Shock Top Belgian White

Welcome to part two of the CU Brew Blog's unofficial Wheat Week. After a less than stellar experience with Lost Coast Brewery's Tangerine Wheat, I felt compelled to wash the poor taste out of my mouth with one of my favorite wheats, Shock Top Belgian White.

Right out of the gate, the differences between Lost Coast and Shock Top are night and day. While the former tasted like kool-aid and stale wheat beer mixed in a martini shaker, Shock Top is perfectly balanced with an incredibly delicious citrus flavor.

This St. Louis ale not only provides its connoisseurs with a remarkable taste of orange, it also has tones of lemon and lime to take the flavor to the next level. Also added to the mix is coriander, an Asian version of cilantro that supposedly adds an extra citrus zest. While I will readily admit I don't know if the coriander does in fact add anything to the mix, I can tell you the result is one hell of a beer.

Perhaps my favorite part of this beer is the fact that you do not need a slice of orange on the glass to enhance the flavor. Unlike most other citrus wheats I've tried, Shock Top does not need the assistance of a slice of fruit to help you recognize the flavor. If you're going to do anything to enrich this beer I recommend following the suggestion on the bottle.

Empty your bottle until there is only an inch of beer remaining, lay the bottle on it's side and begin gently rolling the beer bottle back and forth, pour what's left in your glass and enjoy. This won't do anything for flavor but it will make each sip smell like a freshly cut orange.

Shock Top Belgian White, 9 mugs out of 10.