Smuttynose Wheat Wine (Big Beer Series) - Smuttynose Brewing Company

Pahn

New York

4.38/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle into Duvel tulip. Bottle funnily informs us that it was "bottle conditioned in 2009".

Sidenote: this is the first wheatwine I've tried, so I don't know what to expect.

Appearance: Free pour fails to yield a head, instead leaving a small foam ring around the surface of the glass that gradually dissipates to almost nothing. Pours a clear reddish amber, and leaves no lacing.

Smell: Whoa, from the bottle and the glass there's a huge aroma of raisin and caramel, somewhat reminiscent of J.W. Lees Harvest Ale or Hair of the Dog Fred. My expectations rise and my attention perks up a bit when a beer smells like this. As the beer warms, the smell gets more cakelike, and gradually boozier. Not very complex, but very inviting.

Taste: Raisin and caramel, very similar to the smell; delicious. There's a nice, kind of tannic, raisin skin character in the middle leading to a just-aggressive-enough hop bitterness that takes you through to the bready, toasty finish. Aftertaste is great, and sticks around for a long time along with some noticeable alcohol warmth.

Some wheat influence pops up as the beer warms, but mainly this beer tastes like a well done, hoppier-than-usual English barleywine. There aren't too many different flavors happening, but the balance and character of what's there is really excellent.

Mouthfeel: Fuller side of medium bodied. Light carbonation. Juicy and creamy at the same time. Pretty much perfect for the flavor, and very enjoyable.

Drinkability: My only complaint here is that I want to savor it, but I can't stop drinking it. With one glass this beer instantly graduates to "go-to beer" and will be incorporated into regular rotation in my refrigerator.

I had no idea this beer would taste like this... I expected something like a caramely double white, or maybe an American barleywine with some wheat influence, both of which sound at least interesting. What I got was a well-crafted beer suited exactly to my tastes. Another exceptional beer from Smuttynose, and a great complement to their hoppy, tropical-fruit oriented Barleywine in the "Big Beer Series".

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2010 03:11:59 | More by Pahn

juliusseizure

New York

3.5/5  rDev -8.9%

05-15-2013 18:12:15 | More by juliusseizure

mtbdonn

United Kingdom (England)

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

05-06-2013 18:03:50 | More by mtbdonn

thebouch01

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +4.2%

04-21-2013 22:45:03 | More by thebouch01

BrownAleMale

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

04-17-2013 06:12:29 | More by BrownAleMale

Rempo

Indiana

4/5  rDev +4.2%

04-16-2013 21:01:54 | More by Rempo

DaPan

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +4.2%

04-11-2013 16:46:56 | More by DaPan

pcguitarwzrd

Florida

3.68/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

A: Copper orange, slightly hazy, off-white head. If I didn't know better, I have sworn I was looking at a DIPA.

S: Sweet caramel toffee malt, wheat, vanilla/oak, maybe a little booze.

T: Powerful vanilla and oak flavors, a little nudge of hops at the end. Leans toward being too sweet.

M: Medium body, not highly carbonated, a little sting of booze.

O: An interesting beer, but probably not something I could drink often.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 22:55:51 | More by pcguitarwzrd

Lukass

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +17.2%

04-05-2013 23:14:32 | More by Lukass

lovindahops

New York

4.5/5  rDev +17.2%

03-29-2013 20:12:42 | More by lovindahops

jderosia603

New Hampshire

3.5/5  rDev -8.9%

03-28-2013 14:51:51 | More by jderosia603

aranton

New York

3/5  rDev -21.9%

03-26-2013 22:03:21 | More by aranton

Sparky44

Illinois

4/5  rDev +4.2%

03-24-2013 21:22:46 | More by Sparky44

brheuer

New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev +17.2%

03-24-2013 20:57:07 | More by brheuer

skaboom420

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +4.2%

03-16-2013 00:00:23 | More by skaboom420

montrealbcr89

Quebec (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -8.9%

03-12-2013 01:25:10 | More by montrealbcr89

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

First had: on tap at Portsmouth Brewing Company

And probably the best beer I had there.

Hazy amber pour with a ringlet of white bubbles. Aroma of toasted bread, caramel malts, light stone fruits. The taste reflected the smell, caramel malts, fairly sweet, toasted bread, notes of soft fruits, pear and peach, nice citrus/herbal hop presence. Smooth mouthfeel, medium body, low-medium carbonation, and quite drinkable overall.

Serving type: on-tap

02-23-2013 23:08:31 | More by Rifugium

brureview

Massachusetts

4.68/5  rDev +21.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Update: cellared 2012 bottle 2/21/13.

Different review: poured in a snifter, incredible wafting aroma of toffee. No head to speak of-1/2 finger. Honey color. Carbonation upfront, but pleasant.

A strong toffee presence in the taste. As the beer warms up, it's like candy. Sweet and rich. Not very overwhelming presence of alcohol increases the overall complexity of the beer.

Great Beer to cellar.

Original review in May 2012

Poured in an oversized wine glass. Served at 52 F.

Beautiful light tea color with a one finger head wafting honey and lemon. There is a very pleasant mouth feel which is not too carbonated.

The taste is excellent: there is some alcoholic presence. Honey, lemon, and other spices make a strong distinctive finish.

Overall: an excellent beer. I especially like the moderate mouth feel balanced with the accentuated finish. Looking forward to drinking again.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2013 02:03:23 | More by brureview

pathman

Ohio

4.75/5  rDev +23.7%

02-16-2013 19:47:20 | More by pathman

marlinsfan4

Maryland

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

02-10-2013 21:16:05 | More by marlinsfan4

PeteRiz

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

02-09-2013 18:03:29 | More by PeteRiz

BMan33

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +10.7%

02-09-2013 04:30:41 | More by BMan33

vonnegut21

New York

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

02-09-2013 00:22:59 | More by vonnegut21

FosterJM

California

3.56/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

1715th Review on BA
Bottle to Wine Glass
22oz

2012 Release

App- Was more along the lines of a American Barleywine with a deep and rusty looking orange. When this poured out, it had a good amount of bubbles, but didnt have a any cling lines. The beer itself, was a bit glowing orange with a bit of a darker center.

Smell- American barleywine is all I got on this one. More of a thick nose but didnt carry the booze notes either. The aromas are of deep hops and a bit bitter. A large amount of fermenting oranges is there with only a touch of balance and malts behind it.

Drink- Its a nice beer, but I was really thinking it would have more of that citra hops tropical balance that say Harvest dance had or not being BBA more of a flavor akin to White Chocolate from the Bruery. I liked the hops and the malt balance but needed more to it. A nice flavor but a bit too citrus zest forward.

Mouth- A nice and solid medium body with a medium carbonation level. A bit creamy and a bit malty on the finish. A little bit of pepper as well but not unpleasant.

Drink- It was flavorful and pretty good, just wanted more. I like what Smuttynose does.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2013 23:22:12 | More by FosterJM

DmanGTR

New York

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

01-30-2013 13:41:45 | More by DmanGTR