Huckleberry Chapel
Selkirk Abbey Brewing Company

Huckleberry ChapelHuckleberry Chapel
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From:
Selkirk Abbey Brewing Company
 
Idaho, United States
Style:
Fruit and Field Beer
ABV:
4.9%
Score:
83
Avg:
3.63 | pDev: 11.57%
Reviews:
12
Ratings:
32
Status:
Active
Rated:
Oct 24, 2019
Added:
May 28, 2014
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  6
If you've spent any time in the Northwest, you know of our love of the mountain huckleberry. This tiny fruit feeds bird and bear alike. It also feeds our hunger to experience the robust land in which we live. From frigid steam and alpine lake, to soaring peek and high mountain pasture, the unassuming huckleberry is a welcome sight to all on the trail.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by HuskyinPDX:
Photo of HuskyinPDX
Rated by HuskyinPDX from Washington

4.25/5  rDev +17.1%
Bottle opened on 7.5.14

Sweet huckleberry, cream, a touch of oak. Very nice and candy like.
Aug 15, 2014
More User Ratings:
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

3.7/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
its been awhile since i had a beer from these guys, i really need to get in here to the brewery next time i am in this part of the state. this is a nice one, but it has me longing to try the original, unfruited edition of this fine wit. the huckleberry, as it so often is in beer, is overly sweet, almost candied tasting, and it makes the beer seem kind of cheap, even though its obvious how good the base beer is, a tricky fruit to use, it seems to always taste like this in beer, can it be real fruit? its less offensive than others, and i can see the appeal, its also a unique bit of local flavor in a classic style, which i always admire conceptually, so i dont hate it, but its obvious the wit below the fruit is of nice quality. i get a little toasted coriander peaking through, and ever so slightly richer grain complexion, a touch of honey type sweetness, and a well controlled belgian yeast ester of green pear, light mulling spice, and ripe banana. its clean and subtle, yet it seems unique and expressive at the same time, and i want to drink it without the cloying huckleberry. i hope to track the original down next time. i didnt dislike this, but i think the fruit distracts from a well crafted wit...
Oct 24, 2019
 
Rated: 3.56 by grapeshops from California

Jan 06, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by cherche from Washington

Aug 11, 2018
 
Rated: 2.5 by 1971bernat from Virginia

Jan 03, 2018
Photo of Scotchboy
Reviewed by Scotchboy from Idaho

3.12/5  rDev -14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
Bomber into HF tulip. Pours a lovely straw/gold with a quickly dissipating white head.

Nose is immediately of berries and sweetness followed by bready malts and some toasty grains. Syrupy and cloying as it warms. Taste follows the nose but the berry is more subdued and there is more of that sweet, syrupy butterscotch/huckleberry character. Finishes with notable Belgian wheat notes, bready malts and a dry yeasty finish. Effervescent mouthfeel with a lighter body.

Overall the berry character starts off promising but becomes to cloying and syrupy.
Jan 18, 2017
 
Rated: 3 by NickMunford from Wyoming

Oct 27, 2016
Photo of ccrida
Reviewed by ccrida from Oregon

3.97/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Poured in a large Piraat tulip, Huckleberry Chapel is dull gold with a thin white head, perhaps with the slightest purple blush.

Smell is bubblegum, lemon and huckleberry.. Like slupree syrup almost but not that strong.
Taste is similar,with a touch of graininess. However, the huckleberry, while tasting like some kind of extract, masks some of the off-flavors I found in the regular chapel.

Mouthfeel is light and thin, with a little creaminess to the carbonation and a dry finish.

Drinkability is ok, this would be pretty good on a hot day as there are fruity esters and huckleberry flavors but it's not very sweet, but it is also a bit tannic.
Oct 16, 2016
 
Rated: 4.08 by SamuelMiller from Montana

Aug 26, 2016
 
Rated: 3.8 by jera1350 from Minnesota

Jul 02, 2016
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.41/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Bottle from Albertsons. Sweet berry aroma, but light enough to blend well with the witbier. Light bodied, fairly effervescent, sweet and fruity. Good summertime drink.
May 23, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by NickThePyro from Washington

Mar 14, 2016
Photo of mactrail
Reviewed by mactrail from Washington

3.64/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Yellow brew in the chalice. Just brief swirls of foam but a little prickle underneath the malt. Thickish mouthfeel. Seems more substantial and higher alcohol than it is by far. This is a very strange aroma, I wouldn't associate it with fruit. It's more of a candy and laundry smell. Or maybe chokecherry jelly.

The flavor is actually thoroughly fruity, though again without the color cue it's hard to get the brain to think blueberry. That tart, distinctive flavor does come through. This is a nearly unique experiment in beer flavoring and it's quite drinkable. Some Belgian yeasty taste and the dry finish. The peculiar fruit flavor lasts into the aftertaste.
Nov 30, 2015
Photo of Moose90
Reviewed by Moose90 from Washington

3.91/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
22oz bomber, and on-tap

A — Pours a golden hued yellow color into the glass, slightest bit of haze to it. Puffy white head forms and leaves some decent enough lacing behind it.

S — Smells very bright, fresh, and clean, nice character of bitter hop, with a real fresh huckleberry presence, without being overdone.

T — Taste starts with a nice wheaty, yeasty, belgianesque character, then leads into a fresh and almost juicy huckleberry character. Very fresh and bright.

M — Light in bodied, ample carbonation, refreshing.

O — Nice overall, better than expected.
Aug 29, 2015
 
Rated: 4.08 by sporklift87 from Colorado

Aug 03, 2015
 
Rated: 3.58 by zestd from Idaho

Jul 16, 2015
Photo of woemad
Reviewed by woemad from Washington

3.75/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
32oz grunt purchased at the brewery for $4 – a special price as part of their anniversary celebrations. I’ve had the standard Chapel, and consumed a pint of their Zested Chapel while getting this filled, but have never had this.

Poured into an Iron Goat nonic pintglass, this was a slightly chill-hazed golden amber color. There was a big, sudsy bone-white head that dropped after a few minutes down to a white skiff that still covered the top of the beer. Spotty lace.

When pouring this into the glass, the huckleberry aroma was intense. Once in the glass for a few minutes, it yields some space to the grainy notes one would get from a standard witbier, but remains the dominant element of the aroma.

Unsurprisingly, huckleberry flavor leads the charge and remains in the driver’s seat for the duration. That’s not to say it’s a one-note wonder – under the sweet, tart huckleberry flavor there’s an undercurrent of dry, prickly lemon and earthy wheat notes. Things end on a light, dry note.

Light bodied, with a light, thin yet crisp mouthfeel.

A well-crafted, “fruited” witbier. A good choice for the warmer months. I could see having a couple of these outside on a warm afternoon.
Jun 21, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by a77cj7 from South Dakota

May 13, 2015
Photo of Darkmagus82
Reviewed by Darkmagus82 from Texas

4.1/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Poured from bottle into a pint glass

Appearance – The beer pours a hazy orange amber color with a big billowy white head of three finger height. The head has a decent level of retention, fading over time to leave a light leave of lace on the sides of the glass.

Smell – The aroma of the beer is strong of a huckleberry aroma mixed with other berry smells of some raspberry and blueberry. Along with these smells are some nice wheaty smells as well as some strong spice smells of coriander and clove. Some yeasty and orange smells, as well as a tiny bit of grass, are there as well giving a very berry and nice wit aroma to the brew overall.

Taste – The taste begins with a sweeter mix of a berry flavor of huckleberry, raspberry, and blueberry which is mixed with some wheaty and yeasty flavors. These berry flavors remain rather potent throughout, and create a nice base flavor for the brew. Along with the berry and wheat comes some nice yeasty flavors, which over time bring with them some lighter flavors of coriander and clove. Toward the end of the taste a little bit of a grassy and herbal taste comes to the tongue, and with a little bit of grain and some orange coming to the tongue as well, one is left with a decently sweet but very enjoyably fruity wit flavor to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is on the thinner side with a carbonation level that is rather average. For the very fruity nature and lower abv. of the brew, the thinner body is fantastic as it creates a nice light and crisp base for the tastes of the brew to sit on. The moderate carbonation of the beer was decent for the brew although a lightly higher carbonation may have been slightly better for accentuating the mix of fruit, yeast and wheat.

Overall – This was one nicely berry fruited and tasty wit. This I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for beer that is not obnoxiously sweet, but is very fruity and wheat based with flavor. This was a very enjoyable brew overall and one I would recommend.
Feb 09, 2015
 
Rated: 2.75 by LouZ from Washington

Nov 25, 2014
Huckleberry Chapel from Selkirk Abbey Brewing Company
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 32 ratings