By Eric Cioffi
It was the best
of beers, it was the worst of beers…ok, ok, with the ubiquitous Dickens quote
out of the way lets taste the beer!
A Weizen is a
German style of wheat beer (Weissbier or Hefeweizen) made with a high ratio of
wheat and a yeast that produces unique flavors of banana and cloves with an
often dry and tart edge, some spiciness, or notes of apples and pears. According
to German law, all beer that is labeled Weissbier or Weizenbier must be made
with at least 50% malted wheat. Most Bavarian Weissbiers contain 60 to 70%
malted wheat. There is little hop bitterness, and a moderate level of alcohol.
The
"Hefe" prefix means "with yeast"; hence the beers that are
unfiltered and cloudy are usually called Hefeweizens. For extra “spritziness,”
most Weizens are also bottle-conditioned or tank-conditioned.
This technique is called krausening and involves adding fresh, unfermented beer
(wort) to the finished and fully fermented beer, right before final bottling. At
this stage, the finished beer still has plenty of live yeast cells in
suspension that start a new fermentation. The
yeast then converts the small amount of new sugar into additional alcohol and
carbon dioxide. Because this final fermentation occurs in the sealed bottle,
the new carbon dioxide cannot escape and is trapped in solution fully
carbonating the beer. This conditioning creates the Weissbier’s enormous
effervescence and cloudy appearance. Poured into a traditional Weizen glass,
the Hefeweizen can be one sexy looking beer.
These two beers
are more reflective of an American style wheat rather than a full-blown German
or Belgian style Weizen beer.
American wheat beer does not use the traditional German weizenbier/weissbier
yeast. German and Belgian yeast have very dominant flavor profiles that can
overpower the beer. While these
flavors are enjoyed by many, the whole point of American wheat beer is to tone
down the typical spicy/phenolic character of German/Belgian wheat beers, which
many brewers and beer drinkers find sharp and sour. In general, most American
wheats are intended to be light summer thirst quenchers that are imbued with
the unique, refreshing flavor of wheat malt.
Wolaver’s Wildflower Wheat
Originally based
out of California, Wolaver’s was the first USDA-certified organic brewer.
Interestingly they found a loyal following in Vermont and in 1997 Wolaver’s
merged with Vermont’s Otter Creek Brewing Co. The brewers worked with the
farmers in the area creating the “organic beer market.” Now Wolaver's is
produced alongside Otter Creek while maintaining the tradition of using fresh local
organic ingredients and pure Vermont water.
The Wildflower
Wheat is an unfiltered wheat ale brewed with organic chamomile flowers and a
hint of organic Vermont honey.
Poured into a pint glass the beer was a glorious hazy golden
yellow with a frothy white head.
Honey, herbal, and floral aromas dominate the aroma but the honey is not
overpowering. You get hints of honey upfront and a grainy bready flavor as you
finish. The yeast is there but way
in the background – typical of American wheats. The beer is light in body and
finely carbonated. A light and
refreshing beer that maintains a nice balance of yeasty flavors and
sweetness from the Vermont honey.
I like this beer. The honey
flavor is not overpowering reminding me of a mellow meade.
American Pale Wheat Ale | 4.25% ABV
Rating: 78
Smuttynose Summer Weizen
Founded in 1994,
Smuttynose is the Granite State’s leading craft brewery and is located in the
historic seaport city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The brewery is named
for Smuttynose Island, the third largest of the nine islands that comprise the
Isles of Shoals, a small, rocky archipelago that lies seven miles off the coast
of New Hampshire and Maine.
The master
brewers at Smuttynose describe this ale as light, tasty & full of
character, the summer wheat ale is brewed with a combination of domestic and
continental wheat and barley malts, lightly hopped & fermented with a Belgian
wit yeast, resulting in a delightfully tangy & refreshing flavor. This beer
is brewed for warm weather enjoyment. Bring some to your next picnic, barbeque
or Frisbee game.
The Summer
Weizen is very similar to the Wildflower Wheat. Both are fine American wheat
beers flavored with chamomile flowers, which add a flowery and herbal bouquet.
The Smutty pours a hazy medium golden yellow with a bubbly white head that
persists. The chamomile adds a flowery essence to the light lemon citrus and
earthy/bready aromas. The beer has a more pronounced and traditional yeast
profile because of the Belgian yeast used in the brewing process giving it a
nice tartness, banana and light yeasty phenols. However it is not overpowering
and merely serves as reminder that these beers are related to the continental
German and Belgian wheat ales. The
body is light to medium and is nicely carbonated. Pleasing all around, the
Summer Weizen is an enjoyable and refreshing beer perfect for a summer session
at the beach, on your deck, or anytime you want a delightful drinkable beer.
American Pale Wheat Ale | 5.46% ABV
Rating: 80
Both these American
wheats are great summer beers and are very similar in style. Floral and bright, I enjoyed them
both. When comparing these two,
the distinction lies the use of honey in the Wolaver’s and the use of Belgian yeast
in the Smuttynose. Side by side
you can really taste the difference.
The Wolaver’s has a nice herbal, flowery and honeyed essence, while the
Smuttynose displays toned down traditional yeast profile. I like them both but would give the nod
to the Smuttynose.
