• The Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Back Issues
    • Features
      • Brewing
      • People
      • Culture
      • History
      • Food
      • Travel
      • Styles
      • Homebrewing
    • Departments
      • Coming Soon
      • Columns
        • Visiting the Pub
        • Behind the Bar
        • It’s My Round
        • The Beer Enthusiast
        • The Beer Curmudgeon
        • In The Brewhouse
        • Michael Jackson
        • The Taster
        • Beyond Beer
        • Your Next Beer
        • Industry Insights
      • What’s Brewing
      • Pull Up A Stool
      • Travel
        • Beer Travelers
        • A Closer Look
        • Beer Weekend
      • Stylistically Speaking
      • Home Brewing
      • Beer Talk
      • Beer Books
  • Events
    • World Beer Festival Raleigh – July 7, 2018
    • World Beer Festival Durham – Oct. 6, 2018
    • World Beer Festival Columbia – Feb. 17, 2018
    • Event Calendar
    • Brewery Tastings & Events
    • Beer Explorer
  • Reviews
    • Staff Reviews
    • Beer Talk
    • Flights
    • Book Reviews
  • Learn
    • What is Beer?
      • Water
      • Malt
      • Hops
      • Yeast
    • Styles
      • Lagers
      • British and North American Ales
      • Belgian and Continental Ales
      • Wheat Ales
      • Stouts and Porters
      • Seasonal and Specialty
    • Glossary
  • News
    • New on the Shelves
  • Web Only
    • Blogs
      • Daniel Bradford
      • John Holl
      • Acitelli on History
      • The Beer Bible Blog
      • Bryson
    • Video
    • Photos
    • Podcasts
Menu
logo
  • Advertise with Us
  • Subscriber Services
  • Retailer Services
Give a Gift Subscribe

Witte Noire

March 1, 2010 Lochristi, Belgium
Reviewers: John Hansell

De Proef Brouwerij
Lochristi, Belgium
Imported by: SBS Imports
Seattle , WA

Available: AK, WA, OR, CA, AZ, CO, ID, MN, WI, IL, MO, KS, MI, ME, MA, CT, NY, NJ, PA, MD, DC, VA, NC, SC, GA, FL

Brewing professor and engineer Dirk Naudts founded De Proef in 1996. Witte Noire (“dark wheat”) ale is loosely designed as a Belgian interpretation of the wheat doppelbock style.

ABV: 7.5
ABW: 5.97
Color: 30
Bitterness: 18
Original gravity: 1068

I love Belgian creativity, and de Proef is certainly in this beer! I think the brewer’s been drinking German wheat doppelbocks for inspiration―there’s definitely a parallel here. It’s rich and creamy, with notes of molasses, fig cake, shoofly pie, roasted nuts and burnt raisin, along with a hint of clove, licorice stick and cocoa powder. Rich? Yes. But the wheat adds drinkability and really rounds out the beer.
- John Hansell
Not quite noire―more a deep brown than black, really―this “imperial amber wheat” has an attractive, sweet aroma that reminds me of black licorice candy with a slight herbal-orangey-peppery edge. On the palate, the sweetness is still there, but it’s more of a dark chocolate and cinnamon variety, with some soft candied orange notes and a bit of peppery tang on the finish. Not a hugely complicated beer for one of such significant strength, but a nice winter mix of satisfying and refreshing nevertheless, and a surprisingly good partner to aromatic, rather than heavily spicy, Indian food.
- Stephen Beaumont

John Hansell
John Hansell writes about beer, wine and spirits. He is the creator, publisher and editor of Malt Advocate, a magazine for the whisky enthusiast.

Stephen Beaumont
Once described as “beerdom's Brillat-Savarin,” Stephen Beaumont is the author of five books and countless articles on beer, spirits, food, travel, and how it all goes together.

Comments are closed here.

Follow @allaboutbeer

Beer in your inbox

More Like This

  • SweetWater Mexican Style Lager
  • Big Shot Espresso Stout
  • Alaskan Imperial IPA

Most Popular

  • All About Beer to Acquire Draft Publishing LLC
  • Funky Buddha Sweet Potato Casserole Strong Ale Arrives Sept. 1

The Magazine

  • Advertise with Us
  • Subscribe
  • Give a Gift
  • Staff
  • Subscriber Services
  • Retailer Services

Learn Beer

  • Reviews
  • Back Issues
  • Articles
  • Writer Guidelines
  • Internship Program

Events

  • World Beer Festival
  • Craft Beer Events
  • News

All About Beer

  • P.O. Box 110346
  • Durham, NC 27709
  • CONTACT