Falconer Pale Wheat
Champion Brewing Company

I got a late start on yesterday's NBS (Week 774) & I did not finish up my DelMarVa (+ DC) adventure as planned. 8=( Further, I have promised that next week's NBS (Week 775) will be dedicated to the wonderful beers sent to me by @jkblr who seems to have a real handle on my drinking habits. CANsparency is key in these things! As a result, I am going to CANcentrate over the next few days on eradicating everything that would have CANbined to form the finale of the DelMarVa (+ DC) adventure. Sit down, strap in & hang on. It's gonna be a wild ride!

From the CAN: "This Hoppy American wheat beer was brewed with our friends in C-ville metal outfit Corsair, and features Falconer's Flight hops, a blend of Simcoe, Citra, and Sorachi Ace. Heady hop nose balanced by easy-drinking wheat flavors and mild bitterness."; "35 IBU".

Hmm, the hops bill sounds quite intriguing! I CAN't wait, but first, I must CANduct a Crack! of the vent, followed by a slow, gentle C-Line Glug to get things started. I watched as the foam arose to create a solid finger of dense, foamy, rocky, bone-white head with excellent retention as the world as we know it beCAN to come to an end!

And now, time for "Bullwinkle's Poetry Corner." "Hello, poetry lovers! Today's poem is an uplifting verse from William Butler Yeats, entitled 'The Second Coming'."

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?

I don't know about you, but I CANnot think of a more appropriate poem for Christmas! It just soothes & lulls me into a CANtentment not otherwise possible. And now, back to our review, already in progress:

As the foam and its attendant CANcophany died on the breeze, it was time to gaze into the abyss. Color was a gorgeous Golden-Amber (SRM = > 5, < 7) with NE-quality clarity, but as The Gelt Gang of Midas, Mammon & Croesus appeared for their share, they were cowed by the sight of the maelstrom in my kitchen! I leaned in for a sniff as the back wall collapsed. Nose had an astringency like a disinfectant or a cleaning agent. That makes it sound far worse than it actually was. 8=( It was like pine had been mixed with turpentine, wintergreen, peppermint. I'm still not CANveying it properly. Let's move on! Mouthfeel was medium-to-full, not quite creamy, but on the approach & solid for its style. If I was CANfounded with the nose, the taste is going to be even tougher to quantify! It ranged as freely & a widely as the falcon now circling above my collapsing house. Cattiness of Simcoe, grapefruit from Citra, lemon chiffon from Sorachi Ace, plus the tang of wheat. Phew! Only 35 IBUs? Really? Man, this was scratching an itch first thing this morning. Finish was dry, but not gaspingly dry. They really did a yeoman-like job in hopping this one! YMMV.

 

Haven't come across that many hoppy wheat ales so far, but this is definitely one of the best. Super-drinkable and my go-to beer on a casual Friday night.

There's something missing for me in this beer. Maybe after having several of their more flavorful and complex beers this one falls short.

 

 

 

From a can into a big wheat glass. Decent head but only so so lacing . Kind of clear not a lot of froth, it's got some nose. Tastes like a decent old shoe. Which is still better than Bud, eh?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A: Clear, yellow-gold, with almost white head that fades quickly without much lacing.

S: Not pleasant. Somewhere between herbal hops and old sneakers.

T: Malt is bready, not sweet at all; and it is quickly overwhelmed by one-dimensional, bitter hops.

M: The mouthfeel is the only halfway decent aspect of this beer, and I stress the "halfway" part. It's crisp and moist, but also thin and poorly carbonated.

O: I was really disappointed with this one. It tastes like a watered-down IPA that was boiled for way too long. I do not recommend it.

 

Pours a clear, pale yellow color with a little over a fingers width of white head made of large bubbles. Some smells of tropical fruit over a little cracker scent. Tastes of a little citrus, grapefruit mostly, with a little wheat flavor, into a cracker finish. Low carbonation, light body beer. Good for summer, I'd take it over most session IPAs I've had.

A: A pale hazy yellow in color, with a slightly tan head that falls into the center of the brew like a slow moving sinkhole.

S: Tropical fruit with pineapple, orange peel, and grapefruit dominating.

T: Lot's of citrus, but less of the tropical. Orange peel, tangerine, and lemon zest present, and a hint of herbal in the finish.. possibly clove?

M: Light in body, with fairly high carbonation.

O: Overall a good brew, something I could see hitting a BBQ with, but I with the tropical flavors were a little more present.