The Drunken Polack

This coming weekend I’m going to a lake to hang out with my good buddies from high school.  For the last week or so I’ve been pondering on what beer I could bring.  Something that is tasty and sort of sessionable.  Early in the week I got to try A Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale from Lagunitas and I automatically knew then what to bring.  While not a session beer, it’s close enough dammit and it goes down so nice.  This beer is classified as a American Pale Wheat Ale.  It’s a hoppy version of this style.

This brew pours a clear copper color.  A two finger head is poured.  Fluffy, white, with great retention and lacing throughout the glass.  Bubbles can be seen from the bottom and rise to the top of the glass in a endless trail. 

Smell on this beer is fantastic.  Fruity.   Citrus, lemon, and grapefruit.  A slight amount of spice and a nice wheaty background. 

Taste is much more the same.  I did pick up more of the grapefruit taste followed by the lemon and then the citrus.  The wheat comes through really nice mixed in with a nice bready malt character.  While the beer is a nice hoppy brew, the malt comes through nicely to really balance nicely.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, nicely carbonated, crisp, and smooth.

This beer is a total winner in my book.  I tried it’s big brother, Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Extra last year and this holds up nicely to it’s bigger hoppier brother.  What is so fantastic about this beer, well any Lagunitas beer honestly is that their stuff is cheap and all of it is quality.  Now why can’t other breweries be like this?

Found: Grape and Gourmet, Virginia Beach, VA
ABV%: 7.30%
Price: Less than 2 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.lagunitas.com
What the company says: Sneaky Smooth with a Touch of What we Call Wheatly-esque-ish-ness. Crispy Wheat and Pale Malt flavors with a Zippy Hop Finish. A Return of the Brand-Spankin’ New Beer From The Summer of 2009.
Other beers to try from this brewery: Lagunitas Gnarleywine, Lagunitas The Hairy Eyeball
Other beers to try within the same style: Southern Tier Uber Sun, Bell’s Oberon
Rating: A-

Fruit beers, I usually either love them or hate them. (I still treat this as a fruit beer but it’s categorized as a Wheat beer) No middle ground.  But I feel different about Son of a Peach.  It’s not as fantastic as New Glarus Wisconsin Belgian Red (ok no fruit beer is) but it’s definitely not even close to being as bad as other fruit beers I’ve had.  I would recommend this beer, especially if you love peaches.

Son of a Peach pours two colors.  At the bottom of the glass you get a deeper orange color.  As you go up, the orange gets lighter and lighter until you get up to the top of the glass and it’s more of a yellow color.  As you can see in the picture there is a ton of sediment in there.  I went back and read other reviews to make sure I didn’t get a bad bottle but every review I read saw the same thing I did. Then I saw on the site that this beer is unfiltered.  That would explain it.   Barely any head is poured.  Whatever is poured fizzes away into a small bit of lacing around the glass.

Now the aroma of this beer really got me into it.  The aroma is rich and big.  It smells like peaches and cream.  It’s really impressive.  I sat there for a while just enjoying the smell.  The taste in the beginning really didn’t do much for me though.  It’s like the smell but it’s not as big.  I definitely picked up more ingredients in the taste though.  The peaches are mixed in with more of a wheat and grain flavor.  As you let it warm up and as you drink, the peaches come through and build up more.  The mouthfeel is on the medium side with a tiny bit of carbonation.  You’ll notice a little bit of the sediment once in a while but it’s not bad.

This beer really took me by surprise and I enjoyed every sip.  It’s a seasonal beer so it might not be out anymore but I think when it comes around again I’ll be purchasing some more.  Might go really well as a peach ice cream float =)

Found: Grape and Gourmet, Virginia Beach, VA
Price: Around 2 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.rjrockers.com
What the company says: An unfiltered American wheat ale made with real mean peaches. The only thing missing is the fuzz. Savor the anger. Available during the late Spring and Summer months. 
ABV%: 6.00%
Other beers to try from this brewery: First brew I’ve had from these guys
Other beers to try within the same style:Southern Tier Uber Sun, Bell’s Oberon Ale
Rating: B+

This past weekend I had my buddy Jimmy over to watch some movies.  He usually doesn’t like hoppy beers or really big beers so I figured it was a good time to bring out three lagers I had laying around from Shmaltz.  These are the same guys who make the He’brew line.  Sometime last year they started coming out with a new line, Coney Island.  The Coney Island line is a line of lagers only.  Usually lagers don’t do much for me but these were decent little beers.  Well two out of the three were anyway.  Now on to the reviews!

Up first is their Freaktoberfest Lager.  It’s classified as a American Amber/Red Lager.  It has a 6.66% ABV.  Gotta love how they got the percentage to match the number of the devil since this brew came out around halloween.  This one pours a raspberry color.  Freaked the hell out of me when it poured.  Awesome!  The head on this one was small and a very light red color. 

The smell and taste really didn’t have much going on.  This was more of a gimmick beer really.  It really does match the halloween theme.  All I really got from this beer was muted fruit.  Cherries and raspberries came to mind.  Also it had some sweet malt and caramel throw in.  Overall it’s really hard to like this beer because of the lack of any real taste or smell.  Theres hints of ingredients but nothing really stands out.  The feeling was smooth and goes down easy.  I wouldn’t recommend this brew to anyone, well anyone who wanted a lager that had some taste it in.  Like I said it’s a gimmick beer, it does work in that fashion.

Found: Grape and Gourmet, Virginia Beach, VA
Price: 5 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.shmaltz.com/
What the company says: Site is in flash.  No copy and paste here kids.
ABV%: 6.66%
Other beers to try from this brewery:He’brew Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A., He’brew Genesis Ale
Other beers to try within the same style:Schmaltz Coney Island Lager
Rating: D

Up next is a lager I actually did like.  It’s their on a American Pale Lager.  I also remember my buddy Jimmy saying this is one he liked a lot.  From what I remembered in my drunken haze anyway.  This one pours a clear light amber color with very little head.  The smell on this on is full of bready malt, grassy hops, honey, and some citrus.  It’s a really nice smelling lager.  I loved the hop smell, while it wasn’t big, it was there and you really don’t get that to much from lagers.

Out of the three, this was defintely the best tasting.  Again the hops is what makes this brew.  Not big, just right for a session lager.  Grassy and citrus.  The honey and fruit also make a really nice appearance.  It all ends with the bready, biscuit like malt. 

This one like all three go down really easy.  It’s nicely carbonated and smooth.  If you’re looking for an over the top beer, don’t look here.  It’s just a nice lager to sit down with.

Found: Grape and Gourmet, Virginia Beach, VA
Price: 5 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.shmaltz.com/
What the company says: Site is in flash.  No copy and paste here kids.
ABV%: 6.80%
Other beers to try from this brewery: He’brew Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A., He’brew Genesis Ale
Other beers to try within the same style: First beer I’ve had in this beer style
Rating: B-

Last but now least was my second favorite (almost favorite) out of the three lagers.  Here we have Albino Python, which BA says is a American Pale Wheat Ale.  Go figure, the bottle says Lager on it.  I’ll believe the bottle. 

This brew is a nice golden straw color.  Very cloudy.  Pours a nice sized crater filled white head.  Good retention and laces the glass all throughout.  The smell is spicy.  It’s full of wheat, lemon, and citrus.  Hops are there also and mesh well with everything else.  I really like the smell on this one.

The taste was just as good as the smell.  The spiciness hits your tongue and follows up with the lemon and citrus.  It ends with a nice bit of grassy hops and wheat.  Like I said this was my second favorite but not by much.  Now that I think of it, maybe I liked it more.  Really hard to say =) Both would be very good on a hot summer day but I think this one might be a tad bit better for that.  Overall just a really nice lager. 

Found: Grape and Gourmet, Virginia Beach, VA
Price: 5 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.shmaltz.com/
What the company says: Site is in flash. No copy and paste here kids.
ABV%: 6.00%
Other beers to try from this brewery: He’brew Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A., He’brew Genesis Ale
Other beers to try within the same style: If you believe Beer Advocate then….Bell’s Oberon Ale, Samuel Adams Summer Ale
Rating: B-

Found: State Line Liquors
Price: Around 7 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.southerntierbrewing.com
What the company says: Couldn’t find any info about the beer on the site.

What I say: Another review of a Southern Tier brew.  Sorry I just can’t help myself.  They make good stuff!

The Look: This brew poured a cloudy golden color with a huge white head.  Laces the glass as it goes down. 

What the nose thought: Southern Tier goes big with their Imperial line and this is the same big taste as their others but it does it in a different way.  In any regular wheat beer you don’t get a huge amount of hops, of course since Tier loves to do things big, you get a nice amount of floral hops here.  Not IPA worthy amount of hops but a good amount for a wheat beer.  Citrus and wheat well with the hops. 

And the tastebuds?: Like I said with the smell, this is the hoppiest wheat beer I’ve ever had but it’s not hugely hopped, just a good amount for a wheat beer.  Citrus, wheat, and a biscuit malt like flavor round out the rest.  This beer doesn’t try to much but it does everything right.  Very good beer.

The feel: Medium bodied and crisp.  Grainy but goes down so easy.  I had this beer down before I knew it. 

Would you drink more?: Easily.  I rather enjoyed this beer.  I wonder how their regular sun fares. 

Ending notes: I’ve said it like 5 times already but these guys make quality stuff. 

Rating: A-

Found: Grape and Gourmet
Price: 3 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.bellsbeer.com/
What the Company Says: An American wheat ale brewed with Saaz hops. Spicy and fruity, Oberon is the color and scent of a summer afternoon.

The Intro: I saw this beer all last year and for some reason I never picked it up.  So here’s beer number two for Bell’s Brewery week. 

The Look: Poured a cloudy light orange color with very little head.  Light carbonation.

What the Nose Thought: A very funky smell.  A pungent wheat smell with some other fruits and spices thrown in.  Yeasty smell in the background.

And the Tastebuds?: Not as funky or pungent as the smell.  Actually you don’t get that at all from the taste.  This beer has a bit of a bite.  Tastes you’ll get from this brew are the wheat, little bit of a yeasty taste and the orange and spices but none of the tastes overpower the other. 

The Feel: Medium bodied. A little rough on your tongue. 

Would You Drink More?: Yes. High drinkability on this one.  Great for a summer release (wait it’s not summer yet) and a hot day. 

Ending Notes: With the two ales out of the way, my next three Bell’s reviews will all be stouts.  Can’t wait.

Rating: B

Found: Farm Fresh
Price: $7.99 a six pack
Website: http://www.pyramidbrew.com/
What the company says: Brewed by the original Wheat Beer Pioneers, Pyramid Hefe Weizen is left unfiltered for extra flavor and aroma.

Handcrafted with 60% malted wheat (10% more than Bavarian tradition calls for), our award-winning Hefe Weizen is unsurpassed in quality and exceptionally smooth and refreshing for the whole beer experience.

What I say: Let me just start this off by saying this is one of my favorite beers right now. So you can expect a good rating. It’s just the right mixture. When I’m looking for a good Hefe I’m looking for one that doesn’t hit you with something unexpected. It seems just right. Not to much lemons, not to many spices.

Rating: B-

Found: Farm Fresh, Total Wine
Price: $7.99 a six pack
Website: http://www.harpoonbrewery.com/
What the company says: UFO Hefeweizen is an American unfiltered wheat beer. Perhaps UFO’s initial sensory perception is also its most prominent: a cloudy golden color and a dense, frothy head. The yeast, which has not been filtered out, accounts for the cloudiness of UFO. Wheat malt tends to create a larger head than barley malt, the cereal grain most often used in brewing. When served in a traditional wheat beer glass with a lemon, UFO presents an appealing and distinctive visual image.

What I say: I really like this Hefe. Out of all the kinds I had this is in my top 5. Problem is, the other 4 up top are just that much better. It has a nice light color with a hint of fruit. I’d put it up there with the Sam Adams Hefe as far as ratings go. It’s not as bland as Sam’s and that’s just enough to make it a little different but not in a bad way. Another good beer to just sit down, relax, and sip. Do not chug this beer.

Rating: B-

Found: Local Farm Fresh
Price: $7.99 a six pack
Website: http://www.samadams.com
What the company says: Samuel Adams® Hefeweizen beer is a traditional spin on a classic American craft brewing style. The brewers of Samuel Adams® used both malted and unmalted wheat, and two row Pale barley for a clean malty, cereal note. This bright, fruity wheat ale is unfiltered, retaining a natural haze from malt proteins, crisp, bright flavors of wheat, and fresh, fruity ester complexity from our proprietary ale yeast. Accentuated with Noble Spalt-Spalter hops, Samuel Adams® Hefeweizen has an elegant and pleasant bitterness, finishing smooth and clean.

What I say: I am always on the lookout for new brands of Hefeweizen. It’s quickly turned into one of my favorite type of beers. Now that doesn’t mean I like every kind of Hefe out there. I dislike the kind of Hefe that has a lot of bite to it and by chance this brand seems just right. It’s color and form is nice. It’s not the best Hefeweizen I’ve ever had but it’s still really good. Since it’s a more popular brand name of beer, for people who live in an area that don’t get a lot of different types of beer this might be your best bet to try your first Hefe. You won’t be disappointed.

Rating: C+

Found: Local Farm Fresh
Price: $7.99 a six pack
Website: http://www.sierranevada.com
What the company says: Pale, smooth, and light-bodied, Sierra Nevada Wheat Beer is brewed from premium malted wheat and light barley malts, utilizing our traditional ale yeast. This unfiltered ale is finished with the characteristically spicy Strissel Spalt hops from the Alsace region of France.

What I say: This is hard for me to say for two reasons. I love Wheat Beer. It’s quickly become my choice of beers when I want to just chill out and watch a movie or do anything lazy. The second reason is I love Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale. It really is full of flavor but this beer is lacking in that area. When I took my first sip I had to make sure I looked at the bottle to make sure it didn’t say Dasani or Deer Park on it. It’s really lacking in flavor. So it’s a shame to say that my first beer review is a bad one because we’ll I think this is a quality company. Maybe I can do a test to see if I down 5 in a row if any flavor shows up (or I get drunk whatever comes first)

Rating: F

Found: Everywhere down here but I bought this lovely 6 pack at Farm Fresh
Price: $7.99 a six pack
Website: http://www.samadams.com
What the company says: Samuel Adams® Summer Ale is an American wheat ale. This summer seasonal uses malted wheat as well as lemon zest and grains of paradise, a rare pepper from Africa first used as a brewing spice in the 13th Century to create a crisp and spicy flavor and body. The ale fermentation imparts a background tropical fruit note reminiscent of mangos and peaches. All of these come together to create a quenching, clean finishing beer perfect for those warm Summer days.

What I say: Yes another wheat beer review. This time around though the rating won’t be a dismal 1.5. I found this beer a few years ago while looking for something different. At first sip I knew I was in love. I’m usually a lager kind of guy but this really got me into ales. Only problem is it’s a seasonal beer and after the summer is gone, this little treasure is gone too. If you are looking for a smooth and tasty wheat beer look no further then this golden gem. Are you noticing how much I like this beer? It’s well worth it’s 8 dollar a six pack price tag. Now to stock up on some for the winter months.

Rating: B-