Bell’s Brewery Oberon

Fresh off the boat from Minnesota (well… somewhere back east… my knowledge of what’s beyond Montana is a bit sketchy) comes this gift from a fine, fine Chicago gentleman – a bottle of Bell’s Brewery Oberon summer ale, which I can tell you right now has done much to brighten up a pretty dreary week.

Almost criminal that this is a limited-release seasonal beer, only available from late March to October. But seasonal it is – Bell’s summer ale pours a very hazy amber pint with huge downy cloud of a head that floats across the top of this creamy amber delight. A clean, crisp, citrus aroma greets the nose, followed by the refreshing bite of this wheaty ale and it’s long, refreshingly bitter finish that just makes you want to reach for another. Along with a sharp cheddar cheese filled croissant. Damn I’m hungry now.

Long story short: Bell’s, please find a distributor west of the Mississippi. We need easy access to you here in Washington.

JBB6 Rating: For the Win

Samuel Smith’s Wheat Beer

So, after a few days in Germany it was time to return to my native land; good old Britain. A quick hop from Dusseldorf to the amazing Terminal 5 at Heathrow, a swift train to the city, and before I knew it I was meeting up with an old friend outside The Chandos, just off the corner of Trafalgar Square at the bottom of St. Martin’s Lane.

Haunt of poverty-stricken students, loafers, idlers and general ne’er-do-wells, The Chandos is pretty much an institution for cheap beer and a good kick-off point for a naughty night on the town. Now, there can’t be many more places more English than Trafalagar Square, so while it was nothing unusual to find us drinking Sam Smith’s, the fact we were after their wheat beer (in fairly copious quantities) was something of a surprise. Cheap as chips (for London) and tasting great, refreshing and invigourating at the same time, this wheat beer was well up to the mark.

I’d fully intended to spend the better part of the evening working through a selection of fine English ales, but something about this grabbed my interest and wouldn’t let go. Let’s face it, tipping back a few decent wheatbeers on a warm summer evening as we watched the world go by was just fine, and who was I to break the spell?

Don’t think this would travel well, but on draft, on a warm sultry evening in the middle of one of the best cities in the world… it was a tough one to beat. If you get the chance, definitely check out a pint of this tasty little number. Well worth keeping an eye peeled for.

JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again

Franziskaner Weissbier

My prayers were answered! Although I was really enjoying the Krombacher pils we discovered in the little sausage-restaurant at Dusseldorf airport in Germany on fine summer day, I’d had my heart set on some Franziskaner since we’d walked in, and broken when the waitress told us it wasn’t working. But somewhere, somehow, something changed… and the beer came back. Hurrah!

The Franziskaner brewery has a long and distinguished history – dating back, if you’ll believe their history, to 1363 as the oldest privately-owned brewery in Munich. So by now, they surely do know how to knock out a decent weissbier. I’ve drunk this a lot before so I’m happy to report that it survives the journey pretty well from Bavaria to the north.

A typical cloudy amber-orange weissbier pour with a thick, suddsy head (not as thick as I’d like, but good enough) covers up a well-carbonated, refreshingly tart brew. High in wheat and yeast flavour and aroma, this beer is one that just keeps on giving. Super-tasty, incredibly refreshing, and a fine fine beer to say goodbye to Germany with, I’ll keep the memory of this fresh on draft with me a for a while to come. While it’s good in bottles, it’s pretty much unbeatable from the pump – if we’d only been in a Munich biergarten, this probably would have gotten our highest accolade, but as it is…

JBB6 Rating: For the Win

Weizen mit Banane

After the delight of the Schofferhoffer Weizen earlier in the evening, I took the bull by the horns, ignored my friends advice to save my soul for other pleasures, and rustled up a demi-litre of Weizen with added banana goodness.

What a diabolical mistake! Gone was the gently clouded honey-gold nectar of the first drink of the evening. Gone was the delicious aroma of wheat and yeast. Gone was the refreshing, invigorating flavour of one of Germany’s classics. Gone, everything I’d been enjoing so far about the evening… replaced with an overpowering faux-banana smell, a thick-looking sedimentary liquid, and a vile taste that made the drink undrinkable.

Sad to say, I couldn’t even finish the glass, and was forced to purify my pallate with a draft or two of fine Pils. In the case of of the remarkably delicious Weizen, less is most definitely more.

Avoid this banana abomination like the plague.

 

JBB6 Rating: Not Even For Free

Schofferhofer weizen

Picture the scene – a warm, drowsy evening follows a scorching summer afternoon on the high plains of northern Germany. Five wandering souls stroll the tree-lined cobbled promenade that follows the path of the medieval city walls of the ancient town of Munster, capital of Westphalia and home to more students on bicycles than you can possibly imagine. Rounding a leafy bend they spy the object of their quest – beside the lake, across the highway – the bustling, laughing tables of the Kruse Baimken biergarten, haven for all who seek refreshment.

After a gentle meander through the town, an equally gentle perusal of the menu presents an obvious choice: a tall, cloudy glass of Schofferhofer weizen is what’s called for, a yeasty glass of goodness that radiates taste, charm and happiness in equal measure. Our fraulein takes our order, and with bated breath… I wait.

My expectations are not dissapointed. I’m not sure if it’s the beer alone, or the combination of location and the brew, but this wheat beer is light, refreshing and bursting full of flavour. The very definition of “zesty”, it brings to mind cloudless summer days and fields of wheat, of weary travellers taking their ease at the side of the road, of ancient German brewing wisdom passed down the ages to make this beer. Through a thick foam head I dive into the liquid gold whole-heartedly, enjoying the purity of the experience and the beer in equal measure. Come hither, biergarten maiden, and fetch me another.  

 

JBB6 Rating: For The Win

Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat

Sunset Wheat… Went to the weekly pool & drinking get-together at Mustard Seed Grill and Pub near Factoria and ran into this little beauty. These folks know how to brew wheat beer first and then definitely know how to flavor it, second.We ordered many pitchers and the brew never got old.

This beer had a good head, nice mild wheat flavor, and a relatively strong orange flavor. That would have been a bad thing if done incorrectly, but the fine people at Leinenkugal balanced the citrus and wheat perfectly… even if they do have a funny name.

A good beer, a good night, with good people. Cheers!

 

JBB6 Rating: For the Win

Probably the worst picture on the blog… I think I was too close.  This was after about 5, though, so I don’t feel so bad.  Ah well… there is Bea in the background.  Hey Bea!

Pyramid Crystal Wheat Ale

A quickie tonight.  Tried this yesterday and didn’t like it that much… read a few things about gold medals, so thought I would try another and I haven’t changed my mind.  So what is all the hubbub about Pyramid Crystal Wheat Ale anyhow? 

My biggest issue is that this is just simply a very so-so beer.  I can taste the wheat undertones… but the beer just doesn’t pop.  Maybe it is because it is American-style and I expectations are that it will taste like Bud or Coors… put on a scale against that type of beer, I would agree that this is great beer.  Put on a scale against all of the other great ales out there and this one just doesn’t do it for me.

JBB6 Rating: Middle of the Road

Kona Brewing Company Wailua Wheat

I love Kona Brewing… just about as much as New Belgium… but maybe not quite.  Either way, I checked Fred Meyer for new brews today and found this handy little number on the shelves so I picked up a couple.

Kona Brewing Company Wailua Wheat

As I sit here listening to Death Cab for Cutie’s new album and enjoying this very light and fruity wheat ale, I have to think I am in a good place.  Not much of a nose on it, but they have done a fine job of balancing the sweet passion fruit with the wheat ale.  I can tell there is beer goodness beneath the fruit and I applaud Kona’s ability to create such a smooth and soft summer beer.

Highly recommended.  Kona has done it again!

JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again

Mac and Jack’s Serengeti Wheat

With most of a week on the road ahead of me, I thought I’d get things off to a flying start by sampling a couple different beers from the range available at the Africa Lounge in SeaTac airport, which provides a slightly bizarre fusion of Northwest ales and faux-safari ambiance. Despite the Mac & Jack/African Amber connection, I’m not entirely convinced by the whole experience.. but what the heck, the beer’s what counts so let’s get stuck in…

First up was a pint (actually, more! the “large” size glass is pretty huge), and like a dusty bison diving into the waterhole after several days trekking across the burning Serengeti, the first quaff hit the spot with a refreshing burst of zesty lemon, wheat and hops that for some reason reminded me of a lemon-poppyseed muffin.

After I threw the stupid bit of lemon on a plastic sword away, things calmed down a bit, enough to let me appreciate the golden charm of the ale itself, the wheatyness of the aroma, and the actual flavour of the beer. But, unfortunately, it didn’t really do all that much for me – not bad by a long shot, not quite what I was after either.

Incidentally – note the root beer in the background. If he gets his ass into gear, you might find some notes on that over at justrootbeer.wordpress.com one of these days…

JBB6 Rating: Middle of the Road

Kennebunkport Apricot Wheat Beer

This is a sneaky beer… similar to my time working at the cheese factory, it appears as though The Sea Dog Brewing Company likes to slap different labels on the same product (Alberstons and the higher end cheese brands used the same cheese! no lie!).  Anyhow, once I found their website, I could see it was the same stuff… they also share a common brew pub in Federal Jack’s Restaurant in Kennebunkport, Maine. 

So now that we know a bit about this low ABV (4.6%) wheat beer, lets find out how it tastes…

Kennebunkport Apricot Wheat Beer as the bottle I have is called, has a very apricot smell to it… I had the wife take a whiff and she actually thought it smelled good… which meant there wasn’t nearly enough beer in it, obviously.   The beer had a full apricot flavor to it, as well.  Not overpowering and not sweet, just a good, solid apricot taste that was very unassuming.  As I finished this beer off with my chicken and beef teriyaki, I realized that it really is pretty good stuff, but if you are looking for depth and complexity, you have come to the wrong beer.  This one is simple and is what it says. 

Would make for a good beer on a hot summer day, that is for sure.  Picked it up and Trader Joe’s and am thinking I will have to go back for more in the future. 

JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again