Day 28, 1.28.11, Witkap-Pater -Abbey Single Ale

The Single Double Triple thing as I understand it:

Belgium produces two main types of beers, Trappist ales and Abbey ales.  

Trappist ales are the real deal, brewed by monks in one of only 6 Trappist monasteries: Orval, Chimay, Westmalle, Westvleteren, Rochefort and Achel.  
Abbey ales are done in the same style in an effort to emulate the monastic brewing tradition by non-monks in non-Trappist monasteries (or not in monasteries at all).  Some are named for historic monasteries that no longer exist.  Some are named to sound like a Trappist.  All are considered inferior to the Trappists.  

Triple~Tripel - Lighter in color and body, generally hop driven, highest alcohol content

Double~Dubbel - Big malty brown ale, quite complex, medium alcohol content

Single~Singel - Very light 'table beer' brewed for the monks to drink at meal time and not originally intended for distribution, low alcohol content

Although the Tripel and Dubbel are widely available from many different producers, I had never previously seen a Singel available, and had been under the impression they were unavailable outside the monasteries in which they were brewed... except at Whole Foods, where wonder knows no bounds.

I tried Witkap-Pater's Singel ale and found it to be pretty good.  It's true to what I understand a Singel to be.  It's a light ale with about 6% ABV.  Almost surprisingly effervescent, this beer has a big, white head that nearly climbs out of the glass in a foamy, sudsy mass.  The kind of head that looks like a million tiny white ball bearings neatly stacked.  It's nearly opaque in it's cloudiness.
On the nose it's yeasty and spicy, with hints of cardamom and clove.  The beer is light on the palate with a nice creamy texture and refreshingly citrusy and bitter hop character, particularly on the finish.
This beer drinks a lot like a nice wit bier, like my brother John's Jack Rabbit Wit from last summer.  Only that was better than this.  There's a bit of funk on this beer too, which paired with the head rush on each sip provided by all the CO2, makes the beer a bit hard to fully enjoy.  It's just an Abbey Singel after all.
It's a light refreshing beer that I could imagine pairing quite nicely with a big bowl of monk chow.  6 out of 10