White Oak Wheat Beer
Innis & Gunn

 

11.2-oz bottle into weizen glass

A - 1 finger white foam over a highly-carbonated transparent body of gold

S - citrus, wood, musty

T - oak, peppery spice with a suggestion of vanilla, touch of citrus, whiskey-like flavor and complexity

M - highly-carbonated syrupy medium body

O - decent for the style--not my favorite style

I have had several bottles in this series tucked away for some time now, awaiting the moment to strike. I have just been inspired by another site's user and am now embarking on a journey, not of body, but of sight, mind and casks! The eradication of the Bottle Baklog at Chez Woody continues.

From the bottle: "Oak Aged like no other beer"; "Hand-Crafted Sottish Beer"; "Seasonal Edition"; "Wheat Beer with Bergamot Orange Peel and Orange Oil added"; "Carefully matured for 46 days prior to release"; "Approved for bottling [undersigned] Esther M Binnie"; "Master Brewer [undersigned] Douglas Gunn Sharp"; "Innis & Gunn White Oak Wheat Beer Oak Aged Beer"; "Inspired by the aromas and flavours more typically found in a cup of Earl Grey tea, this German-style Wheat Beer has been brewed at a warmer temperature to encourage sweeter, spicier flavours to develop. The brew has been aged over oak and then finished with bergamot and orange to create a fragrant, refreshing finish."

I Pop!ped the cap & commenced a slow, gentle pour since I have gone off of aggro pours (unless) warranted). Once sufficiently decanted, I gave it a vigorous in-glass swirl that raised two fingers of foamy, rocky, French Vanilla-colored head with decent retention. Color was Golden-Amber (SRM = > 5, < 7) with 24-carat clarity, summoning forth The Gelt Gang of Croesus, Midas & Mammon, all clamoring for a taste! Eek. Nose had the characteristic coconut-like smell of alcohol aged in oak, especially uncharred white oak. I love that smell! Mouthfeel was medium. The taste was very much of white oak, but with a slightly citrusy twang. I was reminded of the transition to citrus-based solvents in the early-1990s and the way that the orange-citrus based cleaners made everything smell so pleasant as opposed to the old lab rat smell that the previous cleaners gave off. White oak & orange?!? What a brilliant combination, especially when used in a fairly clear-tasting style since filtration takes the yeast's banana & clove esters away. I dislike the former & do not mind the latter, but do not mind the absence of either. Warming, the citrusiness really began to assert itself and when I got both orange and oak together, I was ready to swoon. Finish was semi-sweet, but very mellow. Tea-like, indeed.

 

Carefully aged for 46 days. Aged in oak.

A clear, mellow gold coloration.a fat, tall solid white crown is a tower.

Big, wheat, sour, citrus and herbal mixture, vanilla-oak cask and spices make up this very pungent, delightful aromatic nose. The spice and wheat aroma is very heady. Orange peel and orange oil are additions, providing a peppery citrus effect that is unique.

A massive, sour, heady wheat flavor, mild citrus with a big, fat, sweet oak cask bottom end. The mix is full of crazy complexity, subtle tones of vanilla, old cedar, various herbs and spices, tangy, earthy wheat thing makes this a sipper worth savoring.

There is a very definate, classic German style wheat beer base, with mutating, electric notes of sour citrus, tangy vanilla and antique wood....spices all over the place! I rather like the unique approach to this oak cask aged beer with interesting additives. It all comes together very well.

A rather jazzy bite in the feel, relaxes and finishes smooth with a subtle dry bite. ....true.

Such a unique brew. Wheat based, aged. Very well done!

Pours a crystal clear gold with plentiful effervesce streaming up from the bottom, producing a 3 inch, white, tight/finely bubbled, somewhat lasting, foamy head that leaves only a few motes & strings of lacing. Aroma is wheat, floral & bready with thin notes of banana & citrus. Not much else in the nose & overall thin. Taste is very robust compared to the nose. A nice blend of boozy wheat, wood, orange, cloves & very thin banana with black pepper spice in the finish. Finish is oily & a little wet but dries rapidly in the floral, wood, citrus aftertaste. Medium-heavy (only slightly so but a touch above medium) bodied with a medium-high carbonation, oily with a chewy hint, dry in the aftertaste.

 

Bottle from the ottawa lcbo.

Chinese gold, filtered with lots of carbonation. Topped with a finger of white head.

Smells of pee, cardboard, onion, orange and caramel.

Tastes malty and sweet with undertones of orange peel and caramel. Very little oak presence, if any.

Medium light, syrupy body with little carbonation.

Got at Sunnyview Station LCBO with my bro yesterday. Drinking in Kitchener at the Kitchener Hotel, Oct 19th, 2016. Now the taste is great. The look and feel are good, but the smell is lacking. Definitely worth a try.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pours a golden color with a nice head and lacing
Aroma has yeast, fruit and wheat hints
Taste has a yeast, fruit and wheat flavor
A light bodied well carbonated beer
A good Kristallweizen

 

11.2 fl oz. bottle, best by April 2016 printed on the bottleneck. My first beer from Innis & Gunn, this one a "wheat beer with bergamot orange peel and orange oil added". 'Carefully matured for 46 days prior to release' Woah.

Poured into a Duvel tulip snifter.

A - A golden amber orange body, semi-translucent with one finger of frothy white head that reduces to a ring that lingers. Leaves some moderate scattered fluffy lacing behind. Appears aptly carbonated. Looks nice for what it is.

S - Interesting aroma - white oak wood comes through uniquely. Subtle notes of vanilla / caramel come through. Not pulling much in the way of a basic wheat beer from this. Not grainy, I would say. Not too powerful of an aroma, but pleasant.

T - Taste follows the nose: a unique, distinct white oak wood flavor - subtle notes of vanilla, caramel, whiskey, wood. Very creamy, with mild earthy grassy wheat beer undertones, but the white oak wood aging is surprisingly dominant.

M - Feel is smooth, crisp, & creamy. Medium-light bodied with good carbonation.

Overall, a unique and interesting beer from Innis & Gunn. Definitely glad I picked this one, as I was pleasantly surprised.

Innis & Gunn White Oak Wheat Beer -----3.5/5