Session Ale #07: American Wheat Hop
East End Brewing Company

Firkin version at Barley's 6th Annual Mini RAF (04/26/08): This brew is a hazy orange-yellow color with a medium thin light beige head that diminishes steadily. Thin rings of lacing on the glass. Grapefruit and hops in the nose. Medium-bodied with a strong astringent hops flavor that overpowers any trace of malt. Some wheat and yeast is present as well. The finish retains the harsh bitterness and leaves a metallic hops aftertaste. Not sure what was going on with this beer but something was definitely not right.

Fresh growler from the brewery.
A: Hazy orange, whispy white head, clings well.
S: Piney hops, little bit of floral and wheat scents. Hops dominate.
T: Mostly piney and bitter, with a tinge of caramel sweetness in the middle. The hops certainly dominate, but there are some other wheaty and sweet tastes that try to sneak in. Bitter but bland.
M: Nice bitter hop nip.
D: Pretty good. Not too strong.

A. Served ontap into a pint glass. Appeared cloudy and dark with a white head with some nice retention.

S. Hops in the forefront here, with a sweet wheat background.

T. This one seems to be dry hopped, since the strong hop prescence dominates the wheat. Wheat is in there, but the fierce hops emerge victorious.

M. Very crisp, leaves palate dry.

D. An enjoyable session brew, no doubt.

I never had a wheat beer with so much of a hop profile, and well, this one makes a wonderful treat. It poured cloudy, yellow orange with a good head but no lace. Smelled as advertised. Hops, wheat, alcohol, but nicely blended. Mouth washed creamy with bitter top and nice grapefruit hop aftertaste. Was this really a wheat?

Yes. Yes it was. I want to say this was like Sierra Nevada's Winter Ale, because the grapefruit hops grabbed and shook. However, this wasn't as bracing because the juicy fruit flavor was slight and lessened the bite of the hops and alcohol. The wheat balanced the flavor, but the star are the hops and hop heads will agree. Nicely done. Oh yeah, as every beer from East End, small batch, big FRESH. The freshness probably boosted this lots.

I did a double take at the ABV listed, but you know, I did a session on Memorial day with this growler, and drank three pints in short time and stayed pretty clean, so I'll agree. Get this while it lasts. Great stuff.

Session Ale #7 Revisited:
What a nice surprise this was.A nice session ale that is a cloudy,unfiltered,yellowish/copper.Smells like a typical wheat with a nice hop aroma.Tasty wheat hop with mild bitterness and a spicy aftertaste.Cloves and hops.A light body with alot of flavor for such a low abv.Great session brew.

This beer had a dense, white head of fine bubbles that produced clumpy lacing and showed excellent retention. The beer itself was a hazy, pale caramel colour. The aroma was mostly citrusy grapefruit with grassy hops, but there was a little bit of crackery malt present. Spicy bitterness with a mild malt sweetness that grew as it warmed. Hops were citrusy, reminiscent of white grapefruit flesh. The body was on the light side and the carbonation was well integrated. This is a very refreshing summer type beer and a very easy drinker.

I thought I missed this session ale but I stopped in at the Map Room looking for the Heritage Porter and expecting Kvass 100 as the current session instead I was greeted with Wheat Hop and Old Hickory. Appears a clouded light lemon juice golden tone forms nicely with a large white head even specks of lacing form around my sampling glass good look large bubbles stick to the edges of the glass. Aromatics contain an even flow of citrus snap and herbal grass flow going on in a mild American wheat, good smelling brew that once you get all the hop aroma you can't wait to taste really inviting beer. Flavor is mellow with some common wheat characteristics and the usual bland yeast component is livened up quite a bit with earthy, citrus, and grassy twangs of hop bite built upon a pleasantly fruity background good work another winner. Mouthfeel comes off spritzy but not overly carbonated tickles the palate and hop oils dance dry finish but the hops just don't let up with a strong even bitterness good stuff. Drinkability is awesome I love hopped up American wheats and I've only had a few this is a kin to Gumballhead and Hop Sun support local drink East End.

Tried on tap at the Map Room in Pittsburgh.

I guess I didn't like this as much as the previous reviewers. Maybe it's a little older now and the hops have changed character slightly or something, I don't know. It seemed to have more of an apricot flavor than hops, but I could also detect the wheat. Three cheers for a unique beer, that's the main thing I think. It just wasn't my favorite.

BTW, if you're looking to find any East End beers, the Map Room is probably the best bet. They had ~7-8 taps of East End when I went, and the bartender (owner?) told me that's what she normally stocks.

Enjoyed on-tap at Capone's.
Served as a hazy medium amber colored beer with modest white puffy head.
Smell is significant for hops with a slight wheat bacjground.
Taste is definitely about the hops with a nice piney, grassy sensation.
Left a full hop presence in the mouth with great taste retention.
At 4% this is the perfect sesson beer for those of us who love hops. Great job from East End.

A 6 oz pouring shared with Scott Smith duriing an informal brewery tour.

A: The ale combines an IPA with some darker amber colors with the hazy light color of a wheat beer.

S: The nose is definitely a wheat beer, offering the distinct tartness that wheat imparts. There is a mere hint of the big hops to come.

T: The flavor, at first, really sticks with the nose, highlighting a rather ordinary wheat ale. Only at the midpoint of a sip does this ale take a turm, and what a big turn it is. The big hop presence adds a kick of bitterness, courtesy of some simcoe and other hops. This explosion of sharp flavor is powerful and worth the wait. The hops finish long, keeping the tastebuds jumping.

M: The run-of-the-mill wheat body is greatly enhanced by the bold hop profile. That bitterness comes out of nowhere but it is welcome.

D: Very drinkable, yet another low abv beer that is perfect for sessioning.

Got this on draft at the Bocktown Beer and Grill. It poured a golden yellow with a white head that left thick lace as I drank it down. The beer was cloudy as typical for a wheat beer. The similarities with most wheat beers ended there. The hops dominated the aroma with grapefruit citrus dominating, leading me to think "Chinook". Don't know if that is right, but that's what I thought. Underneath the grapefruit was some wheat-malt aroma. The flavor starts with hop bitterness and transitions to a citrus-almost grassy mix of hop flavor and wheat. The bitterness comes back for the finish, leaving your mouth dry and wanting more. The mouthfeel is medium bodied.

Overall, this is a real show piece for hops as the light gravity of the malt allows more hop flavor to stand out than is typical for most beers. The beer is light in alcohol, making it a crisp summer thirst quencher. It is a unique mix of ingredients that provides a different take on the summer wheat refresher.

Growler filled fresh this afternoon at the brewery.

A - Hazy golden yellow color that brings that definitely brings to mind an unfiltered wheat beer. Dense, two-finger width bone white head tops it off. Lots of sticky lacing rings on the glass.

S - Aroma is a soapy, lemon citrus aroma with an aggressive amount of fresh hop bite.

T - The hops are really on stage here, opening up with a big punch of leafy green hoppiness. Once the hops become more acclimated, the wheat profile becomes more prevalent, with a clean dry spiciness. Bitterness lingers on the finish, with some roasted grain present as well.

M - A surprisingly amount of depth, full bodies with crisp carbonation.

D - This would be a pleasant treat come summer time. Even with below freezing temps, its still tasty. Low alcohol make this highly sessionable. The heavy hop bit are aggressive for the style and can be a bit burdensome at times.

I hope i get this right.

From the East End website:

"Session Ale #7...an American Wheat with a huge, downright resinous hop character to it. Still, it's a small beer... coming in at around 4% "

Very good beer, start to finish. I forewent the BOGOF deal on Blackstrap Stout to get a growler of this. I'm glad I did.

Pours hazy orange into a pint glass, nice head with continuous lacing. Pretty.

Lemony aroma. Light piny hops in background, slightly alkaline.

Bitter, but in a good way. It's got a healthy dose of "East-Endiness" that I can't describe. Crisp. Good way to usher in spring (even if we got 4 inches of snow yesterday.) Light, toasty wheat in background.

Nice, balanced mouthfeel: crisp at beginning and end with nice, round middle.

Highly drinkable.

Bottom line: probably a growler a week for me while it's around. Good stuff.