three things?} and suddenly Bingo, a wheat like nobody else's. With real depth, coriander and sweet orange peel, it's citrus-packed and silky smooth going down."

Sierra Nevada Snow Wit White IPA

Sierra Nevada Snow Wit Winter White. A pun on "snow white?" Say, what do Californians know about snow or winter, anyway? Me, I'm sick of it, and I could do without a reminder. What can we do, it's everywhere we turn. Don't look out the window, don't leave the house, let's have a summer beer, and pretend.

Hazed, golden appearance, surprisingly slim head. (Maybe my pour was off? Did I wash the glass wrong?)

Aroma: Witbier spices are here, some citrus, and coriander. A little hoppier than normal, but not by much. Lovely, though.

Taste: Bold, bright and fruit-forward. Now, finally, in the flavor, I'm getting the sense of an IPA. Lots of citrus zest taste, just gets brighter and brighter, wheat feel comes forward, too. Tropical fruits too, pineapple, banana. I'm liking this more and more. Medium-bodied, supremely drinkable. It's good beer, and you can drink it. Yum. Tast-y!

Hey, what's the official word: "Snow Wit is brewed with seven varieties of experimental dwarf hops. (Okay, bringing the Snow White reference full circle.), giving it a complex, grapefruit and herbal hop character accentuated by spicy notes of an authentic Belgian yeast."