Acai Berry Wheat - Eel River Brewing Co.

williamjbauer

West Virginia

3.38/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

On tap served in a nonical pint glass

A - Pale gold with 1 finger white head moderate retention and good lacing

S - Wheat, berry, acai, raspberry

T - Follows nose, wheat backbone.

M - Light body, moderate carbonation, watery

O - Neat concept but average execution.

Serving type: on-tap

06-14-2012 17:00:10 | More by williamjbauer

kenito799

New York

3.75/5  rDev +22.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

5 oz pour in a flight at Yard House San Diego.

Medium amber color, not much lacing. Aroma is very fragrant with berries, a nice fresh smell, not artificial. Rather bland fizzy mouthfeel, but a god balance of wheat beer with fresh berry flavor, not sweet, the berries don't overwhelm. Fruit flavored beer is not my favorite style, but this is nice and refreshing, the berry flavro doesn't become annoying or tiring. Well done.

Serving type: on-tap

04-10-2011 22:39:18 | More by kenito799

cbarrett4

Oregon

1.23/5  rDev -59.8%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

This was hands down the worst beer of the day at the Oregon Brewers Festival. I don't know what possessed these guys to even pour tastes of this foul swill!

A - flat, weird color, looks like something a Klingon would drink.

S - medicinal. That's all. Like dimetapp or robitussin... sickly

T - so artificial and medicinal. Seriously... like taking medicine before bed

M - Light, but sticky... can't get flavor out of mouth...

D - I would rather drink Corona than this... at least Corona doesn't taste like anything.

Serving type: on-tap

08-11-2010 19:03:30 | More by cbarrett4

djbreezy

Washington

3.2/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

On-tap at NAOBF.

appearance - golden, clear, bubbly, low head, no retention

smell - various berries and wheat

taste - wheat, odd berry flavor tucked in there

mouthfeel - light, watery

drinkability - not much going on here, needs some body and flavor

Serving type: on-tap

06-29-2010 03:01:17 | More by djbreezy

BretSikkink

Mexico

3.15/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Golden with orange stippling below some sudsy white bubbles. Pretty much right down the middle of the American Light Beer spectrum. No haze.

Strong berry flavor - almost cider-like. Light and sweet, but light in a more aesthetic sense. The aroma is fairly strong, which bodes fairly well.

Tons of berry flavor - there are five of them in here, so there better be some flavor notes. Tastes, as you might imagine, like a fruit dessert with some pale wheat malt sweetness. No hops, little barley. Blueberry and acai (they are really similar) take the flavor lead, but nothing else really jumps up at me.

Super light and obviously made for the Discerning Lawn-Mower crowd. Nothing wrong with these beers, but I wish someone would make a Really Good Beer with fruit and wheat as ingredients.

Serving type: on-tap

04-17-2010 00:27:12 | More by BretSikkink

plaid75

New York

3.3/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

On draft at The Waterfront Ale House, Brooklyn, NYC.

Poured a light straw hue with a one finger foamy white head. There was decent retention and lacing.

The smell featured a light fragrant berry sweetness and a faint graininess.

The taste was clean and uneventful. No off flavors, but no wheat or berry either.

The mouthfeel was light, clean and carbonated.

Overall not a bad tasting beer, and certainly ideal for hot summer days. Not much going on flavorwise though.

Serving type: on-tap

05-11-2009 16:18:38 | More by plaid75

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.55/5  rDev +16%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

not as bad as the masses say, but a little too sweet to be refreshing. not sure how they did this either, im pretty sure you can only get powdered or concentrated acai berries in the united states, and that the fresh berries have very little to them other than skin. did eel river user a powder or what? id like to know. the beer itself pours a hazy orangey yellow color, a little unnatural looking, but there is a nice white head on top with acceptable retention. the nose is sweet, somewhere between blackberry and blueberry, with lots of malted wheat and unfiltered yeast. the flavor is about the same, but the sweetness of the fruit element is overtaking, very from concentrate sort of sugary aspect to it, overdone I think. could use a little more hops to crisp up the finish too. decent mouthfeel, light as hell, especially at only 4% abv. could be a great summer drink with a few modifications. I much preferred the bigger stuff from eel river, but props for this being organic.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2013 20:51:09 | More by StonedTrippin

twiggamortis420

Texas

3.08/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle pours a clear gold color with a fluffy cap of white head. Retention is average and the lacing light.

Nose is somewhere between blueberries and pomegranates on the fruit scale with some notable wheat tang to give it some sharpness.

Taste is lighter than expected with a grainy sweetness and a cardboardy-wheatiness. The berry flavors are there, but not a whole lot else going on. Not a bad beer, and the acai flavors are there, but just a bit too one-dimensional with the base beer being too light, boring and neutral.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 21:23:35 | More by twiggamortis420

Mora2000

Texas

3.28/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

The beer pours a golden color with a white head. The aroma is full of very sweet berries and a hint of wheat. I guess it might be acai, but I have no idea what that berry smells like. The flavor is similar. There is a lot of sweet berry notes, as well as a hint of wheat. The berries smell a bit like a combination of cherries and raspberries. Thin mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2012 05:04:54 | More by Mora2000

kylehay2004

Florida

3/5  rDev -2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: half finger frothy head on a pale golden body.

S: mild berry sweetness with light malts and wheat.

T: wheat and generic berry flavors. a little watery but refreshing.

M: light body and high carbonation.

Overall: pretty simple. I am unfamiliar with what acai berries should taste like but the berry is easy to detect in both aroma and taste.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2012 01:38:28 | More by kylehay2004

merc7186

New York

3.38/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I had this beer poured from a bomber bottle into a pint glass.

A: Hazy Orange/Golden Straw Hue, Passes Some Light, White Head Ring, No Lacing

S: Wheat, Strawberries

T: Lemon, Wheat, Mild Strawberry

M: Average Carbonation, Light to Medium Bodied, Semi Drying

Overall, the beer is pretty true to style and dry instead of sweet, very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2012 01:34:55 | More by merc7186

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.1/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Review from 6/2011 notes. Poured into a Black Raven pint glass. Pours a slightly hazy light orange yellow amber. Thin dissipating head with no lacing. Pungent aroma of fruit, presumably acai with a hint of wheat. Pleasant light acai fruit flavor that fades quickly. Only a hint of wheat or hops. Dry, faintly flavored finish. It tastes like this could be quite nice with a bit more flavor. Not bad for a low ABV, fruit flavored drink, but not something I'd go to for an ale.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 21:57:29 | More by LiquidAmber

grittybrews

Washington

3.33/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured a hazy, pale orange with a finger of bright white head. Sweet aroma of orange, berry, and honey with a touch of spice.

Moderate carbonation and a very light mouthfeel. Lemon and tart berry up front followed by a touch of wheat and more grainy/spicy notes on the finish.

Actually pretty tasty -- light and refreshing, though the berry becomes cloying after a while without a stronger malt backbone to balance things. A little too thin on the front end.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2012 02:46:41 | More by grittybrews

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.1/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This beer poured out as a hazy golden color, the head on top was white an kind of soapy looking. The smell of the beer is fruity, but not overly powerful on the nose. The taste of the beer is light, kind of on the weak side, it's got some wheat flavors in there along with some of the Acai Berry flavors. The mouthfeel of the beer is light, watered down a bit and not really that impressive. Overall I wanted to try it since it was something I never had before. I can't say I'll ever buy it again but I'm happy to have tried it.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2011 01:51:01 | More by Knapp85

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +30.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

First had: bottle from Pinocchio's beer garden, Media, PA

Poured into a Pinocchio's stem glass a light straw-yellow, with a slight haze, and a nice puff of white head that receded to almost nothing. Grainy aroma, typical wheat profile, accented with sweet acai berries (a fruit I've only otherwise sampled in some flavored water drink). Flavorwise, it delivers what it promises: a tangy wheat beer, with acai. Smooth and mellow, and sweet, but not sickeningly sweet. Very nice fruit beer. Light body and overall quite drinkable; I'd get it again.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2011 18:28:17 | More by Rifugium

mralphabet

Virginia

3.1/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle poured into a pint glass.

A: Very light copper color, little cloudy with about 2 fingers of fluffy head that dissipated pretty quickly. Very little lacing.

S: Smell is sweet and tart, mix of berries and wheat.. not hops at all...

T: First thing I'm getting is that sweet yet tart Acai berries flavor followed by wheat and yeast... aftertaste is light.

M: Beer is crisp and easy to drink.... carbonation is pretty high but not bad for the style.

O: Pretty average for a beer of this type.... The Acai berries add a tartness.... little different from Raspberries in that it is a little sweeter.... worth a try...

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2011 04:56:40 | More by mralphabet

AleWatcher

Illinois

2/5  rDev -34.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

This looks like a pale gold BMC lager... Head vanished quickly.

The nose holds little wheat, and not a whole lot i notice as acai, but there are berries-- perhaps blackberries, blueberries and raspberries? The flavor has a weird skunky cologne quality to it. Not very sweet, but lots of berry flavor.

The body is thin and overcarbed.

Overall, this is simply not a beer I want to drink again.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2011 03:20:44 | More by AleWatcher

magictacosinus

California

2.85/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured into a flute glass from a bottle with no freshness date.

A: Surprisingly, it looks like a less effervescent version of champagne, and is very clear and golden in color - which is strange as açaí usually contains a strong purple hue. While it apparently contains wheat, the beer does not foam that much and loses its large carbonated head as it warms.

S: The scent of açaí is clearly present, as well as cane sugar - which retains a nice, sweet smell. Unfortunately, the smell of yeast is hard to make out on the nostrils, as well as hops.

T: While the beer is refreshing on a first gulp, it is more reminiscent of champagne stylized soda (such as Brazilian guarana drinks) than actual beer. Nevertheless, it holds a watery touch on the palate with a sweet tingle that lasts only momentarily. I'm a hop fanatic, and to my disappointment cannot make out noticeable trace of hoppiness in this beer. It is far less fruitier than I expected it to be.

M: Nicely bubbly for what it is. However, there is an underwhelming sensation due to the low maltiness and hops. Any tingling sensation on the tongue can be attributed to its high carbonation. While it has a bitter aftertaste, it still is a bit too flat.

O: Hate to say this, but this brew is essentially a poor man's lambic beer. It's a breezy brew for the summer and contains novelty tasting in its strange blend. However, I would
not pick this one up again. Here's hoping there's more easily accessible açaí blends for me to purchase near me!

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2011 05:30:03 | More by magictacosinus

JayTheFinn

California

3.65/5  rDev +19.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pretty light flavor. I taste the acai, but it's not strong. Just a hint of it mixed in with the wheat. Good sweetness level with fruity/berry overtones. This would be a good "dessert" beer for warm summer days. I had this at a fondue restaurant and it paired well with the many and varied flavors of the food we had, which ranged all over meat, seafood and veggies. Overall I give this a thumbs up.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2011 05:37:35 | More by JayTheFinn

Nerudamann

Arizona

3.03/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass.

Look - clear, somewhat dark golden in color, with little to no foam.

Smell - I'm not very familiar with the acai berry, but this has a pungent (not necessarily bad) smell somewhat close to the sorghum beers.

Taste and Mouthfeel - the taste is mostly just like the smell, only it definitely now has more of a "berry" like quality. A little crisp toward the back of the palate. Texture is a little toward the watery side, but not too bad.

Overall - not a bad brew, and not bad tasting in my opinion, but also not terribly interesting.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2011 03:38:38 | More by Nerudamann

shand

Florida

3.15/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 12oz stubby into a Sam Adams perfect pint.

This brew pours a a fairly dark color for a wheat, this one's closer to an orange than anything else. Head is small and doesn't retain or lace, this one winds up looking more like juice than beer after a couple of minutes. The aroma is full of sweet Acai berries and a bit of fairly unappealing wheat. The taste is very fruity without getting too sweet, there's a decent level of tartness in here. The wheat just hangs out in the back. Mouthfeel is crisp, and drinkability is alright. A pretty good fruit beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2011 02:52:32 | More by shand

zeledonia

Minnesota

2.53/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Picked this up on super-discount, as the brewery is apparently pulling out of Minnesota.

Pours a very clear golden-orange. About one finger of off-white head, sponge-like with mostly big bubbles. Head fades fast, leaving no lacing whatsoever. One nice stream of bubbles rising up from the bottom of the glass.

Smell is dominated by sweet, pungent fruit, which I have to assume is acai. It's a pleasant, full fruit aroma, kinda like berries, but without the sweet finish. There's a hint of a beer behind that, but not much.

Taste starts out fruity but not sweet. It's an odd fruitiness, very thin and slightly tangy. Then a bit of bitterness drifts in and is quickly gone (not really hop-like, kinda tastes like a pill tablet). I get only a tiny hint of wheat. Finish is surprisingly dry and crisp.

Light-bodied with fizzy, tingly, hyperactive carbonation. Finish is watery.

This is an odd beer, more like carbonated fruit juice. And the fruit isn't really the kind I'd choose to give the reins of a beer to. It's okay, but there's not a whole lot to recommend it.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2011 02:01:22 | More by zeledonia

Seanibus

California

3.6/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I have to be honest and admit that I really wanted to hate this beer, what with all the hoohaw about Acai as this miracle food/drug. Big whatever. But to my surprise I kind of like this. It's a litte fruity and frilly for my hop- hardened palate, but it's refreshing and tasty.

Pours a radiant golden with a huge white head, though that drops away to nothing with disapponting speed. The aroma is sweet and fruity, but very difficult to describe. Like raspberry and cherry and blackberry, but unlike them as well. It is bright and sparkly. If Hello Kitty had a beer, this might be it. The flavor is a little less pink and happy, but that berry and tropical fruit thing keeps going. Not much wheat flavor in there, but a little. The finish has some asprin bitterness and a grape-like tannic bite and the mouthfeel is sparkly and prickly, more like a fruity champagne than beer.

God help me, but I think this is good, at least as far as it goes.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2011 23:48:10 | More by Seanibus

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.45/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Eel River Certified Organic Acai Berry Wheat. Product of Northern California, 12 fl. oz., 4.0 % alc/vol.
No gobbledygook on the label, so I'm utterly unaware and unimpressed by the who, what, where and why of the acai berry. Just happy to drink it. Let's go.

Hazed golden color, slimmish, but staying, white head. Prolific bubblation.

Sweetness and fruit in the nose. If you expect me to pinpoint the fineries of the acai berry, it ain't about to happen. Sweet, soft, lush, and lovely.

Drinking it: Soft, light, and fruity. Minor mouthfeel and texture. Minor and light are the watchwords, here. They keep on coming, in place of any other words that will not come.

A little sweet, a little fruity, light, wheat, breezy.

You could do worse.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2011 00:33:46 | More by feloniousmonk

Khazadum

Illinois

1.68/5  rDev -45.1%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Blind Beer #6! Another day, another set of dollars, and an enriched thirst for something alcoholic and tasty. This one was suggested to crack into a pint glass.

Low generation of head, low retention, tons of carbonation... GIANT bubbles forming around the glass. Dilute urine yellow with orange tint that is almost clear to vision.

Tons of bread malt. A tad bit of generic apple flavoring off the hinge. Some minor grassy hops. Something unusual as well .... Its... almost a dry, spice that has gone stale stored in tupperware leaking phthalates.

Oh this is bad. Bitter beer face has some back to haunt me! What am I? Twelve sneaking beer again from my dad? Gosh... this tastes absolutely off... Bad... Awful even. Starts watered down biscuit malt. Literally take a biscuit, break off a piece and smash it with some water and I bet that tastes better than this. Following that is what I swear could be hops. It has maybe a wheat characteristic, but I'm trying to hope for the best with this beer and maybe inventing flavors. Hell, the bitterness is so mild it could be my imagination that this thing has hops. Finish is that biscuit malt flavor lingering, morphing slowly into cardboard. Acrid aftertaste of plaque as well. Something... berry that is infused with plasticizers?

Crisp opening dissipates readily in my oral cavity. Thin, sticky flavors unfortunately, watery. Just plain flat disappointing. It has more similarities to tainted water than anything else.

This beer is definitely the killshot. I do not like. I hope to goodness this... lager? is the killshot, hah. It has few flavor characteristics I like. Few improvements in the nose. Nothing in the mouthfeel to offset the negative characteristics elsewhere. This was just a big disappointment. However, I knew what I was getting into with this BIF, so it isn't as huge disappointment as it could have been. What is this beer tonight...

Acai Berry Wheat... Well there was an occasional berry-like flavor... and the malt of the wheat makes sense. Thanks for this kill-tick!

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2011 04:19:58 | More by Khazadum