Sand Creek Brewing Co. - Lilja's Wisconsin Heifer Weizen

Time to honor one of the foundations of craft beer, drinking from a small brewery of which I have never heard.  Now the label of this beer has a lot of jokes/puns on it (Heifer Weizen, "Brewed Behind The Cheddar Curtain," a cow saying "Got beer?", a tiny caption reading "ylnevaeh spoh"), but it is all rather distracting.  Besides the fact that Cheddar is a English cheese in origin (yes, I am aware of Wisconsin's dairy prowess) and that "ylnevaeh spoh" is simply "heavenly hops" spelled backwards (not exactly an inside joke), I had a hard time finding the name of the actual brewer!

At first I thought "Lilja's" would be correct, then I found something that listed "Pangeabeers.com," and THEN I had to read the part of the label way off to the side that read, "Brewed by Sand Creek Brewing Co."  I like a joke on the label (and clever marketing) as much as the next guy, but how are you supposed to promote your brewery when I can barely find the name on the bottle?

Anyway, rant aside, I love a good beer.  Especially hefes and especially good beer from Wisconsin.  This beer has the excellent potential to be both.  Let's pour!

Picture is my own.  Bottle art image used without permission for educational uses only.

Aroma 6/12
Not what one comes to expect from a hefe.  In fact, the "banana-y" smell is almost nonexistent.  What the aroma does provide is more sour than sweet.  This leads one to believe a high citrus base, but without the sugary goodness that normally accompanies it.  The sour mixes with a grassy hop smell with the wheat showing up from time to time.  It is dominated by sour and grass.  An odd combination which is not to style and makes me a bit wary.

Appearance 2/3
My initial "sniffing pour" (2-3 oz) poured  crystal clear.  This had me very concerned until I poured the rest of the bottle and it clouded up accordingly.  In fact, there was a lot of tasty sediment at the bottom and I made sure to get every last drop.  It pours a cloudy earth-tone yellow with a sound amount of cream white head to top it.  No lacing, but the head stuck around long enough to not let me gripe about it.

Picture is my own.

Flavor 12/20
The first flavor to arrive is that of spice.  Unfortunately, it is not coriander and clove (though those are present), it is a more pepper and clove mix.  This, when combined with the bitter of the hops, give the main palate of this beer a very unusual flavor for the style.  The sweetness is almost completely overpowered and is only shines through in the finish and aftertaste.  When it does, it tastes like a hefe should: sweet, banana, wheat deliciousness.  Until you get to that point, you are in for a bit of a surprise.  The only sweetness I detected in the primary flavor was that of lemon and even that may have been based in coriander and the sweetness of the wheat itself.  Not to style.

Mouthfeel 3/5
Body was adequate and the carbonation was a bit high for the style.  Not exactly the creamy treat one usually hopes for in a hefe, but it also had a hint of warmth.  I am seldom disappointed by warmth when I find it, even if it is only a bit.

Overall Impression 5/10
This particular brew is not appropriate to style in several categories.  The smell is not sweetly inviting and intoxicating, the flavor is spicy, barely sweet, and almost bitter, and the mouthfeel eliminates the creaminess which so often compliments the fruity, estery goodness that is a good hefe.

Total  29/50 (Good)
I appreciate a good variation on a style as much as the next man, but I am not even sure what to call this particular style.  It has all the spiciness of a winter seasonal (though different spices) and the (albeit muted) fruity taste and cloudiness of a hefe.  It is definitely an odd combination and not entirely pleasing.  We drink hefes because they are also everything we want in a life-mate: sweet, smells nice, and goes down easy.  I feel that this brewer tried to make a more balanced version of a hefe (of which I would approve), but overspiced it and got a little to proud of their "heavenly hops."  I sure their hops may just be heavenly, but that does not mean they get to maintain their lofty position in this particular style.

I'll definitely pass on this offering if I found it again, but I'm more than willing to try more brews from a small brewer who is trying to make something different than the norm.  Keep trying, Sand Creek!

Harpoon - Winter Warmer

First off, you may be thinking that it is a tad late in the year to be reviewing winter seasonal beers.  You may be right, but let me defend my decision by saying that the bottle clearly states, "Best by 03/15/11."  So not only is this bottle at its best, but it is my duty to drink it before it becomes otherwise.  This beer was recommended to me by a friend during the holiday season and I had tried it then and enjoyed it.  I recently came upon it again and decided to give it a thorough evaluation.  Thank you Kelly for the bottle and Jim for the suggestion!  Lets pour.

Picture is my own.  Bottle art image used without permission for educational uses only

Aroma 8/12
The spice smell is super present, but not so much that you cannot detect notes of sweetness underneath.  The malt is of bread and carmel - maybe even a bit toasted.  There must be a fairly complex malt at work here, I only wish I could detect it through the spice.  The hops could be present (and earthy if so), but I think I'm merely smelling the spices again.

Appearance 2/3
The color is fantastic for a winter seasonal.  A warm dark color like pure maple syrup.  It is bright and clear with a nice tan head.  The head dissipates quickly and leaves only a collar with no lacing.  Its texture while present is light and smooth.  EBC is about 36.

Picture is my own.

Flavor 15/20
The aroma is not lying; there is an abundance of spices in this beer and they are the first thing to greet you from the glass.  It is followed by the sweet, lightly toasty malts, whose flavors make up the majority of this beer.  This beer has a lightly hoppy finish to try and balance out all the malt and leaves a pleasant bitter aftertaste.  The sweetness of the malt plus the spicy cinnamon are almost reminiscent of orchard bought apple cider.  Please do not take that to mean there are any fruity esters in this beer.  It is simply a connection that my brain finds unavoidable.

Mouthfeel 4/5
This beer features a combination that is tough to beat: a nice medium body, but light enough to be drinkable.  The carbonation is just fine, though some might find carbonation this high to be more appropriate in a summer seasonal.  It hints at warmth, but again, I believe that to be the cinnamon playing games.

Overall Impression  7/10
Spices?  Check.  Sweetness?  Check.  That should be all you need, right?  I wish that I could say so.  It is a darn tasty beer, but feel it relies to much on its one strength - spice.  In fact, this beer may be substituting "spice" for "dark."  Winter is time for the nut brown ales and doppelbocks to rear their heads and sweetness usually takes a backseat to darkly roasted malts.  This is not the case here.  Both are present, but Harpoon's priorities to be inverse from the norm.

Total 36/50
While both this beer's spiciness and sweetness do make a great winter seasonal, the beer could be improved with a bit more balance.  I would love to have more carmely malt notes shining through the flavor.  Can we not give the spice as much importance?  Could we invite some earthy/woody hops?  That said, I would have no problem sharing a sixer of this at a holiday gathering.  This beer earns a "very good" ranking and my recommendation to sample it this winter.