5 Rabbit 5 Lizard

I'm feeling a little under the weather today, so no beer.  So here's a beer I had about two months ago.  It's a Belgian-style white ale or witbier (a wheat ale), except instead of the usual oranges/orange peel and coriander, it is brewed with passion fruit and lime peel.

No effort on my part here tonight, this is just my original notes copy&pasted with some hyperlinks added in.

At long last I have found Chicago’s own Latino wit.  They recommend a tumbler or a flute; as I have neither, it will be served in a Boston Lager glass.

5 Lizard, from the 5 Rabbit brewing company, looks a lot like a standard white ale, except maybe a bit less red and more yellow.  Head is a steady half-finger in height, and solid white.  Carbonation looks ample.  The beer is very cloudy, always a good sign in a wit.  Oh, and there’s a surprising amount of lacing; hurray for wheat!

The smell is very lime-forward, with a healthy dose of wheat cracker.  There is also an almost farmhouse-esque  fruity tang to it.  Saisons often resemble lemon peels, so maybe the limes are throwing me off a bit, but it reminds me a bit of that (not at all bitter though).  Something that vaguely resembles the tropical fruitiness of certain brett beers (perhaps that is the passion fruit?).  This almost makes me think of what Sofie might taste like if it were 20% aged on lime peels rather than oranges.

The flavor profile follows a similar track, with the caveat that it is less dry than a farmhouse ale, tangier and with more passion fruit.  Limes and wheat are right there up front, providing some creamy graham cracker and light tart fruit flavors.  The coriander has a distinct spiciness to it in the middle before blending with passion fruit on the finish to a milder tang.  Passion fruit is most definitely there on the finish, though it never dominates.

The mouthfeel here seems a bit fuller than a standard wit---just slightly.  Still on the drier end of things.  The carbonation keeps the body in check and the texture generally and appropriately light.  This is definitely more tart than a standard wit too.

This is now my second-favorite white ale, after Allagash White.  I imagine it is hard to find too many passion fruit or lime beers that don’t come off like the passion fruit/lime equivalent of Sea Dog Bluepaw or Wild Blue (which are both miserable and hideous enough to win an ugly dog contest).  I only wish it was easier to find this in Illinois, they either don’t make it often or it flies off shelves.