Latest Reviews

Double Dry Hopped pseudoSue
Toppling Goliath
Modus Vivendi
Wild Beer Co.
Spaceman
Brewfist

Recent Articles

Outdoor Winter Tippling Tips
Stay safe from the pandemic and stay warm with these winter patio drinking tactics. Shameless
Craft brewer sellouts become as tone-deaf and underhanded as their new overlords. Great Taste Eve
Check out the burgeoning Madison beer scene the night before the best fest in country. Good Beer Makes Good Conversation
The effects of drinking beer worth talking about. The Beers of Walmart
The largest retailer in the world now has its own line of beers. archives »

Beer Reviews

Black Wheat

New Glarus Brewing Company
New Glarus, WI
USA
http://www.newglarusbrewing.com/

Style: Dunkelweizen
ABV: 5.75%

Eddie’s Rating:
   (Outstanding within its style.)


Comments:
The very first batch of beer I home brewed was a dunkelweiss—a dark wheat beer. It was a ridiculously simple recipe, extract without even any specialty grains … and it was awesome. To this day I’m still a huge fan of dunkels. So, needless to say, I was pickled tink that New Glarus was putting out another take on the style, the last being their kick ass Copper Kettle Weiss, a fairly direct but phenomenally tasty dunkel. Their latest version, Black Wheat, on the other hand, boasts a bigger body with some roasted malt in the grist to really mix things up.

The pour is a super-dark bronze with a MASSIVE, rocky, light hazel-colored head. A big aroma wafts off this giant pile of foam, a fusion of bananas, cloves, and cocoa. An effusive and enticing nose.

I take a sip and … what the …? Are those roasted malt notes? Strong roasted malt notes? Right up front? Yes. Strong roasty-toasty toffee flavors come up right off the bat, then retreat into a comparatively watery middle. The finish is long as Hell for an otherwise restrained wheat brew, with chocolate notes everywhere. At the very, very end are definite hints of smokiness, which is really wild for a wheat beer, but it works. If you really search for it you’ll find that spiciness indicative in Bavarian yeast strains, but overall it’s pretty much hidden under the malt.

Black Wheat is a complex but smooth entry into the dunkelweiss field. The watery middle makes it not as “chewy” as the bottle copy proclaimed, but this beer is declicious nonetheless. Once again New Glarus not only presents us with an expertly crafted beer, but puts its own spin on it to make the style its own. Another reason why this is one of the best breweries in the world.

Reviewed by Eddie Glick on April 8, 2009.

Drinkin’ And Thinkin’

Beer Dorks News

Want to know how healthy the craft beer industry is? As always, look to Portland. Craft pioneer Bridgeport announces sudden closure, adding to a growing list of PDX casualties. Did Anheuser-Busch Chicago offer their shit beer to Cody Parkey before his missed field goal? Because that may explain why he "accidentally" biffed it. Chicago now has the most breweries of any city in the country. Other things Chicago has the most of: murders, mobsters, and Ditkas. Trying to spin it positive, BA releases end of year graphic. Only 5% growth in the craft sector when nearly 1000 new breweries opened? That's a collapse waiting to happen. R.I.P. Tallgrass... another casualty as the regional/national craft beer market continues to get squeezed. Wait... Constellation Brands cut all of the Ballast Point and Funky Buddha sales staff? They merged it with their Corona/Modelo staff?? We're SHOCKED!!! Pizza Beer founder crying about failure of company, blames everyone else. Reminder, the beer tasted like vomit. Try having better ideas or making better products so you're not a failure. It's Bud Light so doesn't really matter, but we expect this beer to be sitting around for awhile. Indiana brewery to open with controversial beer names to "get the conversation going". Translation: taking advantage of serious issues for free publicity. Hundreds of amazing beers in Wisconsin and the Cubs took back the one everyone drinks just because it exists and people have heard of it. How fitting...