Category Archives: #TOFCraftBeerWheat

Craft Beer Wheat Days 9-10: Dark Wheats

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Craft Beer “Wheat” Days 9-10
Dark Wheats

Contrary to popular conception, not all wheat beers are light golden in color. The beers featured below are dark as can be, and full of flavor. So grab one and snuggle up by the fire.

Peak Organic Winter Session
Portland, ME / American Dark Wheat / 5% ABV / 16oz / $6
A winter warmer from Maine that uses a ton of wheat and Citra hops, with a dark wheat base. Uniquely drinkable.

Ramstein Winter Wheat
Butler, NJ / Weizenbock / 9.5% ABV / 12oz / $6
A brilliant dark mocha, notes of sour cherries and cloves. Sweet and strong and warming; a nice companion during this weird winter season.

RJ Rockers Buckwheat After Dark
Spartanburg, SC / American Dark Wheat / 6% ABV / 16oz / $6
Tasty dark wheat beer from South Carolina, lighter bodied, subtle dark fruits and a delicate caramel finish.

Schneider Aventinus
Germany / Weizenbock / 8.2% ABV / 16oz / $7
Deep amber brown; citrus, clove and banana scents. Wonderful alcohol taste with sweet fruit, spices and cloves.

Craft Beer Wheat Days 7-8: American Twists

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Craft Beer “Wheat” Days 7-8
American Twists

This is the USA. We’re great at taking something that exists, playing with it, changing it and making it our own. All 5 of these beer are uniquely American takes on wheat beers. Whether it’s making a wheat saison with sage, a pale ale with a large percentage of wheat malt, a smoked Witbier, an amazing hoppy pale wheat, or a tart wheat IPA these beers are completely new takes on beers brewed with wheat. Enjoy.

Barrier Le Pete
Oceanside, NY / Smoked Witbier / 4.6% ABV / 12oz / $6
A smoked Belgian wheat ale brewed with wheat malt, a touch of peat-smoked barley, a dash of kettle spices, and fermented with Barrier’s house Belgian yeast.

Greenport Harbor Ale
Greenport, NY / American Pale Ale / 5.3% ABV / 16oz / $6
Classic pale ale pouring a gorgeous light copper. Smells and tastes are all doughy bread and bright flowery hops. Drink all day.

Lagunitas A Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale
Petaluma, CA / American Pale Wheat Ale / 7.5% ABV / 16oz / $6
The best American Pale Wheat. People love this beer. Great punch of grapefruit and hops throughout. Light body, refreshing.

Mikkeller + Grassroots Wheat is the New Hops
Belgium, Denmark, Vermont / Wheat IPA / 6% ABV / 12oz / $8
A collaborative brew with Grassroots Brewing (Hill Farmstead), this is a 6% abv India Pale Ale brewed with wheat and fermented with Brettanomyces. Hoppy, Tart, Delicious.

Stillwater Cellar Door
Baltimore, MD / Wheat Saison / 6.6% ABV / 12oz / $7
Exceptional saison brewed with sage and Sterling and Citra hops. Grassy, citrusy and cleansing.

Craft Beer Wheat Days 5-6: Historical Styles

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Craft Beer “Wheat” Days 5-6
Historical Styles

Freigeist BierKultur Abraxxxas
Germany / Berliner Weisse / 6% ABV / 12oz / $6
Really a mashup of two styles, Berliner Weiss and Lichtenahainer (an ancient sour smoked beer, usually all barley) this beer has a lemon-y tartness, smoke, and lactic sourness on the back.

Sixpoint Mad Scientist #12: Goser the Gozerian
Brooklyn, NY / Gose / 4.5% ABV / 12oz / $5
Inspired by the classic Leipziger Gose, and Ghostbusters, The Mad Scientists from Red Hook brewed up this rarity. It’s tart, slightly salty, and little bit hoppy, with a slight herbal nose from the coriander

Brooklyn Brewmaster’s Reserve Companion – 2011
Brooklyn, NY / Wheatwine / 9.1% ABV / 750ml / $20
This wheat wine was made with floor malted grains (55% malted wheat) It has a juicy maltiness, but with a suprising lightness on the palate (especially compared to barleywines). The yeast leaves nice fruity esters at the end. Delightful.

Berliner Weisse is a cloudy, sour wheat beer usually around 3% abv. It is a regional beer from Northern Germany, mainly Berlin, dating back to the 16th century. By the 19th century, Berliner Weisse was the most popular alcoholic drink in Berlin, and 700 breweries produced it. By the late 20th century there were only two breweries left in Berlin producing the beer, and a handful in other parts of Germany.

Gose is a top-fermented beer style of Leipzig, Germany, brewed with at least 50% of the grain bill being malted wheat. Dominant flavors in Gose include a lemon tartness, a herbal characteristic, and a strong saltiness (the result of either local water sources or added salt). Gose beers typically do not have prominent hop bitterness, flavors, or aroma. The beers typically have a moderate alcohol content of 4 to 5% ABV.

Wheat Wine is usually a strong American style similar to barleywines, but brewed with larger amounts of wheat malt. The Companion in particular is based upon some ancient recipes and techniques Garrett Oliver discovered when editing the Oxford Companion to Beer.

Craft Beer Wheat Days 3-4: Battle of the Weizenbocks

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Craft Beer “Wheat” Days 3 -4
Battle of the Weizenbocks

Ramstein Winter Wheat
Butler, NJ / Weizenbock / 9.5% ABV
A brilliant dark mocha, notes of sour cherries and cloves. Sweet and strong and warming; a nice companion during this weird winter season.

Schneider Aventinus
Germany / Weizenbock / 8.2% ABV
Deep amber brown; citrus, clove and banana scents. Wonderful alcohol taste with sweet fruit, spices and cloves.

Today we bring you dueling Weizenbocks, two of the best in their class. Both were favorites of esteemed beer critic Michael Jackson, and both are damn delicious. Ramstein Winter Wheat weighs in at 98 points on Ratebeer and gets a 100 from the Alström Brothers (Beer Advocate Founders). Schneider Aventinus rates a 100 on Ratebeer and gets 98 points from the Alström Brothers. Schneider Aventinus might have the advantage as it’s the father of all weizenbocks, but Ramstein Winter Wheat is younger and stronger. These beers are heavyweights and champions, who will prevail?

Weizenbock (“veye-tssen-bock” Do NOT pronounce it “wisen-bock”!) is a style unique to itself. It’s essentially a strong version of a dunkleweizen but fermented to dopplebock strength. It’s at least 50% wheat malt, and usally 60% or more. It has a strong, estery alcohol flavor and strong notes of cloves, spices, and dark fruits from the yeast.