ScareCity #4 Wheatwine
Lagunitas Brewing Company

a neat release from the undercelebrated and too short lived scarecity series, just four beers total i think. you never see wheatwine not in a barrel, so this was always a little different. hoppy for the style in typical lagunitas fashion, bitter and fruity both, which in this instance actually serves to lighten the beer, contrary to what hops like this do in other styles. the bitterness and herbal character cut the sweetness, and there is a brightness to it from the hops that wheatwine doesnt often have. lots of wheat of course in here too, hearty smooth long body, nutty and toasty, cereal forward, cooked but not caramelized, the exact right vibe for this, and its not overly complex, its actually exceedingly simple. notes of multigrain bread, clover honey with the sugar in here still, and fortified white wine, quite a bit of alcohol to this. the hops bring candied orange, honeysuckle, even mango for a flash, a little west coast dankness, balancing bitterness late, and more and more alcohol as it warms, slightly fusel, also sticky though, some trace tanginess, tannins, nicely carbonated with smaller bubbles to me, soft with all the wheat. sturdy and i think different for lagunitas at the time it first came out. more hoppy wheatwine please!

 

From tasting notes dated July 1st, 2015
Had on tap @ Capitol Beer and Taproom in Sacramento, CA

Appearance - Served up in a 12oz snifter, relatively clear and golden orange in color with a white, broken layer of surface suds.

Smell - Dank and citrus aroma with mild wheaty undertones. Light hints of vineous fruit.

Taste - Follows what the nose alluded to, with predominant citrus hop character that rides on orange and grapefruit flavor. A moderate amount of pine dankness and grainy wheat sit beneath. The finish is boozy, and hints at light, fruity esters.

Mouthfeel - Full bodied with low to moderate carbonation. Sticky, syrupy texture, but goes down surprisingly easy despite that.

Overall - Pretty good, but nothing out of the realm of comfortablity that Lagunitas seems inherent to adhere to when it comes to their hopped up special releases. As per that pattern, the citrus hop character shown here nearly overwhelms every other aspect of this brew.

 

 

Minimal head on my tap pour, but very clear golden copper color. Nose is heavy booze, with a definite hit of hops. The taste is powerfully hopped, with pine and mild citrus, and a strong grain and alcohol back. The close is definite bitterness. Overall, a very solid wheatwine that delivers bold flavors and avoids cloying sweetness with bold hops and a powerful bitter close.

 

 

 

 

 

Decent Lagunitas beer was hoping for something crazy like High Westified Coffee Stout. Not the case here. Tastes like a west coast IPA. Haven't had enough wheatwines to give a solid review but by the looks of other reviews, it's more an IPA then a wheatwine.

 

This beer, to me, is not a wheatwine. It's a hoppy Lagunitas beer, an amalgamation of Brown Shugga, Undercover Shutdown, and Old Gnarlywine. I'm not saying this is a bad beer, but it's not what Lagunitas claims.

 

 

 

 

So, when is a wheatwine not a wheatwine? When its an imperial IPA of course! Just when we thought that Lagunitas brewers were stepping out of their lupulin comfort zone, they take the seldom seen experimental style of beer in a drier and hoppier direction; same as American barleywine from the English and the same as the brewery's A Little Sumpin' and A little Sumpin Extra wheated IPA.

Its dense appearances is laced with bright goldenrod hues as a creamy rich lather trickles to form a stern and foamy cap. Its hoppy nose is chocked full of citrus, tropical and melon while its taste is sweet and cake-like with honey, caramel and battered.

Its firm wheat flavors mingle with barley malt for a bready-sweet taste that saturates the palate like dense poundcake. Upon which, the hoppy taste of pineapple, grapefruit, key lime, tangerine, apricot, papaya and honeydew entice the palate with its lush exotic fruit medley; and then trails with the bitterness of dried citrus peel, fresh grass clippings and muddled botanicals.

With the sweet breadiness relaxing, and the vibrancy of hops giving way to more apricot, orange and jammy esters, the finish is balanced but certainly not hop forward. Its piquant bitterness is redolent with fresh pine shavings, hints of cannabis and a long aftertaste of citrus pith and rind.