Jack Wagon
Shades Brewing

While the brewer suggested this is a hefe, the BA selection of an APWA is more accurate. Jack Wagon does not have the yeasty finesse of a hefe nor the bounteous fruit.

Had on tap at a Mexican cantina in a converted 1960s gas station near the entrance to Zion National Park with the sun setting on the red rock formations rising straight for 2,000 feet, the setting and circumstances could not be beat.

The beer? It is easily beat.
But Jack Wagon is a genuine effort and it fit the meal; cooling my palate for more spicy food. How this beer achieved my goals.

Shades' story is well-told on their website. A husband and wife team move from Park City to the Big City and seems to have made it through hard work and passion. I suppose that is a 21st Century pioneer spirit.

Poured from 12oz bottle into a tulip. Bottled 6/12/17.

Appearance: pale golden hue with a little touch of haze and a thin layer of white foam. I wouldn't mind a little more haze or head.

Smell: lightly wheaty, with a spiced character that comes across as lemony and perhaps a little bit floral. Kind of weird, not super traditional for a wheat beer, but interesting nonetheless.

Taste: lemony and pretty refreshing, with a little bit of underlying wheat character. It pretty much tracks the aroma, and I feel about the same way -- weird but not too bad.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a decent level of carbonation and creaminess.

Overall: this has a lot of refreshing qualities, but it's a little too sweet or something to be super quaffable.

Good beer for a hot summer day. Not to sweat with a slight hop flavor. Enjoyed it

I live in Utah and generally find the beer here (with the exception of Epic brewing co) to be bland, sweet, or over hooped to mask the low alcohol percentage. This beer, however is pretty damned good.

It pours an unfiltered hazy yellow orange. No chunks, no floaties. The smell is fresh, nice hops. Foam dissipates quickly. Mouthfeel is a little high carbonated, but not too much to be a problem. A nice wheat beer, not a lot of maltiness and not sweet at all. Yeast flavors are clear. Finishes a little bit dry. A pleasant surprise.

 

 

Cloudy orange colored beer with a small white colored head.

Smell is wheat biscuits and faint citrus. Little bit of cooked vegetable scent and toasted bread.

Starts out faintly sweet with mineral water finish. This has a hard water taste that reminds me a bit of Alka-Seltzer. Medium level of bitterness.

Mouthfeel is OK.

Overall a very forgettable beer.

Cloudy yellowish in the tall glass. Plenty of foam but not much lacing. Crisp and sharp on the tongue. A little grainy aroma.

Modest wheaty flavor with a touch of malty sweetness. Just a hint of the Hefeweizen-style flavors. Quite clean and straightforward, and makes for a pleasing beery gulp. While this is a little sharp, it's a mellower brew than some American-style wheat beers.

Given the light body and low alcohol requirement, it's quite satisfying. From the 22 oz bottle bought at Emigration Market in Salt Lake.

 

22oz. Bomber

Pours a nice cloudy yellow color, nice carbonation, little fizzy white head, with very minimal sticky lacing left behind. The nose is malty, yeasty, slightly grassy, some bannana notes. The taste is mostly malty, and yeasty, with some grass/bannana notes. Medium body. Not a bad brew, would be great for a hot summer day.