Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Spencer Devon Soleil Levant Witbier

We headed down to Spencer Devon Brewing Friday for dinner, and specifically to try out the new Soleil Levant Witbier being debuted that evening. I had read the release announcement and description posted the brewery's Facebook page, and was intrigued.
Members of two local homebrew clubs, the Fredericksburg Brewing Insiders and The Stafford Brewers Club, teamed up with our brewers to design, test, and brew this beer. We took a traditional wit recipe, which uses wheat and coriander, then added a little rye malt, some orange zest and hopped it with Azacca hops. The result is a crisp, slightly tart, mildly spiced, citrusy and tropical Witbier, the likes of which you've never tasted before.

There was a short queue for a table when we arrived, but while we waited a couple of seats opened at the bar. That being our seating preference we jumped to grabbed them and soon had our drinks in hand.



Soleil Levant pours a bright yellow-orange color, with a very thin head. The aroma is rich citrus over biscuit notes. I could detect the traditional wheat flavors, but they are topped and enhanced by juicy, tropical fruit notes; grapefruit, pineapple, with a hint of lemon zest in the background. The finish was clean with some lingering citrus flavor left behind.

The beer is very refreshing and flavorful. The ABV isn't noted in the description, but I'm guessing it's on the low end. We both opted for another glass of Soleil Levant Witbier with our meals. Colleen rarely has a second beer with dinner, but she opted to have another pint of this Summer beer. As for me, I lean towards the hoppy beers, and will typically order a Pale Ale or IPA, (Spencer Devon Lauck's Island IPA for example) but this Witbier had enough bold citrus flavor to satisfy me as well. The photo above was taken by Colleen when our second round was delivered.

We had a very enjoyable dinner while we enjoyed the beers. Spencer Devon is quickly becoming one of our favorite stops for good food and good beer.

In case you are wondering about the name, Soleil Levant is a tribute to the The Rising Sun Tavern, the oldest tavern in Fredericksburg.

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