Coronado Orange Avenue Wit
Coronado Brewing Company’s Orange Avenue Wit was one recommendation that I will continue to exploit thanks in large part to its deliciousness. I haven’t tried a lot of wheat beers or witbiers or even fruit beers, but this one will be a go-to for all the aforementioned categories should I feel the need to quench that thirst. First, a little background info from the bottle on why it’s named Orange Avenue Wit:
“From the Ocean to the Bay, Coronado’s main street was once lined with orange trees. Hence the name, Orange Avenue. It’s a refreshing, flavorful and citrusy blend of wheat, coriander, orange blossom honey and California orange zest. Try it with a slice of orange for the ultimate Orange Avenue experience.”
While I would never personally recommend sticking a slice of fruit into a beer, to each their own, I guess. Poured into a plain old tumbler, it appeared mostly cloudy, and even somewhat murky, with a bright golden honey color and straw yellow highlights. There was a lot of suspended yeast and overall particulate floating around that refused to settle on the bottom throughout the drink, but without this feature, it wouldn’t be called a witbier, would it? It produced a solid two-finger thick, fluffy eggshell-white head that was left over from a vigorous pour, which dissipated within a minute, leaving barely noticeable spots along the glass and a thin, patchy island in the middle.
Immediately upon opening the bottle I was inundated with fresh-squeezed juice from nectarines, navel oranges, mandarin oranges, and tangerines – all of which really emphasized the citrus hops. There was quite a bit of wheaty malt that gave the aroma much more body than if it hadn’t been present at all, and I really enjoyed the hints of light coriander rolled in honey that peeked through from under the wheat and oranges. Overall, the nose was faintly spicy, but managed to maintain a mysterious softness that kept it very appealing to smell.
From the smell alone, I couldn’t wait to get this beer in my mouth. It’s been a while since I’ve had a good orange-flavored beer, some of them are just too medicinal or syrupy and it’s hard to find any enjoyment in them. Right away with the Orange Avenue Wit, there was a faint lemon zest that tasted as if it had been sprinkled into a wheat bread base and dipped into grainy pale malts. There were plenty of oranges – both mandarin and navel – and tangerines bursting from the juicy liquid carrying a good amount of tartness along their waves. A dab of honey added the perfect amount of sweetness and kept the oranges from making the brew sour as well as maintaining that fine balance between medicinal and quaffable – which I think can be a big issue with some orange/fruit beers. It offered a light body and mouthfeel with a good amount of spicy carbonation that kept it alive and popping on my tongue, despite a slightly slick finish.
Overall, I found the Orange Avenue Wit very, very easy to drink and extremely refreshing (to the point where I’m probably going to be picking up a four- or six-pack sometime soon). It easily held onto that line between medicinal and quaffable that I mentioned before, being deliciously sweet and yet still managing to deliver a soft kick in the mouth thanks to all of the tangy citrus combined with the heavier wheat. This is very much a summer beer, though it is just as fantastic in the winter, helping bring back that warmth that everybody longs for during the coldest months of the year.
Wit beers tend to be a great base for fruit beers. I made a pomegranate wit last Christmas that was a huge hit. Can’t wait to taste this one (have to find it first – may have to have my California friends send me one).
A pomegranate wit? Oh wow, that sounds delicious! If you’re going to do a trade with people from California, ask them to try and grab you Hangar 24 Orange Wheat as well. I haven’t tried it, but I’ve heard it gives this beer a run for its money.