Friday Craft Brew Series
Welcome back Steemians to Week 6 of the Friday Craft Brew Series! It is seriously hard to believe I have had this going for six weeks already. I hope it has helped some of you discover some amazing craft brews. This week I went with a few beers that I had recently picked up. There are three different styles this week so if you are a beer lover there should be something for everyone!
Now, Onto the Beers!
First up this week, Bubbler, a Hefeweiss made by New Glarus Brewing. This beer is a little piece of home for me being a Wisconsin boy. For those of you that have never heard of New Glarus, they are the biggest craft brewery in Wisconsin, selling their beers only inside the state. I have tried most beers from New Glarus, but somehow Bubbler escaped me until this week.
The beer upon pouring, had very little head to it. It was a gorgeous sunshine yellow color and semi cloudy. It just looks like a Hefeweiss. Smelling the beer confirms the Hefeweiss again. Immediately you smell wheat, like a cool version of the inside of a brewery, just delicious.
Tasting the beer confirms once again, yes, this is a Hefeweiss. The first taste is wheat. A strong wheat flavor. It's a crisp, refreshing flavor. As you continue tasting you get a slight citrus flavor. The citrus is indecipherable and doesn't last long as the ending of the beer brings you right back to where you started, more wheat and yeast. This beer is a solid Hefeweiss, something that you can enjoy all summer long.
Next up, Hoptronix by New Holland Brewing, a Double IPA coming in at 9.0%. I love my Double IPAs, I really do, but this one didn't live up to my expectations.
Upon pouring, the beer is a deep deep amber color with a reddish twinge. The beer is slightly opaque, but not as opaque as I have seen with other Doubles. There is a small head on the beer that is thick and foamy. The beer smelled strongly of hops, but that was about the only smell I could gather. The smell makes you salivate and want to take a sip immediately.
The first taste I got was overpoweringly bitter. Too bitter, and this is coming from someone that really likes Doubles. The strong hop flavor sits in the back of your mouth and on your tongue. The bitterness does go away and the tiniest citrus taste appears, but only for a second as the bitterness comes back and lasts. The flavor dries out the back of your throat and hangs there for a long time. This was a beer that I did not care for very much, the flavor just wasn't there outside of extreme bitterness.
Last beer for the week was by far my favorite of the bunch! Le Seul X by Une Annee. This is an American Wild Ale fermented with Passion Fruit, coming in at 6.5%. As those of you who have been following will already know, I have been on a sour beer kick lately, and I think I may have found my new favorite (although I feel like I say that with every new sour I try).
Upon pouring, there is the smallest amount of head that dissipates almost instantly. The beer is light golden yellow and opaque. It smells instantly sour, but fruity. It smells like freshly smashed rhubarb to me. The smell took me back to my parent's kitchen and my mom making rhubarb pie. It was uncanny how much like rhubarb the beer smelled to me. Apparently, that was the Passion Fruit, according to my wife.
The beer is tart upon tasting, but not overly sour. To me it tastes like freshly smashed rhubarb and hints of wheat. The tartness darts around your mouth, front to back and all along your gums. You can feel the taste. The after taste is still tart but doesn't last as long as you would expect and the tartness lessens as you drink it.
This is a great beer! It really does taste better the more you drink. It leaves a slight dryness in the back of your mouth, but not so dry that you need to switch to another beer. I would drink this beer over and over again.
Thanks again for reading everyone! I hope you enjoyed these beers as much as I did! If you have any questions about the beers listed here feel free to reach out.