White Tips is back, Spring is official

Spring starts when White Tips is here, and so with that… welcome to Spring! 

For those who haven’t heard of this beer, it’s a 4.5% White Session IPA that began life back in Spring 2014. We wanted to create a Belgian Witbier, but combine the concept with aromatic hops and citrus zests to become a beast to itself.

History of White Tips

We introduced a seasonal IPA series back in 2014, each offering something unique for different times of the year. In winter we had a Black IPA, 7 Seas, In Autumn, Ryesing Tides, a robust Rye IPA (that’s due a comeback, surely?), in Summer, Half Mast, a ‘Quarter IPA’ at 2.8%, and for Spring, White Tips.

Having experimented with Hefe yeast previously with Omnipollo in Näcken, we knew it could add incredible character to beers and contrary to tradition, also play very nicely with new world hops. To give it the freshness we were looking for, we went in at a session strength of 4.5% and a good helping of Orange, Lime and Grapefruit zest for some zing. White Tips was born.

It’s a beer that causes excitement within the Siren team, year in, year out. There’s not many of us without a healthy supply of White Tips in the fridge at any one time - it truly is a BBQ must have, and perfect for any warm spring or summer evening, especially enjoyed in good company!

What’s a Witbier?

White Tips is inspired by the Belgian-style Witbier. Taking its name from “white beer” indicating its pale colour and haziness - this style is typically light, slightly sweet and often presents with accents like coriander, clove and orange peel. The flavours in these beers are driven by the Belgian yeast. Due to the high proportion of wheat (typically at least 50%), you can find a creaminess in the mouthfeel. Usually witbiers will finish dry, making them refreshing on a hot summer (or spring) day.

How does this compare with Hefeweizen or Hopfenweizen? Well the origins are these beers are German as opposed to Belgian. The grain bill will similarly contain more than 50% wheat, but the yeast will present even more bold aromatics of coriander, banana and clove. They also tend to be a bit sweeter than the Belgian examples, with higher carbonation.

Hopfenweisse is a hybrid style taking the hefeweisse tradition in tandem with American hops and hopping rates, said to have been born through a collaboration between Garrett Oliver at Brookyn and Schneider Weisse (which at the time caused a stir for not only its risque approach to Reinheitsgebot (LINK) but also its whopping 40 IBUs - unheard of at the time. Our Hopfenweizen Näcken was made in this style, whereas White Tips, although similar, takes the same approach with a softer, Belgian Witbier base.

Win back your order... in White Tips!

White Tips arrives when weather changes so a few members of Siren staff took cans fresh from the brewery to enjoy over a bright and breezy weekend! While we love White Tips as the ideal BBQ beer, it's also a great drink to enjoy out and about.We've even launched a new competition for you to win back the value of your online order in White Tips cans, alongside a £20 Webshop gift voucher. We'd love to see some snaps of you and your shiny new White Tips can - once you've picked up the beer online, send us in the best shot of you enjoying this spring-sipper. We'll select a winner at random in the first week of May, and you have until the 30th April to enter! For more information, and to view our competition T&Cs, click here.

White Tips On Cask

However, this year, the White Tips launch comes with something extra special… White Tips is back on cask!

White Tips has always been a great beer to enjoy on cask. That extra indulgent level of creamy mouthfeel adds to the delicate stone fruit and spicy notes you get from the Belgian yeast, and allows the hops and zest to sing. Cask can be a great format for yeast-driven flavours in general, and it’s no different here. The bitterness of the hops working with the vibrant citrus zest keeps things fresh and balanced, with no risk of it becoming cloying.

Try it on cask, keg, and can this year and let us know your favourite!

Aside from the cask, White Tips is available now from the webshop, Tap Yard and good bars and pubs!

Buy White Tips