The pale ales were all gone, and though some pad thai still remained we needed to soldier on to the next beer style: wheat beers. Like the other categories in this tasting this one also has an “odd man out”. Two of the beers are German hefeweizens and one is an American wheat.
Wheat Beers
1. Muskoka Hefe-Weissbier – Bracebridge, ON – 5% abv – can
The Muskoka Hefe is one of my go-to beers for stocking the fridge in the summer. Full of beautiful esters creating flavours of cloves, citrus, banana and bubble gum it is complimented by a subtle hop profile and caramel and bready malts. Unfiltered, it pours a golden haze with a fluffy white head. When describing this beer to others I often indicate the flavours are very vibrant and ‘colourful’.
2. Great Lakes Miami Weiss – Toronto, ON – ? abv – bottle
Since this American wheat ale was the odd one out I thought it would sandwich it between the hefeweizens (hefeweisses?). This choice was also unfiltered and was quite bubbly. There were two notable qualities to this ale that separates it from its German counterpart: by design it has less esters and is considerably more hopped. The Project X conceived Miami Weiss is generously hopped (as well as dry hopped) with noble hops and has a spicy, grassy quality to the nose and palette. Grapefruit qualities are also a big part of this beer’s character.
*BREWERY FRESH!
3. Denison’s Weissbier – Toronto, ON – 5.4% abv – can
What else can be said about a locally produced, world-class beer that hasn’t already been said? This Ontarian draft staple was released in cans in 2009 and this meant it would only take a fraction of the time to get the tasty hefeweizen to my lips compared to heading to my local. Unfiltered and filled with wonderful spicy, cloveyy, and banana-y esters this weissbier is slightly tart yet mellow. In contrast to the above noted Muskoka hefeweiss the overall profile would be a little more refined. Hot weather, cold weather – this beer is always a treat in any weather.
*BREWERY FRESH!
Food pairing: Bruschetta with grilled Halloumi
When trying to plan this pairing I over-thought it. I was trying too hard to find a food item to match well with the properties of the wheat beer. It was not until the 11th hour that I realized I was on the wrong track: I was trying to find a food to go with the beer. I concluded that wheat beer goes with just about anything! So for this pairing this bruschetta was a) reasonably simple to make, b) did not have conflicting flavours with the beer and c) was incredibly delicious. The food and drink did not have any flavours that were too strong which would conflict with each other.
My winner:
I opted for the tried, tested and true. Denison’s Weissbier. It’s just so good.
Tasters poll winner: This one was a landslide! The hopped-up Great Lakes Miami Weiss took this one with 75% of the votes! This Project X brew was a great success – hopefully it makes it into their seasonal rotation!
Next, and last up: India Pale Ales…
Beer With Me 