Some cans find their ways to us quickly and others can take a while – sometimes a long while!  New South’s White Ale is one of the latter.  First canned in 2009 and with distribution apparently limited to South Carolina, White Ale only recently found its way into the hands of the CraftCans team after a recent business trip by a friend's wife. It’s the only one of six New South beers currently available in cans...but they'll soon be canning their Nut Brown Ale.

From the New South Brewing site:

"An American interpretation of a classic Belgian wheat ale.  A hazy light golden color gives this beer its name.  This light and refreshing ale is brewed with just a hint of coriander and orange zest giving way to a citrus finish."

Here we go...

Pour - a cloudy, bright yellow ale with a very loose, disorganized head that dissipated quickly and left two lone spots of lace on the side of our can glass.

Aroma - dry biscuit and just a wisp of citrus.  Not a lot going on here. 

Taste - the first few sips have a very unique, subtle sweet peppery flavor.  The coriander and orange zest seem to be combined in perfect balance, as though the fruit of a pepper-orange tree found its way to New South’s fermenters.  The flavor changes drastically as it warms and the pepper fades in favor of sour citrus.  The sudden loss of that wonderful pepper-orange combination makes us wonder if the yeast strain plays the dominant role in the flavor profile of this witbier.   

Overall - lA pretty good example based solely on style guidelines.  We really liked the ratio of coriander to orange that was most noticeable at the start.  Recommended if you start and finish this one while it’s at the lower end of the serving temperature range.   You can do it - it’s available in the perfect container to get it cold quickly! 

Note - There’s something about the design of this can that we find especially pleasing.  Perhaps it’s the soft, sandy colored background that makes one think of warm Carolina beaches or the red block letters that are reminiscent  of many classic can designs from days long past or the script letters that prompt thoughts of southern ladies’ lilting accents.  Or it could be a combination of all of the above that make us think southern tradition and class. Cheers to New South and their designer for the nice can!