Heart Of Gold
Perennial Artisan Ales

mdterps187 from Maryland

3.88/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Bottled 9/2013

Pours a clear deep red with minimal head. Smell of slight sherry/oxidation, vanilla, caramelized sugar, cherries, clover honey, raisins. Tastes very yeast/wheat forward. Mid ester profile with significant booze present, flaked wheat, caramel, honey, vanilla to match. Mouthfeel is thick, low carbonation with a slight astringency. Overall, this is a solid strong ale. There's some solid complexity in smell and taste, but some slightly harsh booze/oxidation tones (potentially from the age) take it down a notch from being great.

Mar 26, 2016

AppaZappa from North Carolina

4.09/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

750 ml bottle from 9/2013. 10% abv.

L: pours dark honey to amber color. head fades fast but lots of lace.

S: booze, raisin, caramel, honey, wheat.

T: vanilla, toffee, wheat. sweetness dissipates nicely, touch of white grape near the close.

M: thick and creamy, light carbonation, very smooth and drinkable.

my first try with this style, but can't help to think that this benefited from some aging time as i found it far from boring or simple as some did.

Jul 15, 2015

brap from New York

4.04/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Had a great mouthfeel and aroma. The head. Great but I rated this higher that I probably would have in a blind taste test just because I am not a fan of barleywine and this wheatwine opened my eyes to the fact that I shouldn't write off the style categorically. This was strong without being boozy, like some barleyines that I have had and their were fruit tones and sweetness that made it really excellent for the style.

May 21, 2015

ovaltine from Indiana

4/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Look: Aggressive pour into the snifter yielded a finger of white head, body is amber/orange hued.

Smell: Apricot with some citrus, no discernible malt.

Taste: Apricots, oranges, and cherries (if that makes sense), plus a bit of toffee malt which is really nice.

Feel: Well carbonated, very dry.

Overall: only my 2nd wheat wine that I'm aware of, I'm glad I found this in the beverage fridge after 2+ years. It held up extraordinarily well. Rating = 4.00

Apr 06, 2015

infinitebruner from Arkansas

4.26/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

January 15, 2015

Draft, snifter

A – Deep amber. Slightly hazy. Some off-white lacing but little real head here. Low retention.

S – Sweet caramel malt, a lot of residual sweetness, with some warm, smooth booze. A bit of cherries. No hops are discernible.

T – Caramel and apricot, with a strong impression of crème brulee. Some booze and oak, vanilla. Hops are spicy and provide some balancing bitterness.

M – Carbonation is moderate and palate-cleansing. Residual sweetness is balanced by the hop bitterness. A slight carbonic bite. Booze is warm and inviting.

O – So many great things going on for this beer, a ton of complexity, warm and inviting. Hard to pack all this in and keep it in balance, but it’s well done here.

Jan 22, 2015

metter98 from New York

3.83/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: The beer is relatively clear amber in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a short off white head that quickly died down, leaving patches of bubbles on the surface and a collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Light aromas of caramel and toffee are present in the nose; these become a bit stronger as the beer warms up.
T: The taste mostly follows the smell and has light flavors of caramel and toffee along with a slight amount of sweetness. No alcohol is perceptible.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation. There are bits of warming from the alcohol once the beer warms up.
O: This beer reminds me like a muted version of a barleywine as you can taste the malty flavors but it doesn't seem as heavy on the body as the wheat lightens things up. It is rather easy to drink considering its strength.

May 30, 2014

twiggamortis420 from Texas

3.78/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

750 mL courtesy of fthomasl pours a rich ruby color with a moderate sized off-white head. Fair retention and lacing.

Nose is sugared toffee, grassy hops and alcohol. Decent, if not spectacular.

Taste is toasty toffee, fairly sweet with an alcohol bite on the end, I wish it was lighter on the malt with a healthier hop dose. It is a different sort of wheatwine than the lighter colored, more effervescent variety. This one has a heavy, barleywine feel to it. Not bad, but I likely would pass it up on a store shelf.

Mar 28, 2014

gillagorilla from Maryland

3.6/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Sampled on tap at Max's Taphouse (3/11/14)

A: Copper. No lacing. See through.

S: Sweet malts with a lot of raisins.

T: Sweet. Very much Belgian. Caramel.

M: Very smooth.

O: Good stuff. Almost like a dessert version of a quad/tripel/dubbel, or the doppelbocks.

Mar 21, 2014

cvm4 from Mississippi

3.59/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours a dark amber in color with a one finger tan head. The head doesn't last too long and dissipates into a ring around the glass. Really not much lacing or retention.

S - Sweet caramel, grainy, bready yeast and dark fruits.

T - Honey and light caramel sweetness. Wheat grains throughout and floral hops as well.

M - Medium to full bodied with light carbonation. Slightly cloying and a bit boozy.

O - It's a good rendition of the style, but I just think this style is setup to not blow people away.

Dec 14, 2013

Pencible from Virginia

3.81/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: This poured a cloudy light mahogany with thick light tan head.
S: It smelled like faint copper hops and fresh wheat, with some wildflower honey.
T: It tasted like copper hops and fresh wheat, with some nutty toffee and wildflower honey. It had a clean mostly bitter aftertaste.
M: It was thick and chewy with a little carbonation. Great huge body.
D: This was a nice brew with nice scent and taste and fantastic body. The finish was smooth and the alcohol was really well hidden, so it was surprisingly easy to drink. I wish it had more boldness, either hoppy or sweet. Instead this ended up being nice but a little boring. Age may help.

Dec 06, 2013

Sludgeman from District of Columbia

3.35/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25

On tap at Rustico/Alexandria. More wine than beer. I need more experience with this style, but it came off as too sweet and reminded me of some German wines like Liebfraumilch or a cheap sweet Riesling. - 3.25

A - Beautiful dark amber with a one-finger head and good lacing, low carbonation. Certainly resembles a barley wine. - 4.25

S – Sweet, fruity, cherry, maybe peach. - 3.5

T - Too sweet without balancing bitterness. The wheat malt does not provide enough of a backbone. Some alcohol. - 3

MF - Medium bodied, a little slick, smooth creaminess. Warming - 4

Nov 24, 2013

StonedTrippin from Colorado

3.65/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

odd beer but another tasty one from perennial. on tap at hops and pie, this has a pale golden color, perfectly clear, but not much head or visible carbonation. smells quite sweet, like honey and wheat malt, somehow still light despite its obvious gravity and alcohol strength. I smell some fruity esters too, maybe even berries or honeysuckle or something lush and springy. the flavor is on the sweet side, residual sugars abound, and its subtle malt flavor is less prominent than it probably should be, although I am admittedly not much of a wheat wine connoisseur. the alcohol doesn't come out until the end, and the flavor is actually rather pleasant, just very sweet. a good glass to share. smooth in the feel, gentle vibes, but lacking the carbonation that I need in a beer like this. it gets heavy as a result, and starts to get tough to drink. the booze comes out as it warms and it can really get you smashed if you don't look out. a good beer from perennial. maybe not quite up to the level of some others, but a unique and enjoyable cold weather brew.

Nov 13, 2013

Franziskaner from Missouri

3.82/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Rich deep brown in color. Minimal head quickly disappears, but I see active carbonation bubbles. The aroma is a lush, inviting dark wheat aroma. The mouthfeel is very surprisingly smooth considering the strength. There's an earthiness that blends with the carbonation and makes its presence known by prickling the tongue. I've had a handful of other wheat wines and they haven't been good experiences, but this is very intriguing and inviting. There's a bit of a dark malt and buttery cracker refreshing aftertaste.

Nov 09, 2013

clayrock81 from Florida

3.9/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a lighter brown (reddish brown) with minimal head and lacing and had a strong boozy aroma, mixed with touches of caramel and dark fruit notes as well as some wheat is noticeable. The wheat helps make for a fuller body, not chewey but close, smooth drinking, the booze is noticeable as it has a slightly heavy boozy taste, not quite bourbon/woody, the dark fruits like plums, raisins, figs are in there, touches of bitter citric hops and spice. Enjoyed this beer but the balances seems to be slightly off as the finish is muddled and at some points was really biting.

Oct 20, 2013

russpowell from Arkansas

3.42/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottled 9/12

Pours an effervescent amber with 1 finger of beige colored head. Nice viscosity to this, below average head retention & lacing

S: Doughyness, pears & peaches

T: Follows the nose, leafy hops, a touch of wine sap apples & pipe tobacco notes up front. Pears & leafy hops continue to dominate as this warms, a touch of white grape as well. Finishes dry, fruity & warming with more leafy hops & apricot; plus a bit of cardboard/oxidation

MF: Chewy, fairly firm carbonation that softens over time. Becomes fairly warming over time

Alright for the style, not near as quaffable as Harvest Dance, so far this brewery isn't really impressing me, especially a pricey as they were at Brown Derby

Aug 23, 2013

Alieniloquium from Florida

3/5  rDev -23.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

750 mL bottle poured into a snifter.

Appearance - Deep caramel colored. A few bubbles. Thin khaki collar.

Smell - Caramel and a bit of hops. Sweet and wheaty. Smells like a bit of honey too.

Taste - Sweet with a bit of oxidation. Wheat and caramel. Nothing else but booze.

Mouthfeel - Heavy and kinda sweet. Medium low carbonation.

Overall - This is hella dull.

Aug 20, 2013

mecummins from Illinois

3.88/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- pours a reddish gold honey color. Lots of ivory foam, 3 fingers at least. Not much lacing for all that head though.

S- caramel, honey, lots of wheat grains and some bready yeast. A bit of herbal, earthy hops

T- slightly sweet from the caramel & honey notes. Wheat grains right upfront too. A bit boozy. Nice light herbal/ earthy hops layered in.

M- ever so slightly syrupy, but leans towards medium mouthfeel than thick

F- medium and slightly boozy

A nice beer that I'll appreciate more come Fall

May 20, 2013

ThickNStout from Georgia

4.42/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

750mL bottle from HalftimeBeverage.com. Bottled 09/12. Served in a Three Floyds teku.

Pours a deep red hued gold with three fingers of lively off-white head. A good few lacey spots, more than I expected considering the high-ish abv.

Smells of sweet biscuits, wheat, grass, toffee and honey/caramel. Very nice and it gets better as it warms.

A good bit of honey and caramel in the flavor with hay, toffee, bitter floral, earth, grapefruit peel, a hint of vanilla, wet grass and some alcohol heat peaking through towards the end.

Creamy, medium heavy body with relatively mild carbonation. Dry, bitter earthy sweet aftertaste.

A really good wheat wine. One of my favorites that I think will do well in the cellar for a couple years. It does a much better job of hiding it's alcohol than many others that I've tried. I wish that expense and shipping didn't prevent easier access to this but I'm happy to have a couple more. Fans of the style should try it if/when possible.

Mar 29, 2013

Etan from Wisconsin

3.85/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

750ml into a tulip.

A: Pours an murky amberish maple with a nice white head. Sticky lacing.

S: Floral, honey-like esters, cotton candy, light caramelized malt.

T: Dryish maple and molasses, brown sugar, bitter grain, a bit nutty, whole wheat bread, dark booze underneath.

M: Between medium and thick-bodied with light carbonation.

O: This is pretty good, but it's a bit one-noted.

Feb 14, 2013

brewcrew76 from Wisconsin

3.53/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Light reddish, burgundy with a few finger tan head and a few wisps of lace.

S -Wheat malt, fruity, toffee and caramel, honey, herbal, slightly boozy.

T - Strong alcohol sweetness, slight alcohol burn, herbal bitterness, nutty with light caramel and toffee. Maybe a touch metallic as it warms.

M - Creamy but tough to get past the sting of carbonation and warming alcohol. Once that passes it has decent flavor.

D - Hard to get past the initial alcohol taste/carbonation sting. Decent beer on the finish but the initial notes are below average.

Feb 08, 2013

sweemzander from Illinois

3.92/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

750mL bottle poured into a snifter. Thanks to Matt for sharing yet again!

(A)- Pours a hazy reddish amber color. Produced some white froth and lace.

(S)- A sweet and rich body. A touch sherry/port-like with bits of fig and honey. Ever so slightly biscuit like in the background.

(T)- A heavy sweetness with honey, fig, and a subtle biscuit like wheat.

(M)- A mellow carbonation level, but it fits. Quite sweet malts with a nice balance for the style.

(O)- Its actually quite a nice beer for the style. I am by no means an expert when it comes to wheatwines, but compared to previous beers I have had in the style, this is actually near the top.

Jan 11, 2013

TMoney2591 from Illinois

3.08/5  rDev -21%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Served in an Ohio State shaker pint glass.

Memories of Hitchhiker's Guide flowing back for some reason... Anyway, this stuff pours a slightly hazy sunset amber topped by over a finger of cream-white foam. The nose comprises wheat, wet grass, flowers, light perfume-y orange peel, and lightly-toasted biscuit. The taste brings in more of the same, along with some grapefruit peel. The alcohol isn't quite as present as I'd expected from other encounters with this brewery, which is a nice bit of surprise. The body is a lithe medium, with a very light moderate carbonation, a sorta/kinda fluid feel, and a sorta/kinda dry finish. Overall, a kinda limp wheatwine, one with little character and a subsequently bland flavor.

Dec 27, 2012

homebrew311 from Illinois

3.65/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured on tap in a snifter. Appearance is a slightly hazy with a dark golden hue. Minimal head with some spotty lacing. Nose is full of wheat and bread, rich herbal hops come next with a bit of booziness. Taste is a bit sweet up front with heavy wheat character and burn. Mouthfeel is heavy with light carbonation. Overall, a little one note.

Dec 20, 2012

Reaper16 from Alabama

3.97/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

served on-tap @ Local Option, Chicago, IL, into a tulip glass

Pours a very ruddy, muddy brown color. It looks like some mulled cider, the kind you throw a ton of cinnamon sticks into. Not much head at all, barely 1/2 of a finger. Didn't really lace either, but its probably too strong in alcohol content for that.

The aroma is real toasty. Toasted breadcrusts (wheat bread, very obviously), an array of spices. Sweet brown sugar notes. The flavor is unlike other wheatwines I've had, which tend to be pretty hop forward. This is a total malt bomb: sticky with toffee flavor. It's not nearly as deep as great barelywines I've had, and it isn't as complex as the best wheatwines (like Boulevard's Harvest Dance). But it's a lovely and unique sipper in its own right.

The mouthfeel isn't as sticky as I thought it would be. You want to sip this, if only because of the slight boozy finish. Overall, a good beer. The world needed a wheatwine like this one.

Nov 24, 2012

zeff80 from Missouri

3.97/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Poured out a slightly hazy, burgundy color with golden highlights. It had a one-finger, khaki colored head of foam that left sticky patches of lace on the glass.

S - It smelled of wheat, booziness and some toffee.

T - It tasted of wheat, toffee and caramel. There was a strong spiciness and just a touch of bitterness.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A medium to full bodied ale with a dry, clean finish.

O - This is yet another really good beer from Perennial.

Nov 16, 2012