Celis White – Michigan Brewing Company

Michigan Brewing Company‘s Celis White – “Authentic Belgian-Style Wheat Beer”

Webberville, MI

History: “Celis White is seasoned with Curacao orange peel and coriander, and is brewed from a unique recipe first brewed in Belgium in 1453.  It is top fermented and brewed from 50% raw winter wheat and 50% 2-Row malt, hopped with Willamette and EKG hops.”

This beer promotes itself as an authentic Belgian-Style wheat beer, and who am I to argue. I have had AUTHENTIC Belgian wheat beers and this is just about as close as you’re likely to get in this style. From the first sniff you’re inundated with scents of a wind-blown wheat field. There is no doubt of this. And even below that, as stated in its history, you can just catch that slightly buried undertone of coriander. Now pour it and marvel at its lovely, perfect Belgian hue: stunningly white.

Swirling it a bit opens it up to its true aromas and releases just enough of the orange peel to announce its presence before ducking back behind the powerful wheat scents. From the moment it hits your tongue you know what you’ve got: something special brewed in a steeped tradition. It has an almost pleasant bitterness once you swallow, coupled with a bit of a tangy mouth feel that tends to come pre-packaged with just about any beer brewed with fruit essences. It is, however, not at all cloying, which is another factor of fruity brews and I’m glad it’s not present here. That tends to get a little annoying. If you’ve ever smelled a container of coriander, or even some fresh, you know when you’ve found it in this beer. It certainly does not disguise itself as anything else and it’s really nice here only adding to the drink’s already bright characteristics.

This beer is very nice and a nice flavor change from the dark stouts I’ve reviewed lately. It’s quite a bit sweeter, but not so much so as to be off-putting and, having said that, and just before reading the food accompaniments as I did, it would go really well with spicy foods, fruit (of course), and poultry. In fact, I would bake chicken in this beer. And I will, soon. Very nice.

Rating: * * * *
Depth of flavor, deep roots, and very attractive color. A Nice beer.