Beer selection of the night was made by my wife this evening and it was a pretty good one: Long Trail Belgian White.
The brewery introduced this one as their new summer seasonal in 2008 and I've had the opportunity to sample it on several occasions, as our local Long Trail distributor does a pretty good job getting their lineup both on the shelves and on tap here at the Jersey Shore.
The main focus with this beer is the sweetness. It's very sweet, but at the same time not too sweet. There's a fair amount of citrus (mostly lemon, with a touch of orange) pushing through both the flavor and aroma, and it mixes with a healthy dose of coriander. Wheat cuts through nicely to provide some balance in the flavour, but the aroma can be a touch perfume-y at times, and even bring out notes reminiscent of Trix cereal here and there. Don't get me wrong, it works, but I'd have toned the overall presence of the aroma down just a slight touch.
I enjoyed this one overall but it never turned the corner from good to great. At the same time, I think that Long Trail was aiming for a fairly simple but flavorful summer session beer, and that's pretty much what the Belgian White is.
