Thanks for making the summer cooler, Sam Adams!

A couple of wheats to cool off with this summer. Neither of these beers are characteristic of the styles they proclaim, but they are good for what they are. Thanks to Moni for sharing these bottles with me!

Samuel Adams Hefeweizen – Boston Beer Company/Samuel Adams; Boston, MA
5.40%ABV
Serve: 12oz to weizen

A: 4 fingers frothy white head fill the glass. The beer is hazy light orange and dark yellow. Neat retention and puffy lacing on the glass.
S: Pretty good clove and banana phenols on the nose. Sweet honey malt and a refreshing wheat are balanced out by some grassy hops. Definitely more like a wheat ale than a hefe. 
T: Citrus, particularly sweet orange and lemon. I get a decent sense of alcohol on the tongue, which I was a bit surprised by. There’s a slightly unpleasant bitter taste that I am not enjoying much. Grapefruit peeks through with time, as do some more easily discernible grassy hops. Though I get some good banana and clove on the nose, I can’t get them in the flavors at all.
M: Medium body and low carbonation.
D: Not to style really, but at least refreshing.
SA Hefe – B

SA Blackberry Witbier
5.50%ABV

A: I couldn’t pour this whole beer in the glass right away because the head just exploded out of the glass. Frothy white over a very hazy dark orange and yellow. Good retention and lacing.
S: Heavy blackberries and raspberries, can’t get much past these overwhelming fruits. They are pleasant, though.
T/M: Heavy carbonation, and drinks like a framboise. Tangy blackberries. There are some currants in the very back, but they are brief. Medium body. The flavors are really competitive on the palate, with grains, blackberries, and tartness all battling it out for dominance. 
D: This would be a good dessert beer. I sense very few witbier qualities in here, though.
SA Wit – B

Refresh Me

This post is dedicated to some lighter brews I’ve enjoyed recently. They’re all fitting for a hot California summer day.

Summerfest Lager – Sierra Nevada
5.00%ABV, 32IBUs
A: 2 fingers white froth over champagne-like bubbly body that’s clear and straw-colored. Thin spots of head retention.
S: Grainy malts and big, bitter hop profile. Grassy aromas apparent in the hops as well.
T: Pretty mellow grassy hops and sweet honey malts. Very straightforward. Bitter hop residuals stick around. Spiciness really pulls through and there are some definite yeasty qualities. Candied sugar seems to come out a bit with warmth, which is an interesting characteristic. 
M: Smooth, but crisp and refreshing. Good carbonation and light-bodied.
D: Tastes exactly like it should, and refreshes in the same way. I’m not above whipping through a whole 6er of these on a single day.
Summerfest – B+

thanks to Melissa for this great lager

 Yellowtail Pale Ale – Ballast Point Brewing; San Diego, CA
4.60%ABV, 22-28IBUs 
A: A finger of white, frothy head over hazy, semi-unfiltered dark yellow to light golden. Thin layer of head hangs around.
S: Sweet malts with honey, and a small bite of that pils grassy hop characteristic.
T: Grainy at first. Sweet honey comes through with the grassy hops to balance. I get the slightest hint of hop bitterness, and it really adds something special to this beer. Small note of metallic.
M: Pretty crisp carbonation, and light-bodied like a lager. 
D: Very refreshing! And at 4.60%ABV, this is one beer that you can literally get lost in all day. Seemingly perfect for the style.
Yellowtail – B+

Widmer Hefeweizen
4.90%ABV, 30IBUs
Serving: 12oz to weizen
A: A super cloudy orange, yellow, and golden beer with a couple fingers of very bubbly white head, though the pour was somewhat forced. Unexpectedly good retention considering the pour, and decent lacing line the glass.
S: Faintest hints of clove and other spices expected, with just a tad of banana in the way back.
T/M: A pretty watery liquid in terms of body and flavor. Like in the aroma, there are just mild hints of clove, but not a lot. Low carbonation, but that might have been due to my forcing a head out of this beer at the pour. There is a small kick of hop bitterness. Citrus tang with a glimmer of hop in the spices that pull through with warmth.
D: Pretty easy to drink, and decent for a hot summer day. This is the beer that started it all for me. Though I’m glad I’ve moved on, I wanted to make sure I paid some tribute to the brew by paying very good attention to it in ways I couldn’t during high school/my first year in college. I imagine this beer was really full of flavor about ten years ago, before it reached such a massive market.
Widmer Hefe – B-

my neighbor dropped this one by not too long ago. very generous!