Catching Up on Things

For those that had three and half weeks on the over-under of when I'd get lazy and stop posting, you may now collect your winnings.  I may have a legit excuse for my neglect soon should I pass my writing test for a freelance position this week, but in the meantime here are a few assorted thoughts on beers consumed the past couple of weeks.

Sort of disagree with Vinnie's assessment on Stone 14th Anniversary IPA as I thought the booze was masked well by a surprisingly fruity body.  I prepared myself for the expected inundation of hops only to be surprisingly greeted by the tasty, subtly sweet flavors of this English style IPA (and props to Stone for hitting this style and not force feeding the hop characteristic).

Shame that the Onion Pub and Brewery, makers of the Wild Onion Pumpkin fall seasonal, is located off the beaten path (at least for this lazy non-driver) in Lake Barrington, Illinois.   Loved my first 2010 foray into fall beers and enjoyed this pumpkin beer that packed a ton of flavor without being pumpkin pie with alcohol.

On my scale of brown beers, Avery's Ellie Brown beats out Sierra Nevada Tumbler due to the chocolate and toffee flavors that complemented a well crafted body.  Tumbler grew on me as I sipped it, but I like my brown ales to have sweeter notes (I normally drink them towards the end of my sessions).

My second go-round with Left Hand's Milk Stout gave me a greater appreciation for this brew and I better grasped the style of the sweet stout.  It does not pack quite the punch to that of Dragon's Milk, but its much kinder ABV (5.2% to 9.0% of Dragon's Milk) allows you to possibly go another couple of rounds should you feel like it.

Come on Chicagoland distributors, convince the fine people at New Glarus that a second go-round in this market will be worthwhile for them.  The passion in Dancing Man Wheat and Moon Man is uniquely Wisconsin and us lesser folk in Chicago need some of that TLC to deal with the evils of city life.

Two Brothers Resistance IPA was an awesome find and made our maiden voyage to their Tap House totally worthwhile (even if I ate enough loaded cheese fries for four meals and ravaged my stomach in the process).

Finally, if you enjoy these ramblings, cheer me on to do stupid crap like pull a neck muscle while sneezing, as tonight's imbibing of fine beers motivated me to return home here and leave MBB with at least one more contribution during its brief existence.

New Glarus Dancing Man Wheat, bottle, poured into pint glass

A staple to our Wisconsin friends, New Glarus doesn't ship to Chicago. This is especially painful for Zuch, who can buy almost any beer his heart desires at the local Binny's--just not his favorite one. Fortunately, I was passing through Madison a few weeks back and picked us up some Dancing Man at the local Woodman's.

Tonight I finally got my first taste, and I can now declare it MBB consensus: This shit's fantastic.

The foam explodes from the bottom of the glass on the pour, so this is one of those rare instances I'd stress appropriate glassware--a 23-ounce weizen glass--or else be very careful to pour it slowly. The first six ounces might be enough to overtop a pint glass with the foam.

The aroma is typical for a hefeweizen--ripe banana first, clove second, and also some lilac, I think. On the taste, the order reverses--clove comes first, then banana, with bubblegum up near the top. It finishes with a little bitterness--more vegetable than citrus--similar to a turnip. Once the sip goes down the throat, your mouth tastes like you just took a nip off the bottle of vanilla extract. If you're a liqueur drinker, Dancing Man might remind you of Galliano. For best results, sip generously at the middle of your tongue, and swish it back in symmetry.

If this beer could be brewed at a slightly lower ABV--maybe 6.5ish% as opposed to its 7.2%--without compromising any of the flavor, I would consider it perfect. I could taste the alcohol a little more than I'd have liked, especially on the first two sips. Otherwise, I have no complaint.

Grade: S, for soothing. It's like a massage or a warm bath or a prescription sedative. Delicious, light, easy to drink, and just enough alcohol to put you in a happy place. Make that two enthusiastic thumbs up from this blog.

Favorite Wheat Beers

A good summer style, wheat based beers like Hefeweizens and pale wheat ales fit nicely in the middle of a good session (especially in warmer weather).  Also, this style is a very palatable for those beer drinkers that do not lust over hops and just want a flavorful, yet drinkable beer.  Without further adieu, a few of my favorite wheat beers.

New Glarus Dancing Man Wheat (7.2% ABV)

It Dances In Your Mouth

Dancing Man has the highest alcohol content among my recommendations, but that does not deter you from enjoying the awesome flavors integrated in my favorite New Glarus brew (just a sign to not drink too many in one sitting, especially if you are driving). I love the cinnamon notes prevalent at first taste, with a solid body backing up the initial spice flavors.  Illinois readers, make the trek up 94 and hit the Woodman's in Kenosha while this summer seasonal remains in stock.  Wisconsin readers, you have been depriving yourself if you have yet to pick up this perfect summer beer.  This beer has an A rating among my fellow hop heads at Beer Advocate without possessing a major hop presence.

Bell's Oberon (5.8% ABV)

Great Summer Beer, Readily Available

Not consuming it at every bar I see it at this summer (and trying to avoid bars where this is the only option or one of a precious few good options), I have grown to enjoy Oberon again.  For me, Oberon is the perfect ballpark beer, meant to be enjoyed outside during warmer weather.  A smooth drinker that leans more towards the pale ale side, Oberon has a balanced wheat taste blended with subtle citrus notes.  A good gatekeeper beer for those initially getting into craft brews, Oberon maintains its quality even with its greatly increased market penetration in the Midwest.

Summit Hefe Weizen (4.9% ABV)

Highly Recommended On Tap

One heads up, I much preferred this beer on tap and you will likely only see this on tap at places that focus on craft beers (at least for the non-Minnesota readers of the blog).  However, you can enjoy this out of the bottle, especially for the purposes of just having a beer or two and not participating in an all-out session.  A standard hefeweizen with citrus notes combining with a solid wheat body, this is another good beer in a line of consistently solid Summit offerings (and Summit is often one of the most affordable craft beers at $6-$8 per six pack).

Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen (4.8% ABV)

Another Great Sierra Nevada Offering

I definitely missed out on enjoying Kellerweis this summer as this is probably my second favorite wheat beer (next to Dancing Man).  I love the lemon flavor that immediately jumps to the surface, backed up by a balanced body that makes each sip consistently delicious.  Somewhere I will find and enjoy this on-tap, but in the meantime I should make a point to pick up a bottle or six when I need to re-stock my fridge.

Three Floyds Drunk Monk Hefeweizen (5.5% ABV)

A Great Find

A "tame" offering from my favorite Munster, IN crazy brewers, Drunk Monk is an excellent hefeweizen and I would love it if Three Floyds decided to bottle this during the spring or summer.  A nice combination of citrus and wheat flavors, this is definitely a beer that can be here the next minute, gone the next without much thought. There is no single dominant flavor that jumps to the surface (like cinnamon for Dancing Man and lemon for Kellerweis), but the balance of the brew is outstanding and for me this is the true Three Floyds summer beer.  This is the easily the hardest one of the group to find (it's tap only and distributed only to the best of beer bars), but should be celebrated if you can find it.

Honorable Mention

It's probably not for everyone, but Left Coast's Tangerine Wheat was a nice change of pace for me.  The tangerine power is very prevalent (some may say overpowering), but it went down very smoothly and works well as a change of pace from heavier beers.

I loved Founders Dumbohead (aka Founders Festival Wheat) during a small sampling of it, but it was a rare release that is not even a regular among Founders brewpub line-up.  Thought to be created as an homage to Gumballhead, it is much superior to its namesake.

I hope that New Glarus's Black Wheat re-enters their line-up at some point, as that was a fun and different beer and I would like to enjoy a pint size offering of this (just had a small sample like Dumbohead).