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

This Week’s Goodies

It has been a superb new beer week:

LONDON PORTER - Meantime Brewing Co. Limited; London, UK
6.50%ABV
Serving: 750mL to my new imperial nonic (thanks, El!)

A: 2 pretty solid fingers of dark beige head over a dark cocoa and semi-ruby brew. Head retains wonderfully.
S: Chocolate malts explode on the nose with a coffee backdrop. Toffee aromas pull through as well.
T: Chocolate and coffee malt sweetness provide the crux of the flavor. A slight hop bitterness to round out and balance. A smoky intensity pulls through, and a dark fruit is hiding beneath all the while.
M: Light body but not light on carbonation. This beer is crispy and refreshing, which is something I find quite endearing in a porter!
D: I can drink, and drink, and drink. This is a complex brew with plenty of beautiful subtleties. I look forward to trying the coffee version.
London - A
 
FOUNDERS IMPERIAL STOUT - Founders Brewing Co.; Grand Rapids, Michigan
10.00%ABV, 25IBUs
Serving: 12oz to my new large snifter (Thanks, El!)

A: Roughly a finger of dark tan head over a jet black brew. A bubbly head retains well and leaves mesmerizing vertical lacing on the glass.
S: Sweet malts of coffee and chocolate, smoky on the nose as well. There’s a sense of burnt or bitter. Dark fruits and a hearty oatmeal aroma pull through.
T: A well-balanced stout with sweet malts reflecting the aromas, the emphasis being on a very dark, bitter chocolate (maybe pure cacao?); sip ends in a slightly sour/citric tang at the back of the mouth.
M: Big, chewy, and full-bodied to boot. This keeps my mouth busy.
D: Another RIS sipper, but absolutely fantastic and superb drinkability. I’ll be trading in near future for more from Founders.
Founders Imperial Stout - A
I received this incredible stout as an extra in my first trade. Thanks, Kyle!

 BLANCHE DE CHAMBLY - Unibroue
5.00%ABV
Serving: 750mL to my new weizen glass (Thanks, El!)

A: One finger of white head over a pale golden, lightly-hazed beer. Almost zero retention on the head, which made it less aesthetically appealing.
S: Fresh wheat and citrus (orange zest, more specifically). Very light coriander spice under the citrus. 
T: Big citrus flavors and refreshing wheat. Spices try to pull through but must suffice as a subtlety. A hint of metallic, and a touch of hop to round out and balance. 
M: Crisp, but not in the lager sense. Relatively light-bodied and little to no residue.
D: Clear, refreshing and simple. Not the first witbier I’d turn to, but an incredible take on the this satiating style!
Blanche - B+

don't let the color fool you. this brew holds its own against H2O as a pleasurable thirst quencher!

 
BULLY! PORTER - Boulevard Brewing Co.; Kansas City, Missouri
5.20%ABV, 47 IBUs
Serving: 12oz to the buffalo stein (Thanks, K!)

A: Three fingers tan head forms quickly, nearly overflowing out of my stein. Dark brown with ruby and copper edges. Creamy head hangs around nicely and there’s a frothy lacing that becomes sticky with time. It takes a good 10 minutes before the remaining finger of head dies down, but not completely.
S: Sweet malts of chocolate and coffee. Metallic hints in there as well. Some fruitiness at the back of the aroma.
T: Bitter dark chocolate coffee kick with the strong bitterness really lingering. Slightly fruity and that citrus finish that I look forward to in my porter! As the beer warms, it takes on a big roasty flavor that lasts until the end.
M: Light-bodied. The only real downside to this beer was that it felt a bit watery at times.
D: So pleasant and easy to drink. I love a good porter during a long afternoon! Roasty and warm for the winter, yet crisp and refreshing for my hot afternoons. I look forward to having this again.
Bully! - A-

bottle conditioning makes for an explosion out of the glass

 

 

Hoegaarden Original White Ale

I find very little wrong with this beer. I can have it all the time, every day…but I won’t. This beer pours well on tap (and with an orange slice, if that’s your thing) at Burgers and Brew in Davis, CA. The following is from my notes on a bottle.

Cloudy, unfiltered, golden-yellow appearance with just a bit of white foam. Refreshing aromas of citrus and coriander. The taste is momentary sweetness balanced with the dark spice of coriander, wheat and citrus. Heavy carbonation but not enough to mask the spices. Hoegaarden’s flavor and refreshing qualities make this beer so drinkable that I can never, ever stop after one. I look forward to someday tasting it in Belgium, as I’ve read the quality of this beer has decreased since InBev began taking over the world and the original Hoe brewery was closed down in ’05.

Hoegaarden - A

Single Euro-style bottles (11.2oz, I believe?) at the Co-Op, on tap at both B&B and Little Prague, and six packs at the Nugget for around $9.