Four Weeks of Wheat Beer on Tuesday

The last of the wheat beers for this month is In Heat Wheat from Flying Dog Brewery. It poured with plenty of carbonation and a foamy white head. The first sip is a mouthful of clean malty refreshment. There is plenty of malt sweetness to balance out any would-be hops sourness.

As the drink warms the flavor becomes more pronounced and a bit of citrus bitterness comes to the flavor foreground. This is a much better balanced wheat beer then some I have had recently and I recommend it highly.

Score: 5 out of 5 pints.

The Beer of the Day Calendar recently had a wheat beer review, it explained the three basic categories of wheat beers: Bavarian hefeweizen, Belgian Wit and American Wheat. In Heat Wheat is a great example of the American Wheat style.

Starr Hill Brewery, The Love Wheat Beer

This beer poured clear and golden with plenty of carbonation. It smells like vinegar. The first sip tastes of vinegar and lemons and it is difficult to distinguish these two flavors. The carbonation settled down quickly and the best I can say for the flavor is, it tastes like a margarita mix without sugar.

I can't help but wonder if this beer has been sitting in warehouses and supermarkets for too long? The "best by" date is September, could this mean September 2010? The Love has an overall score of "B" at the Beer Advocate web site, that's out of 97 reviews. This beer has a bit more sourness than I can appreciate in any beer, Belgian or microbrew, but maybe Starr Hill is on to something?

I have to give this one a score of 1 pint out of 5 pints. I believe this is the lowest score I have yet to award.

Four Weeks of Wheat Beer, pt. 2

Up in Crozet, Va. they have a little brewery named Starr Hill and, a couple of weeks ago, I purchased one of their mixed 12-packs. I believe that, normally, the 12-pack should contain three lagers, three IPAs, three pale ales and three wheat beers. I may have missed some promo material or they have a practical joker working in the packing room 'cause this pack contained a lager and a Hefeweizen from the Legend Brewery in Richmond.

I'm not complaining about this situation because this allows me to sample these Legend beers without purchasing the individual six packs or one of those $8.98 mixed six packs that all grocery stores have now. So, I bring to you all the Legend Hefeweizen.

This one pours very clear, it looks more like a pilsner than a wheat beer. The aroma is citrus, coriander and cinnamon. The first sip is like a dry, white wine, very light on the tongue and lightly carbonated.

The wheat and hop bitterness increases with continued sipping, citrus flavoring remains. It's like a Margarita without the balancing orange juice sweetness. I believe I could use this brew in a Margarita mix...

(I'm skipping the numeric rating on this one since I drank it a few weeks ago.)

Four Weeks of Wheat Beer

Before we have an official season change, from summer to fall, I better take the time to write about some of the summer ales I've enjoyed this year. I know I have made notes about three different wheat beers and I'm sure I can find a fourth to feature in; Four Weeks of Wheat Beer.

This week’s lucky subject is Satsuma Harvest Wit from Abita Brewery, Abita Springs, La. I purchased this one at Bruisin' Ales over in Asheville, N.C. and need to slow down long enough to search for it in the Knoxville beer market. I bet it is available at Bearden Beer Market, while supplies last.

This cloudy brew has a strong smell of citrus dominated by fresh lemon and the first sip is like carbonated lemonade. The light wheat malts offer a hoppy presence rather than the typical liquid weight of a barley malt. It's like a light beer from South of the Border but with more lemon like hop flavors.

The flavors and carbonation remain strong until the last sip. I suggest pairing this drink with fish, chicken or Alfredo pasta dishes. This is a great, fresh summer ale and I wanna go buy a case or twelve pack of Satsuma Harvest Wit.

I give Abita's Satsuma Harvest Wit a 4.75 out of 5 pints. (Cause they all can't be perfect.)