Clementine

Clown Shoes’s “Clementine” pays homage to Flemish witbier antecedents, with notes of coriander, citrus, and honey laced throughout. Yet, basing production in Ipswich, Massachusetts, the brewer also gives a nod to American ingredients – notably the characterful Summit hop. Brimming with citrus notes of tangerine peel and Key lime, the nose is underpinned by a light, spicy accent woven into the oven-baked bread note resulting from the copious addition of wheat malt. The brash notes of fresh ground coriander, orange peel, and Malabar pepper appealed to Lee, who declared the nose “textbook witbier, loaded with spice and citrus.” Tim found hints of Jamaican allspice and sweet cookie dough in the forefront, with “a sprinkling of tangerine peel” and the merest tinge of white pepper tying everything together. Ensconced in a dense crown of purest white foam, Clementine pours pale, turbid milky yellow, with a murky, impenetrable haze. Pete was taken by the “quenching lemony tartness, bolstered by spicy wheat” malt, yet he found the beer quite thin overall. The judges were united in their praise for this somewhat quirky American take on a Belgian classic, deeming Clementine “uniquely representative of the style.” Clementine is the perfect beer to ease through the spring to summer transition – spicy enough to keep the waning chill at bay while light enough to be an ideal to addition a backyard barbecue.