Leinie Sunset Wheat: Just what You Need on a Hot Summer Evening
Written: Jun 21 '06
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: refreshing and mellow
Cons: unexpected astringency to finish
The Bottom Line: While Bell's Oberon Ale won't be looking over its shoulder at the competition, Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat is a solid performer in the American Wheat field.
|
|
|
| scmrak's Full Review: Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat |
For some reason, this summer finds me exploring the (surprisingly large) wheat beer section in the local bars and liquor stores - and the local Osco, if I have to be honest. That's where I stumbled across my latest wheaty acquisition, a twelve-pack that started its life but a few hundred miles to the north of my present abode. From the bustling little town of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, comes Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat. Long considered a staple of the frozen north, the Leinie family of brews is known for its eminently drinkable, if not necessarily top-shelf, small-batch output. I thought to myself, "What the heck!" and decided to put a twelve-pack to the test. Of course, it didn't hurt that Osco had it on sale for nine bucks - I do, after all, have a wee tad o' Scots blood...
How's it drink? Well, have a look at my Tasting Notes:
The Pour: Like your normal wheat beer Sunset Wheat pours with a persistent haze, although it wasn't necessary to do my usual bottle swirl to suspend the dead yeastie beasties that give it the haze. Color-wise, the beer's best described as a pale orange yellow; almost an apricot color. In my tall lager glass, the color shaded from pale at the base to darker at the top. My first pour resulted in a thick (1-1/2 inches) head of coarse bubbles, which disappeared fairly rapidly without leaving much lace.
The Nose: That first sniff yields an almost overpowering citrusy note with a faint floral background. I couldn't sense even a hint of grain - wheat or otherwise - or, for that matter, hops. Hmmm, it smelled enough like OJ that I might even have it for breakfast - except for that faint but persistent glimpse of coriander.
On the Tongue: After a hard summer's day in the sun (or in the office) a beer drinker wants something light and refreshing. Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat definitely falls into the light and refreshing category at 4.9% alcohol. With a sweet, light flavor dominated by citrus; very subdued (Cluster) hop notes; and light carbonation; this is a mellow brew that can refresh without sitting in one's belly like a lead weight. Sunset Wheat's finish ultimately leaves something to be desired, however; leaving a faint astringent aftertaste that might be attributed to the hops but has a more chemical tang. Food pairings are (according to Leinenkugel, anyway) spicy or acidic foods: think (the Wisconsin equivalent of) Mexican or a tart vinaigrette on a big salad.
Speaking of Chippewa Falls, at one time the town's biggest claim to fame (beside, I suppose, Leinie) was that it was home to Seymour Cray and his company, Cray Supercomputers. Twenty years ago, the company I worked for bought a Cray (I think an X-MP) for the princely sum of 1.6 million dollars. They got to pick the color - red. The CPU was three six-foot arcuate towers arranged to form a hollow cylinder with person-sized gaps on the sides. One of the towers had a jump seat built in so that you could sit in the center and listen to the computer whirr...
Computer CPUs put out a lot of heat, and that Cray was no exception. It put out enough heat that it was water-cooled, so when it was installed the plumbers had to tie the heretofore dry computer room into the office plumbing system somehow. They must've done a great job: whenever one of the engineers fired up a big simulation, the toilets in the women's restroom downstairs would start to steam!
I'm pretty sure that my desktop Dell can put through more flops than that big old Cray. Things sure change fast in computing!
Overall
For nine bucks a twelve-pack, this is definitely an acceptable beer. Bell's Oberon Ale won't be shaking in its boots from the competition, but for a hot summer afternoon a Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat will prove quite refreshing. And if that slight aftertaste bothers you, just drink another one!
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.