I am not a major fan of wheat beers … they taste too musty and yeasty to really get excited about. That being said, there are a few wheats that I enjoy … mostly Pale Wheat Ales and some Witbiers. Monarch White is one of he former, so I approached the beer with thoughts of other Wits in the back of my mind (Leinie’s Sunset Wheat, Wittekerke, Estrella Damm Inedit)…

First of all, I enjoy the label of this beer. It is simple and bold, with good color and contrast, and I like the off-white background hue. I pour it from the bottle into a standard Two Brothers pint glass (will that make a difference in taste … no). Immediately I know two things: the beer is very well carbonated and will likely be on the yeastier side of the Witbier spectrum. It took me about 2 minutes to complete the pour of this one … the head lept up so quickly I had to take many, many breaks. The head is eggshell white and dissipates quite quickly, leaving significant lacing on the sides of the glass.

Monarch White smells like a yeasty Witbier. There were the familiar banana/clove notes common to wheat beers, as well as a touch of sweetish lemon and a bit of spiciness, possibly from the hops and/or spices that are in the beer. Finally, I taste the beer and I think I was pretty close to what I thought it’d taste like. It’s definitely a wheat beer taste … quite yeasty as a matter of fact. Has characteristic orange and lemon notes to the taste, but I think the yeasty/bready dominates, making it less refreshing and a little more heavy. If it weren’t for the carbonation, I think this beer would really disappoint.

At the end of the day I would imagine this beer is probably hit or miss with most people. Felt like more of a miss to me, because I felt the yeast was way too involved. Not a bad tasting beer, especially if you enjoy the whole wheat experience. I guess this one is the only Two Brothers seasonal I will not be enjoying … I really do love the other ones.

When I poured it into the glass, I wasn’t surprised with the white pillowy head that quickly disappeared along with very minimal lacing. I was, however, very surprised with how light this Belgian wheat was. It is a very light, water down yellow that is slightly cloudy. Definitely the lightest color beer I’ve had in this category.

The smell is primarily of wheat, banana, and a hint of cloves. When I took the first sip, I was hit with grainy flavors with a touch of orange. Then a growing taste of bread and cloves flooded my tongue. It had a good amount of carbonation that was a nice balance with everything else going on in my mouth.

This beer is very drinkable and has good flavor despite the low alcohol content. A solid witbier.

ABV: 3.9%

Grade: B

The Cherry Wheat is one of my favorite go-to brews, but unfortunately I have to say that Sam Adams sort of drops the ball on its remaining wheat beers. The White Ale, Coastal Wheat, Blackberry Wit, and Summer Ale all taste very similar with the exceptions of various spices and fruit ingredients. Checking out the profiles for each of these beers on their website, I found the grain bills to be exactly the same. Cherry Wheat is the exception since Munich-10 malt is utilized giving it a toasty quality closer to the Oktoberfest. I’m a little saddened to see this. In all honesty, I was hoping that each beer would somehow be a unique all the way down to the base malted used. Enough about my personal likes and dislikes and onto the beers which is currently getting warm.

Blackberry Witbier is exactly that…a sweet smelling fruit beer. I’d recommend it for those hot, sticky summer BBQ parties where having a couple drink options might be a good idea. There is a very noticeable blackberry aroma that wafts up during the pour. Characteristic of the Witbier style it has a substantial head, but lacks the yeast left in the bottle. Upon inspection I noticed that it looked filtered as the beer had a clear almost Pilsner-like color. I did not catch a hit of blue, red, or purple from the berries used.

The taste is smooth and easy. The wheat malts provide a creamy mouthfeel and the blackberries give a pleasant sweet taste to them. I will say that the berry addition/content is almost borderline too much. It reminds me of biting into a fresh blueberry muffin and getting only berries. The finish is laden with the blackberry flavor, but it does go down clean. I would urge all to drink this while it is nice and cold in order to keep it a quick refreshing beer more than anything.

I never thought I’d say this, but Sam Adams came up short on this one.

ABV 5.5%

Grade: C-

Answer: Sit back and relax with a cold beer!

That is what I find myself doing right now. I’m enjoying Ommegang’s Witte and Belgian-style Wit bier. As I’ve stated before, I like most wheat beers. I do prefer the American and Belgian varieties more so than the German (because of the banana flavors).

I find Wheats to be great beers to relax with for a few reasons. First, they have a low ABV (this one is 5.1%) which means you can have one or two during a quick break. Second, they are thirst quenching in nature. Thirdly, they are crisp and do not leave a heavy aftertaste or aroma on your breath.

I wanted my initial Ommegang experience to on the lighter side rather than plunging into a quad or triple (although their Chocolate Indulgence looks intriguing). This beer was pretty straight forward as far as Wits go. The use of traditional spices like coriander and orange peel, along with wheat malt, create a refreshing beer. The color is a very light, hazy straw color. The head is plumy and white typical of the style. While I sit back in my easy chair I occasionally take some time to waft the bready, yeasty, coriander, orange, lemon, and straw aromas. They have a way of mellowing me out a little. The weather outside is cold and rainy so this beer gives me a little Summer-time pick-me-up.

The tag line on the bottle says, “worth the wheat” and as I sit here I’d agree with that statement. My break is well deserved and this beer is making it worth my while.

ABV: 5.1%

Grade: B-

Tom: I needed a post-work thirst quencher and Wittekerke was at the rescue. At first glance the short, unique can didn’t make me think much of it. After the pour, what the can lacked in height, the aroma and flavor made up for. It looked like a typical Belgian Wit and the aroma was similar with a light orange zest and coriander spice. The wheat and unfiltered yeast gave a pleasant bready character. I did pick up a minor metallic taste, but it was not enough to hinder the overall appreciation. It’s a refreshingly light bodied, easy sipping, palate cleansing beer. Grade: B

Michael: Pouring from a can has become a bit unconventional in my journey through craft beers, but hey, you never know. The lemonade-colored liquid goodness rushed from the can and quickly formed a puffy sponge of a head that clung to the glass. There was a spicy, effervescent smell with layers of pine, bread and citrus. I expected some generously active bubbles of carbonation, but was instead surprised by the flatness of the brew. It had a thin mouthfeel, which made it easy to down, but the citrus seemed too prevalent to make it sessionable. Grade: C+

Taylor: Belgium isn’t necessarily known for their witbier, but Wittekerke is a decent offering. I first had this beer in the signature Wittekerke mini-glass. It pours straw, with a nice white head that dissipates quickly and leaves significant lacing. The nose is not outstanding, you can make out the yeast and a little bit of citrus. Tastes like a lighter witbier, yeast, malt, and citrus notes. The can I drank (that’s right, this beer is mostly found in cans) was a tad metallic. As is the case with a lot of wheat beers, this beer is best in the summer. It is light, extremely drinkable, and definitely flavorful. Grade: B-

Noel: I was pleasantly surprised by this beer, considering I prefer German wheat beers to Belgian ones. It’s incredibly light…maybe the lightest witbier I’ve ever had, and reminded me a bit of Hoegaarden (sans banana). So don’t expect an onslaught of aromas or flavor. But the taste is refreshing: crisp and lemony, with a little sourness at the end (not sure if that’s from the yeast or the wheat malt). Perfect for a hot summer day, and for those who usually pass on witbiers because of their musty banana and clove tones. Grade: B-

Cyrus: Wittekerke is a very drinkable Belgian Wit beer. What is more fascinating to me than the beer itself, is the story behind. This was actually a “prop” beer featured on a Belgian sit-com that aired twice a week in a highly syndicated television program, called (none other than), Wittekerke. In the show, the actors drank Wittekerke beer. With a boost in popularity from the show, this Belgian Wit has since become one of the best selling Wit beers in Belgium. About the beer: wheat based, hints of lemon/grass, fairly hoppy, pours cloudy (traditional of Belgian Wits because they are unfiltered). This is very much a beer to drink on a hot summer day, refilling your stash while heading into the back nine. Fore! Grade: B

Final Grade: B-

It first pours a very carbonated, golden color with a very foamy head. The carbonation often is greater in refermented beers because of the added yeast which causes carbonation. The bottom of the bottle was full of sediment and as I poured it in the glass, the color became very cloudy. Some prefer to not pour the sediment into the glass but I like the whole bottle because I enjoy the “goodies” at the bottom.

The smell was very yeasty – which was expected because of the additional yeast that was added for bottle refermentation. I also picked up a hint of citrus mainly orange with a little banana. The taste was very smooth and not bitter at all. This beer is very refreshing and I’m sure would be even better on a hot day. This was my first experience with a Unibroue beer and while it wasn’t the best witbier I’ve ever had, it makes me want to try some other brews by Unibroue.

ABV: 5.0%

Grade: B+

ABV: 4.1%

Grade: C-

I’ve enjoyed Leinenkugel’s brews ever since I had my first Honey Weiss. I think they do wheat beers pretty well. Tonight I’m sipping a Sunset Wheat … one of my favorite summer beers. Needless to say, I’m looking out at the snow and projecting my consciousness to July, when this beer tastes like heaven.

Pours a cloudy orange/yellow color, with plenty of head (I poured 3 fingers easily), which recedes in about three minutes, and is easily re-summoned with a few swirls of the glass. Smells light, sweet, and citrusy. The taste itself is refreshing, reaffirms all the citrus from the nose, and leaves a sweet, faintly bready taste. And, I think this is strange, but the finish makes me think of Trix cereal. Some people like dropping in a slice of orange, and while I’ve had it as such and didn’t dislike it, I’d say that the beer stands best on its own. Ice cold.

Made with cluster hops (very American), wheat and pale malts, and some natural coriander. There is enough flavor and body here to be satisfying, and not too much to make it super filling. Which means it rocks and rolls when the sun is shining. I enjoy this beer in the same way I enjoy Goose Island’s 312 Urban Wheat Ale. If you’ve never had Leinie’s Sunset Wheat, you’ve got to give it a chance.

ABV: 4.9%

Grade: B+

At first pour, this cloudy straw colored wheat beer makes me lick my chops every time I watch that thick white 2 finger head expand to the rim of the glass. Oh, the beauty of a wheat beer! Now, it is OK to salivate over your chunk of orange, I do, however, do not throw that sucker in the brew until you have gotten a real taste of the beer itself. Then after a swig or two do what you wish with that hunk of vitamin C. The smell of this brew is of citrus and wheat. The taste is much of the same, orange and citrus come to mind with a great wheat flavor that mixes and follows well. The beer is smooth with a common wheat-like fullness on your palate. In addition, the carbonation bites gently on the tongue and remnants of hops remain faintly between sips. The drinkability is above average for this wheat beer. They seem to just keep sliding down. Maybe I am just dehydrated all the time…or not.

I don’t know what it is about this stuff?!?!? Maybe I’m caught up in the hype but I’ll tell you what, Coors has done a great job with this brew. They taste even better when you drink em’ right after you get done with the Coors brewery tour! Thanks again Cigs… By the way, I know this brew’s packaging claims it is made at the “Blue Moon Brewing Co.” Not true, it is actually made at Coors, Molson-Coors, Miller-Coors, whatever it is these days. They use the Blue Moon Brewing Co as a marketing ploy to keep people thinking they are drinking a true craft beer. My opinion…this doesn’t matter a bit, it is still a good craft beer!

So, Estrella Damm Inedit happens to be the coolest label and bottle of beer that I’ve ever seen. I just had to try it.

Inedit comes from the well-known Spanish brewery Estrella Damm out of Barcelona, Spain. Their flagship lager can be seen in the TV show Eli Stone (sadly no longer on air).

According to the label, Inedit was crafted in cooperation with the brewmasters at Estrella Damm, a globally acclaimed chef, and a couple sommeliers. The company’s website touts it as this unique brew unlike any other and to be paired specifically with “exquisite and challenging foods”, especially ones containing citrus and oils.

I will say that this brew was refreshingly different for me than what I usually drink, but not so unique that it surprised my taste buds with flavors I’ve never before tasted. Brewed with a blend of barley malts, wheat, hops, coriander, orange peel, and yeast this beer is actually similar to a Belgian white.

It sounds as if I am downplaying this beer. I actually enjoyed it very much. It was refreshing and there was a definitive fresh yeast presence that was quite pleasant. Normally I balk at beers with an excess of coriander and orange peel but these flavors were so subtle in the Inedit. The mouthfeel was not crisp like a lager but actually had more of a rounded feel to it. I think the take away descriptor from this beer was refreshing. Yes, refreshing indeed. I would recommend a try.

ABV: 4.8%

Grade: B+