A Little Citrus In Your Beer, Or A Lot

Forget that bottle of Corona beer with the lemon or lime wedge.

If you’re looking for beer with citrus flavor, there’s a host of offerings at area beer distributors, markets and bars, some brews just kissed by fruit, others with citrus flavors bursting from the glass. 

Brewers in Belgium have for centuries flavored their wit, or wheat beers, with Curaçao orange peel--and such spices as coriander and grains of paradise (a type of pepper). Wits typically are straw colored and hazy. American brewers, including Coors and Anheuser-Busch, offer brews in this style with a hint of citrus and some tart and peppery flavors.  It’s a beer perfect for quaffing on a hot summer day.

Another Belgian beer style, saison, sometimes called farmhouse ale, often also contains citrus peel and spices. It’s another style that American craft brewers are emulating.

At the other end of the flavor spectrum is the “shandy” (short for shandygaff) as it’s called in England, or a radler in Germany, Enjoyed since the 17th Century, it’s a sweet and tart blend of beer and lemonade. Wisconsin’s Leinenkugel brewery offers one brewed with wheat and barley malt and later blended with lemonade and honey.

Where to find these beers?  Local beer distributors--Shoreline Beverage, Huntington Thrifty Beverage, Huntington Superstar Beverage and Big Z Beverage -- have different offerings. You’ll also find a few at Canterbury Ales, Finnegan’s, Nags Head Ale House, Rookies Sports Club and Sapsuckers.

Here are my ratings on these brews.
 
Blue Moon Honey Moon Summer Ale. 60/100.  Golden, head fades fast, Pretty much flavorless. Hint of honey, but not much orange.

Goose Island Sofie Belgian-Style Ale. 90/100. Brewed with orange peel, fermented with wild yeasts and aged in wine barrels this brew doesn’t hide its orange creamsicle flavors and offers a hint of sweetness. Will age for five years. Delicious, but not a quaffer.

Green Flash Summer Saison. 90/100. Brewed with Seville orange peel, ginger and grains of paradise. Golden, foamy head, peppery nose, lightish body, subtle orange and pepper flavors. A good quencher.

Harpoon UFO. 83/100. Deep gold hue, nose and palate show definite orange, spice notes. Full bodied. Long finish.

Hoegaarden Original White Ale. 87/100. Brewed since 1445. Straw colored. Cloudy, spice aroma, sharp coriander flavor, dry finish. Where’s the orange?

Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy. 75/100. Cloudy, good head, lemonade nose, light beer flavor, tart.  Not my style, but could be refreshing icy cold.

Samuel Adams Summer Ale. 88/100. Cloudy, golden brew. Dense head, peppery nose, intense citrus and spice flavors. Very likeable.

Saranac Summer Ale. 87/100. Wheat brew flavored with lemon and orange flavors added. Golden, cloudy, light lemony nose, gently spiced, full bodied.

Shock Top Belgian White. 75/100. Cloudy, gold, hints of orange and spice, but not much else going on.

Southampton Publick House Double White. 90/100. Strong (6.6%), cloudy wit with orange and lemon peel. Big coriander aroma, full bodied, pepper, underlying citrus notes. Good beer, but not a quencher.