Oakshire Wheat
Oakshire Brewing

 

I think this is miscategorized and should probably be an American Pale Wheat Ale. I am scoring it accordingly. On tap in a shaker pint. Served with a lemon slice, which was definitely not necessary and promptly discarded. Plenty of lemon tanginess in this brew already.

Pale yellow body with a very slight haze. A finger of bright white creamy looking head. Nice head retention (good thing I didn't drop the lemon in) and clingy lacing all the way from top to bottom. Champagne-like visual carbonation.

Smells, well, not like a whole lot. I guess "clean" might be a polite way of describing it. A tiny bit of wheat/straw, but not very interesting.

Tastes pretty good. Nice blend of lemony/tangy wheat flavors with some biscuity malt. Finishes clean and dry with a little bite of hop bitterness right at the swallow that doesn't linger. The tingly carbonation works nicely in combo with the tartness.

Overall impression: Reasonably refreshing, but kinda forgettable.

I ate the lemon first, just to get the damn thing out of the way. That may not have been the best strategy as this yeast-wheat beer proved in need of some amplification.

Initially, I was impressed by the soft carpet of velvety lather. Though the body was pale ochre with the visual focus of a sandstorm, Oakshire Wheat delivered only the vaguest of grainy aroma and showed itself to be of American design. At its best it tasted sharp and dry. But it was tart where tart doesn't work - nearly acrid - and gave little refined flavor to latch onto. In fact, the flavor was unexpectedly diminished - sort of a Where's Waldo? Wheat.

Not fatally flawed, but ultimately boring.