Lagunitas Brewing Co: a Little Sumpin' Sumpin' ale

It seems these days like people's tastes shift as often as do the winds...

If you've been reading my posts for awhile you may have guessed that I didn't create that last sentence. Laguintas Brewing Company spawned that proverb. While, I didn't write it, I generally agree with the sentiment. People's preferences these days seem to change on a whim. Beer preferences included. And I'm not immune to this global phenomem. I find myself obsessed with pale ales and then a week later won't drink anything but an amber lager.

And then shortly after, I'll drive 'cross town just to get my hands on a good American blond ale. Why? I'm not really sure. But breweries understand the concept.

Lagunitas Brewing Co, is one of the best California breweries at producing a wide variety of 'seasonal' and 'limited relase' beers. To match the tastes of the season and simply to mix up the traditional tastes they provide for the consumers, Laguintas always, and I mean always, has a seasonal beer on the shelves. On my latest beer run I noticed, "a Little Sumpin' Sumpin' ale", "Hop Stoopid", and "Undercover Investigation Shutdown ale" all in the beer aisle complimenting the traditional Laguinitas offerings. And I gotta say, I'm a fan of this trend. While it can be annoying to grow attached to a seasonal beer that is only available for 4 months outta the year, the anticipation of waiting for that brew and the ability to sample new creations far outweighs the cons.

As for "a Little Sumpin' Sumpin' ale", I picked up this brew because I had simply never tried it before. Not surprising, I enjoy sampling and reviewing new beers. I'll pretty much try any offering from Lagunitas as I love most of their beer. Sumpin' Sumpin' is a pale wheat with a ton of bite. While the wheat flavors are present, Lagunitas manages to work in incredible amounts of pine flavors and alcohol tastes. To be quite honest, it wasn't what I was expecting from this wheat based brew. Most American wheats are thin, mellow, and weak and this is anything but. On a blind taste test you could easily convince the drinker that it was a double IPA. Even with all the pine resin and booze bite there are some candied sugar flavors and a prominent wheat aroma to cut the strong kick.

While I'm not sure I agree with Lagunitas' decision to make this 7.3% ale a summer seasonal, it's a nice change of pace. And seeing how my beer tastes change frequently I might grab another sometime in future. Cheers.

Unibroue: Don de Dieu

Unibroue's next featured "strong" in the taster pack is Don de Dieu. It's a triple wheat, and very tart and fruity, with a hint of peach or fig. Despite its strong flavor, the aftertaste is quite clean.

We here at 801 on Tap love Belgians, and all thing Belgian-styled. While Unibroue has excellent variety and flavors, we've found many of them tend to blend together. Don't get me wrong, they're all fantastic beers, but they become hard to distinguish after a while: they're all unfiltered and strong flavored. Don de Dieu is flavorful and has a wonderful aroma. But it still feels like the rest of Unibroue's selection: strong and pleasing to the palate. But it remains undistinguishable.

I'm a big fan of Fin du Monde or Blanche de Chambly. But unfortunately Unibroue's other beers just haven't done it for me. As we delve deeper into the taster pack, we respect their efforts but don't stand apart from the rest.

Anderson Valley Brewing Co: High Rollers Wheat

While it's getting dark very early and most of the leaves are changing colors and falling off the trees, it's still hot out here. I don't know why, but as long as this weather keeps up I need to cool down. I was in wine country over the weekend and it was a toasty 77 degrees. One of my favorite ways to regulate my body temperature is to have a nice cold class of beer. Yes, even in wine country. So I picked up a sixer of Anderson Valley's High Rollers wheat. Most of Anderson's offerings are quite good so I'd decided to give this beer a chance to cool me down.

On first look the beer is very clear with almost no head. It's not like many cloudy pale wheats you'll find on the market. I think AVBC went with a clear wheat ale because they are trying to make a very refreshing beer. Just what I needed.

The bottle label recommends adding a lemon wedge to this brew to enhance the taste. I wouldn't recommend that addition at all, because the beer already has a pronounced lemon citrus flavor. It tastes as if it is brewed with a splash of lemon. The aftertaste is very buttery with a pale wheat finish. Therefore despite this beer's lemony flavor, the extended taste of the body will remind you that this isn't a Belgian witbier. It's not sharp and no coriander flavors are present. AVBC doesn't make a witbier so there should be no problem of confusing this beer with any other of Anderson's offerings. I'm still working my way through all this brewery's brews and most have been quite good. This one is not as complex as some of their heartier ales, but for what it is, it works. Therefore, I think this is a beer that most people, regardless their personal palate, can enjoy.

So while most beer and grocery stores are promoting every type of winter warmer and other cold weather beers, unless it gets cold out west, I'll continue to mix in an occasional wheat beer. And probably share it with others. Stay cool. Cheers.

Samuel Adams: Summer Ale

After my somewhat poor review of the previous local brew's white ale, I stumbled across an extra couple of Sam Adams' latest seasonal brew in my fridge. While summer is still quite a way's away, we were given a taste of it here in Boston a week ago. As per normal New England weather, the climate quickly shifted back to normal (rainy, cold), but that doesn't mean I won't take up a chance to sample what will come.

Despite an ugly bottle (brown, yellow, and blue? Come now, guys), I was pleasantly surprised by Sam Adams' latest seasonal attempt. It's a pale wheat ale, and has a wonderfully cloudy and heady pour. While light, it remains crisp and bready, with a light citrusy aftertaste that is quite refreshing. I definitely see myself drinking more of these on my porch come summer. While not overly pronounced in flavor, it definitely doesn't stick to your tongue, my biggest complaint with their spring-time witbier.

I think one of the best things about this beer is that it simply doesn't make me thirsty after drinking it. It's crisp and refreshing, great for late summer bbqs and the warm and humid summer evenings. So while not overly flavorly, I still appreciate their effort at making a tasty and light beer. I think I can finally say I've found a Sam Adams beer that I'll actually ask for at a bar, so hopefully it'll be available on tap. As for all you west coasters, keep an eye out for it at your local packie, bodega, or whatever you kids out there call the local boozery.