This is a great example of a Belgian witbier, brewed 8,000 kilometres away from Belgium with undoubted love by Townsite‘s Belgian head brewer Cedric Dauchot.
Westview is a clouded lemony-orange colour, topped by a spritzy yet subtly creamy white head,
Deep yeasty notes are on the nose, lending hay aromas to bright orangey-lemon notes and a slightly imposing chalkiness.
Those citrus flavours arrive first – lemon, orange and a little lime – but they’re relatively subtle, playing atop a complex, lightly spiced depth, which sets the scene for the finish.
And what a grand finale: A huge, flinty dry, almost salty mineral finish comes through alongside a restrained bitterness that leaves the tongue and the sides of the mouth tingling. The sparkly carbonation adds to this effect, but as the beer settles it also displays some delicious juiciness.
It all has the effect of leaving the mouth begging for another sip. This is an enormously drinkable beer: Complex and deep yet bright and refreshing.
As for pairing, the Good Lady Wife nailed this one: Oysters. The mineral and citrus notes would marry up perfectly. (Classic moules frites would also be pretty amazing.) Ideally they’d be paired together at The Laughing Oyster overlooking Okeover Arm, just a few kilometres from where the beer was brewed, with the late summer sun illuminating the eastern shoreline. Hello, is that Powell River Tourism?
Beer Cat: Likes
650ml, from $6 at private liquor stores
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