Hummer
SweetWater Brewing Company

HummerHummer
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From:
SweetWater Brewing Company
 
Georgia, United States
Style:
Witbier
ABV:
5.1%
Score:
82
Avg:
3.6 | pDev: 12.22%
Reviews:
86
Ratings:
103
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jan 24, 2019
Added:
May 01, 2005
Wants:
  5
Gots:
  8
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 3.77 by mothmanscott from Georgia

Jan 24, 2019
 
Rated: 3.5 by harpus from Alabama

Oct 21, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by GeorgiaBeerGuy from Georgia

Oct 10, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by yinz11 from Georgia

Aug 08, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by thatoneguymike from Georgia

Jan 06, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by rorjets from Connecticut

Dec 16, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by engineerkate from Georgia

Oct 07, 2013
 
Rated: 4.25 by DerekCarruth from Georgia

Aug 25, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by GABrew from Georgia

Jul 08, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by Alek from California

Feb 17, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by M_C_Hampton from Georgia

Oct 10, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by gtg079x from Georgia

Sep 15, 2012
 
Rated: 3.25 by DioS from Georgia

Aug 28, 2012
Photo of Jadjunk
Reviewed by Jadjunk from Georgia

3.69/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5
Hummer was discontinued by Sweetwater Brewing around December of 2008, to make room for some new beers (most notably Sch'wheat, which has since gotten the axe as well). Imagine my surprise when I found two cases of this vintage brew concealed on a top shelf at an Athens Kroger 6 months back. Yeah, it's old (Date on the bottle is 02/01/09, making this beer well over 3 years old), but there's little chance I will get to try it again.

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle to my SweetWater "15 Years of Heady Beers" snifter. Served at 45º Fahrenheit.

(Appearance) I was surprised by the presence of a head at all, but consistency was very crispy, heavily carbonated, and it deteriorated within moments of me pouring it, leaving little else than a small patch of spotty surface cover and a faint lacing ring. No lacing clung to the glass throughout the drink. Color is a very hazy shade of golden orange or light amber, almost identical to the label in its shade. There is a heavy presence of carbonation trickling up the sides of the beer. The appearance is quite nice although head quality is quite below average, the other features are redeeming enough to warrant this enough of an appetizing-looking beer. 3

(Smell) The aroma has certainly held together well. This beer has lots of orange and coriander, as well as a mild fruity belgian yeast and a mild wheat malt base that pairs exceptionally well. There are few off flavors although the impression that this was a touch crisper at an earlier date can't help but cross my mind, it is impressively solid still to this day, and very appealing. I wouldn't guess that this was much older than a few months at a blind aroma test. Potency of the aroma is a touch milder than I would have hoped but overall, it's a fantastic smell with very few flaws. 4

(Taste) The taste is also great for the age. There's a definite presence of mild sweet wheat malt and coriander spice with a mild sweet orange flavor on the finish. There are very few astringencies to the flavor and the taste is very accessible and highly drinkable. The "crispness" of the orange and coriander have faded a bit with age but fortunately the "murkiness" of gone-bad wheats hasn't kicked in. Overall this has prevailed through the years better than I would have expected. This is certainly one of the better tasting Witbiers that I have had. 4

(Mouthfeel) Very slick. Mouthfeel is a lot flatter than I would have hoped for. There's a real lacking of carbonation in the texture overall. With even a tiny boost of crispy texture, the flavors could be much better accented and those orange and spice subtleties would become all the more pronounced. There is very low to no alcohol presence. Body is light. Overall, it's an average pairing that doesn't accent the flavors well but with a tweak it could make it a truly refreshing beverage. 2.5

(Overall) It's always the discontinued beers that I miss the most. While I'm not finding many local White Ales in Georgia these days, I must say this is one of the finest representations of the style and I am very fortunate to have had an opportunity to try one of these. The flavors were subtle but highly enjoyable, and the slightly underwhelming carbonation doesn't make a huge impact on my overall enjoyment of the beer. In the extremely rare occasion that you have a chance to get a six pack of this, don't heed the dates on the bottle. It has fared well through the test of time and maintains the mild and drinkable flavors it surely had in the past. Alternatively, cross your fingers and hope that SweetWater is in the right frame of mind to bring back old classics. I could only imagine that this beer would be even better at a fresher state. Recommended. 3.5

SweetWater Brewing Company's
Sweetwater Hummer White Ale
3.7/5.00
May 19, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by davidblack from Georgia

May 11, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by UltimateLivewire from South Carolina

Mar 11, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by OldTime from Georgia

Mar 09, 2012
 
Rated: 2 by jophish17 from Georgia

Nov 14, 2011
Photo of mikesgroove
Reviewed by mikesgroove from South Carolina

4/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
light amber in color with a good amount of cloudiness to it as well. A nice sized head of around two inches in height rose up immediatly but then settled down to about a half an inch and stayed that way until the very end. Some light side glass lacing on this one as well.

The aroma was full of grain and slight spices. Some small fruit notes, pears mainly, with a touch of apple. But this hay like spice kept everything going. Rich notes of grass and hay opened it up, and melded seemlessly into a pear driven fruity yeast body. Very intresting and quite complex, but then the smack of the spice hit you and it was all over. Really intense here as the almost pepper like notes bounced all over the tongue
Oct 22, 2011
Photo of BeerAdvocate
Reviewed by BeerAdvocate from Finland

3.67/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
From BeerAdvocate Magazine Volume II, Issue II:

It always worries us when American brewers take on Belgian styles, as the benchmark tends to be pretty high for these delicate styles.
The yeast really packs down hard at the bottom of the bottle, so to create that cloudy appearance this style is known for we really stirred up the last third of the bottle. Pale orangey-golden color with the turbid cloudiness, head retention is spot on for the style with a few rings of lace left on the glass. Subtle and very pleasing aromas of coriander, orange peel and nutty yeast with a bready nose in the back. Moderately-sized fluffy body. Coriander comes in a little strong and throws its bitterness hard at the malt, orange peel is an afterthought but still present. Maltiness pushes bready flavors throughout. Yeast blankets the taste buds middle to end with a faint nutty and chalky tone. Finishes a bit dry with lingering coriander and yeast.

Nice level of bitterness, spicing is high, but never comes across as soapy. This is certainly more than a good stab at the style. Kudos to Sweetwater for this one.
Nov 13, 2009
Hummer from SweetWater Brewing Company
Beer rating: 82 out of 100 with 103 ratings