WITKAP-PATER SINGEL

You know this one - it's a bottle that seems to be in the limited Belgian beer selection of every upscale American liquor store, one that you always think about trying, but always pass on in favor of some Trappist ale or something big & meaty. Not this "singel" - that's gotta be pretty lightweight, ain't it? (Incidentally, someone please let the Belgians know about the spelling error - really, it's embarassing!).

I enjoyed a fresh bottle of WITKAP-PATER SINGEL at Aziza Restaurant in San Francisco somewhat recently, and I kicked myself under the table for letting this one pass me by all these years. This hazy, amber/orange ale is highly carbonated, with the lively carbonation allowing a lot of fruit flavor - lemon, apricot - to dance around the mouth (as it were). It finished pretty crisp and dry. It's a really classic Belgian taste, and one that's enough on the lighter end of the spectrum that you can probably polish off a couple-three bottles and still go do your laundry or what have you. Kudos to Browerij Slaghmuylder (top browerij name in Belgium right now) for keeping this one well-distributed. 7.5/10.