11th Anniversary Double Wheat
Middle Ages Brewing Co., Ltd.

I’ve had this 22oz bomber for a bit - 18yrs. or so. Well past its prime, but at 8.5% I had some hope. The cap let out a gush of CO2 upon opening which was encouraging. The beer poured a slightly hazy golden caramel color with a huge white head that left banded lacing on the glass. The smell has fleeting glimpses of its prior ‘citrus hop character’ but this and any alcohol phenols, are quickly extinguished by the beer’s dominant bready malt aroma. There is something a bit off with the smell that I can only describe as staleness. The mouthfeel is full, carbonation is low and there is a roundness that is smooth but not slick. The taste has retained a bit of yeasty spiciness, but otherwise this is just an easy drinking malt bomb with a big abv punch. Overall, the beer retains some of its original character (based on prior BA reviewers) but higher carbonation, a hint of wheat on the nose, and more hop balance would greatly improve it. I had no problem with the beer as it drank today, but clearly I let this one sit too long.

Had this on tap at the brewery. Review from notes.

Hazy golden with a fluffy, white head. Lots of citrus: lemon peels, grapefruit, and very mild hint of lemongrass. The wheat is most prominent, however. Some what boozy. Big rush of citrusy fruits, turning in a mild bitterness towards the finish. Honey and wheat malt. Pretty smooth.

 

22 ounce bomber bottle shared by brothercannon with psycohops and myself. Poured into a trio of standard shaker "pint" glasses, the ale appears a cloudy muted golden amber color with about an inch of fluffy, lingering cream colored foam. Not much lacing to speak of. Aroma and flavor are of citrus fruits such as orange and lemon, a touch of spicy yeast and a huge dose of wheat and bread with a hint of grapefruit thrown in as the ale warms up a tad. At the very least, this beer is medium bodied, amply carbonated with a crisp, sweet finish. Thanks for the opportunity Tim!

Cloudy, transclucent honey color with a large foamy white head. Great foam iceberg retention with a wall of foam left on the sides of my glass.

Smells like wheat and citrus hops.

Smooth and wheaty up front with some Juicy Fruit gum hop in back. Mouthfeel was smooth and chunky like when you mix 2 packages of Crystal Light drink mix in 1 bottle of water. Lively carbonation kept this beer light despite high abv.

A-Poured a hazy golden color, some floaties. Very thick, fluffy 3 finger head, off white in color.

S- smells like fruity alcohol

T- Fruity, lots of alcohol, a hint of bitterness, slight fruity hop taste. grapefruit aftertaste.

M- highly carbonated, with big goofy bubbles bouncing around in my mouth.

D- well balanced, the heavy carbonation makes this beer very light on the palate,and does a good job of concealing the alcohol content, making this beer quite drinkable.

via donkeyrunner

Pours a five+ finger thick, pillowy cream head (pour this one slowly) that takes forever to fade and leaves a good lace. Cloudy amber color. Good carbonation and medium bodied. Citric nose. Flavor is sweet wheat and citric. Grapefruit finish. $4.99 for a 22oz bottle from Yankee Spirits South Attleboro, Ma.

I received this one in the I Want That BIF 4 last week. I had been looking for this one for a long time, as the style intrigued me and I have had some very good luck with the Middle Ages anniversary ales. I served this twenty two ounce bomber with dinner on Sunday and served it chilled into a couple nice taster glasses with the family.

Appearance - The pour was very nice. A rich golden amber with a good amount of haze and cloudiness to it. Lots of carbonation was visible streaking up from the bottom of the glass to the top. A good sized three finger high head that had some really incredible retention to it. Very nice side glass lacing then ensued. Overall the entire package here was just very well done and this was certainly a very nice looking beer.

Smell - The aroma was absolutely delightful. Only the slightest hint of wheat at first, as it was mostly dominated by an absurd amount of citrus and floral hops. Nice hints of orange and lemon zest were dominating. A lightly peach like or banana aroma as well. Light grain starting coming through towards the finish and the overall smell was something I was very pleased with.

Taste - This was a beautiful blend of styles here. When it was cold it started out with a nice touch of orange in the hops that became completely dominant. You had to wait for it to warm for some light peach, clove and banana to work themselves in, however there was still this overall very nice touch of lemon like flavor, especially in the finish giving it a crisp, clean and sharp cutoff.

Mouthfeel - A very nice medium bodied what beer. I have to disagree with those that said it did not feel as full as it should. I have had a few wheat beers and if anything this was fuller then normal. Smooth profile with a very nice consistency and carbonation level.

Drinkability - This was a bit heft, clocking in at close to 9%abv, however it was very enjoyable. Big enough that it needed to be sipped on however, it was not too heavy to enjoy on a hot afternoon. I was very impressed again.

Overall I thought this was fantastic, and scored it as such. It was two years old and still drinking fantastically. More a hopped up wheat beer, but I have to admit I was loving this. A solid beer that I would look for again, definitely try this one if you are sitting on it as it is drinking very good.

Bottle poured into a weizen glass.

Hazy orange color with lots of little carbonation bubbles. Big, lumpy off white head that leaves some lacing and an island in the middle of the drink. Also has some pretty solid looking yeast particles in it that made me look twice to see if my glass was clean. It was.

Smells orangy. That's about all i detect.

I'm surprised this is a wheat that is two years old. An interesting drink. Hoppy with sweet citrus/orange flavors. Some spiciness. Just a slight wheat backbone, very slight. Noticeable alcohol on the finish.

Pretty good mouthfeel, less creamy than I would expect.

Good drinkability, smooth and crisp. A little strong on the alcohol flavor.

Would have loved to have tried this beer a couple years ago when it was fresh, but even today a decent brew!

Split a 22oz bomber.

A: Cloudy orange in appearance. Some white head that quickly goes away.

S:Almost like a stale wheat. Perhaps a little past it's prime. The hops really shrine through at this point which is odd.

T: A weird faded wheat taste is there that for a second at the end tastes like cough syrup. After that it gets sweet and finishes like an old ale.

M: Definitely does not feel like a wheat. More of an old ale feel to it.

D: Not too bad. While it is slightly past it's prime it is drinkable. Had this fresh and it was much better. Drink now.

Warm tangerine-amber with honey colored edges. A surprising amount of carbonation has created, and is sustaining, an ivory colored crown that looks like melted marshmallow. Thin sheets of sea foam lace become thick, chunky rings in the end.

11th Anniversary Double Wheat smells like an underhopped, citrus fruity APA. Lemon zest and oranges are barely detectable, riding along on a smooth pale malt backbone that has no hint of caramel or butter toffee. I say that because the typical Middle Ages diacetyl is nowhere to be found.

In my opinion, it's difficult to brew a really good double wheat ale because APWA is such an uninteresting style to begin with. Twice as much 'eh' isn't necessarily a good thing. Beer like this needs a huge amount of hops to provide flavor and to offset what is often a considerable amount of malt sweetness. MA has done an okay job in that regard, but more would be better. Yes, I realize that this bomber is from 2006.

The flavor profile is simple. Again, pale malt coexists with citric, somewhat spicy hops that might include those with German origins (Hallertau maybe) as well as those from this country. There really isn't as much sweetness as I had feared. Bitterness gives it a run for its money out of the gate and on the backstretch, pulling ahead comfortably at the wire. As with most big beer, warming brings things into better focus.

The mouthfeel is a fraction too thin for the style and the ABV. The bigger fault is that it's still too carbonated, even 10 minutes after the initial pour. At the 15-20 minute mark, all is well.

Unlike some anniversary ales, Middle Ages 11th Anniversary Double Wheat isn't an offering that I feel like begging the brewery to release again under a different name. It's pleasant for such a big beer, and the rest of the bomber should go well with my lunch, but I won't shed any tears over the final mouthful. Thanks BeerTruth.

Pretty deep orange color with a glow-y straw hue when the light flows through it.. Murky indeeeed. Head is white, tight, and uh hop oily. Aroma is...florescent orange. There's not a whole lot of depth but it is a happy to smell kind of brew. Tangy, various citrus rinds, and flowers on top of steady pizza dough malt. Taste has a big old wheaty sour kick and solid bitterness across the table. Flavors are pointy citrus, pine, some buttery dough etc. Enjoyable but its not sucking me in anywhere. Mouthfeels slick, smooth and tingly. So be it.

Not too shabby. Florescent orange.

Hazy yellow-orange with vigorous carbonation and a few bits of sediment. The head is tall and loosely frothy, leaving chunks of lace on the glass. Highly citrusy nose: sweet lemon and juicy orange zest. Taste follows suit...lively lemon and an herbal hoppiness, but there seems to be a serious lack of depth. There is an underlying sweet maltiness, wheat, and a bit of spice, but overall this still seems to be a fairly one-dimensional beer. Medium body, prickly carbonation and a fair amount of bitterness. No diacetyl which is a plus coming from Middle Ages; maybe a long rest in the bottle did it some good. Drinkable with not much hint of its strength, but would I really want another glass if offered? Probably not.

Poured a light copper hue with a three finger foamy white head. There was very good retention and lacing.

The smell featured a soft wheat malt with a mild estery yeast. Alcohol aromas evident as well.

The taste consisted of a dry and spicy wheat with a touch of sour lemon. A medicinal alcohol element as well.

The mouthfeel was of average fullness with a warming alcohol.

Overall an interesting, but not that user friendly beer. Not enough malt to carry the ABV.

This is one hoppy wheat beer. It pours with a fluffy white foam that settles down and leaves some lacing behind. Has a golden orange color.

Smells of citric hops, yeasty spice, a touch of wheat and a bit of wet cardboard ( the hops must be getting old).

Its all hops from the first sip on. Citrus, grapefruit, the wheat and malt barely put a dent on my palate. A very different beer but I did enjoy it. Just needs a bit more balance in the taste departement.

Thanks to TheManiacalOne for this bomber. Received as part of the Never Again (Again) BIF.

Pours a semi-cloudy orange color with about two and a half inches of white head. Head fades to about a quarter of an inch, but that lasts the whole way down.

Aroma is of bitter citrus hops, wheat, yeast, and some caramel malt. Kind of surprised by how bitter it smells.

The taste contains all of the flavors that are in the aroma. The bitterness is a bit much for my liking when it comes to a pale wheat beer. Alcohol presence in the taste is somewhat surprising, as well.

This one is a little disappointing since I enjoyed the 10th Anniversary release so much. The bitter burn on the back of my tongue isn't what I was after when I cracked this one open. I am glad I got to try it, but I will not be seeking anymore of this one.

Bought this bomber at the brewery.

A-Poured into two pint glasses to share. Finished each with a swirl of the sediment of the last 1/4 of the bottle. Looked awsome. Hazy, orange. Great retention, very good lace.

S-Great aroma. Orangeaide type smell. Tangerine citrus hops. Sweet carmel malts. Grapefruit hops as well but the tangerine and orange are predominate. Yeasty and wheat twang.

T-Aroma comes out in force in the flavor. The whet twang is not overpowering, as the hops take over and sweet carmel malt and orange notes support it like a big strong backbone. There is a really nice bitterness as well. The sweet and bitter finish linger quie a while. Alcohol is well hidden.

M-Smooth medium body with smooth even carbonation.

D-Great, I could drink this all night.

Sampled through 1000 Miles (or East/West again) BIF and BeerBeing.

In the glass this is a near clear orange colored ale with a tall off-white head.

The smell is strongly herbal hoppy and smell quite bitter to the nose. Additional scents of citrus and wood and butter. In truth this smells like an English ESB.

The taste begins fairly sweet and herbal bitter in the mouth. Strongly herbal and hoppy I can taste the spices and orange peel but this doesn't really taste like a wheat beer. Frankly this tastes like an English IPA. A rather strong, English IPA but that is only my opinion.

The mouthfeel is OK.

Well this is an interesting beer; I can say that for it. This is way bitter for the style. Strongly bitter this would probably be better classified as a wheat wine.

Bought this bottle on my recent buying spree in the Middle Ages tasting room. That day was a great discovery of an underrated brewery, and this is one of their best.

Pours a huge soapy head that bristles and pops to a more manageable level. Color is copper/rust with a golden hue. Since this is a wheat beer, I treated it like any hefe-weizen and swirled the bottle to unlodge the sediment from the bottom before pouring the rest into my 1/2 liter pint glass. That hazed up the liquid considerably. Tiny patches of lace cling up and down the glass.

Aroma is an earthy, clean wheat, entwined in a big bunch of hops. Good balance, but definitely hoppier than most wheat beers.

Flavor is big and bready. Big hops bring sharp citrus that mingle nicely with a doughy wheat essence. Bubblegum appears during the finish, which rides out in a beautiful tryst between fluffy wheat and bitter citrus rind.

Mouthfeel is wonderful, with a silkiness floating gently over the tongue. Really well done in this department.

Waking up the sediment for the pour is crucial, otherwise this just tastes like a well-behaved Double IPA. The wheat plays a major role, yet hopheads will love it too. A really well-done beer, and probably the best American Wheat I've had yet. Here's to their XIIth anniversary!

Thanks goes to stegmakk for this one.

22oz. Bomber

Poured into a chalice a dark golden yellow, nice carbonation, nice small fizzy off-white head, some nice islands and sticky lacing afterwards. The nose is sweet, malty, slightly hoppy, bubblegum, slight spicy, and a touch of caramel. The taste is slightly sweet/bitter, malty, hoppy, the alcohol is hidden very well. The finish is slightly dry. Medium body, a well rounded brew. Very drinkable, this is my first Pale Wheat Ale at this ABV, recommended.