Colonial Wheat Ale
Alewerks Brewing Company

 

 

 

Served in a pint glass

Thanks to TMoney2591 for sharing this gem from his stash. I remember visiting Williamsburg as a minor, too bad really.

This one pours a cloudy golden straw color with a finger of stiff slowly evaporating white foam. The only knock on the appearance is that I can see some sediment particles suspended and floating around on the inside. The smell is average for a wheat beer, particularly due to the fact that I smell no wheat. The aromas that I do pick up on are citrusy in nature and I would have to make the assumption that they are part of the hop notes. The flavor is of the wheat and perhaps some hop citrus. There is a faint bittering though that isn't really good with the style. Maybe it's me, but there's almost a soapy quality to the flavor. It's a bit off. The mouthfeel is too watery for my liking. It's drinkable, but I wouldn't go so far as to say it was great.

Beer looks ok. Not much of a head lasts past 30 seconds. It's basically the color of the label on the bottle. Not too hazy, pretty clear actually.

It smells pretty fruity, citrussy, and spicy. This must be a combination of hops and wheat. It smells pretty zesty.

The beer tastes OK. It's kind of mellow-sweet like a traditional wheat beer, but then there's a floral hop taste, and a bitter aftertaste. I'm guessing they used a good portion of pale malt and malted wheat to create this. It's a different taste for sure, not a bad summer-taste, but it's also kind of bland.

It's a pretty light tasting beer with a thin mouthfeel.

Poured an very nice deep hazy golden color, with some decent head and lacing. Nice wheat malt aroma, slightly hay-like, although it could've been deeper. Very nice wheat flavor, very malty and fairly thick; a nice American wheat, without all the extra flavors I don't care for from the German and Belgian styles. Goes down quite well, if a bit thick.

Found this at Fresh Market in Montgomery. Colonial Wheat Ale pours a golden brown with a small head. Not much aroma but a very tasty brew. This is one of the better American Pale Wheat Ales I have ever tried. Worth seeking out. Taste is very lively with a nice wheat flavor.

I bought a six-pack of bottles of this from a grocer. It was a hot day and this beer really hit the spot.

The beer is a solid golden ale in appearance and I was able to get a solid head off of all the bottles.

There is a bit of a flowery smell in the head at first and then a strong wheat aroma. Tasting the beer, there is surprisingly not a strong wheat flavor but enough to really justify it as a wheat ale. It is a refreshing flavor with just a hint of citrus.

Only downside, and this is more of a personal note, wheat beers seem to me to have a bit of a grainier (no pun intended) fluid taste. Many unfiltered beers have the same issue but wheats in particular.

A 12 oz bottle courtesy of guinnessfan.

A: The wheat ale was well-carbonated, overflowing on a rapid first pour. That head of nearly 3 fingers quickly disappeared leaving nothing in its wake. The ale is the same apple juice color as Horseheads' Peach Wheat, which I just had.

S: Only the faintest wheat aroma manages to make it out of the glass. Nothing to see here.

T: A soft wheat flavor leads things off, mildly tart and very light. A citric presence sweetens the taste before the bready barley takes over. The tartness builds to a crescendo as the end of the sip, becoming strong and coating the mouth with a bitter hop finish.

M: The mouthfeel is much better than the nose, sweetly tart with a nice bready barley finish. Hops are a welcome addition near the end of each sip.

D: The ale improved from the nose, so I'd be happy to sip on one on a hot day.

A: Light straw yellow, with very bright white head... The head doesn't stay long unfortunately.

S: Lemon, grassy notes, possibly some coriander, and a bit of yeast.

T: Very very lemony, with a little bit of bite from hops.. lots of citrus, and in the back there is a nice malt flavor.

M: A little over carbed, but not bad.

D: I think this is a pretty decent brew... Of course I am probably the deviation from the standard. Nice, simple, good beer for a hot day or a bbq. Plus the fiance likes it, so that is a win.

a: pours an opaque amber-brown that brings to mind muddy water, negligible head

s: spicy wheat with sweet crystal malt and muddled aromas of apricot and pear, grassy/citric hop smells, decent aroma but a touch heavy and disjointed

m: carbonation on the low side, medium body, a bit heavy

t: wheat body with a bigger (for the style) presence of caramel malt than is preferable, white peach and perhaps some pear, hops aged and grassy with a mild bitterness, okay but a bit heavy on the sugary barley

d: not great, not bad, very standard

single from Total Wine, Newport News, VA

a - hazy golden orange color with a airy white head, good retention and lacing

s - crisp orange aroma with perhaps a little hops

t - tart taste with some orange maltiness and a slight amount of bitterness to finish

m - medium body not too smooth

d - never really had a wheat beer that did it for me, this didn't change my mind

Pours a hazy sand color with a thin beige head. Nose has bready wheat malts, faint citrus and subtle hops. Taste also has a nice wheat base up front followed by a crisp fruity presence. Light body is a bit thin, but well carbonated. Quite refreshing and easy to drink.

Thanks to my buddy chaz over on realbeer for this one. Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a standard shaker glass. This ale appears a cloudy light apricot color with about two fingers of fluffy bone white foam. Nose and flavor are of lightly toasted grain, mildly floral, earthy, hints of orange and lemon. A tad thin bodied, but with ample carbonation. Pretty quenching on a warn evening.

Pours a dark yellow with a super smooth frothy white head that leaves lacing. The smell is different, but interesting, sweet wheaty notes with some smells that I can't pinpoint. The taste starts somewhat sour and earthy and finishes with mild wheat notes and some strong (the best descriptor) pepper type flavors. The mouthfeel is medium/light, smooth, with a decent balance. This is an ok drinker, not over powering but refreshing. Worth checking out.

I got this beer at a Farm Fresh Grocery Store in a city about 23 miles from Williamsburg. I live near Williamsburg so I wanted to try this local brew out. Well, I was a bit disappointed. This beer pours a cloudy light orange color and had a decent head that did not stick around for long. This beer had a very fruity flavor which I am not a fan of. It had strong Mango and Orange flavor which ruins this beer for me.

It was ok.. but not great. I will try the other offerings from Alewerks but will not buy this one again.

Appearance: slightly hazy yellowish orange color. Short 1/2" head falls quickly. No lacing.

Smell: orange and wheat tones are barely detectable.

Taste: wheat, orange citrus, and a soft bitterness makes up a pretty average wheat ale.

Mouthfeel: very crisp from start to finish. Almost a clean aftertaste. Lighter in body.

Drinkability: I could see drinking a few of these sincethey are light and a bit refreshing, but the flavor profile is mild.

12-ounce bottle poured into a weizen glass yields a hazy golden body with a thin milky-white cap of foam. The head vanishes to a ring in a flash, leaving only the barest scraps of lacing on the glass.

The smell is faintly floral and a bit tangy.

The taste is sweetly tangy and a bit orangey with a husky nuttiness and a dry, earthy finish. A chemical bitterness creeps in as the drink progresses.

Light-bodied and crisp with adequate carbonation, glad I've reviewed it and I never have to drink it again ;)

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a weizen glass. 08/30/08. Batch 12.

Pours a cloudy golden orange color with about two fingers of soft whitish head. Smells almost like dirt, with some pepper and spice also.

Taste is mostly pepper and spice with very little citrus. Kinda sour with a slight metallic taste. Feel is decent - medium body with ample carbonation. Drinkability is decent considering the poor taste.

Not a very good wheat beer. It just doesn't taste good.

12 oz. bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: Yeast swirled and poured so the body becomes a lighter shades of brown with copper highlights and haze, a lot of carbonation running up the sides, with a head that fades quickly but leaves nice lacing.

Smell: There's a grainy and peppery sourness initially with some honey, yeast, and maybe a bit of earth phenolics. Different and unexpected, but I like it.

Taste: Almost Belgian-like initially with pepper and spices, earthiness and grain with some yeast, into citrus sourness, a bit of sweetness with the wheat and honey flavors. The finish could be longer, but the flavors are pretty wild and original.

Mouthfeel: Lighter to medium-bodied being slightly more watery than I'd have liked.

Drinkability: Unexpectedly refereshing. This ain't Gumballhead, so if you do in thinking it's going to be, you'll be disappointed. But it's enjoyable and complex with a lot going on, in addition to the almost Belgian-like flavors and characteristics.