West Coast Wheat Wine
Baird Brewing Company / Fishmarket Taproom
- From:
- Baird Brewing Company / Fishmarket Taproom
- Japan
- Style:
- Wheatwine
- ABV:
- 10.5%
- Score:
- 87
- Avg:
- 3.85 | pDev: 10.65%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 21
- Status:
- Inactive
- Rated:
- Nov 21, 2018
- Added:
- Mar 01, 2005
- Wants:
- 2
- Gots:
- 2
SCORE
87
Very Good
87
Very Good
Brewer's Notes: Wheat Wine is a beer style born on the U.S. West Coast in the 1980s (legend has it that the style was conceived and first crafted at a small brewery-pub in Sacramento, California). It has as its progenitor the English Barley Wine beer style. Wheat Wine, as a beer style, is characterized by a massively rich complexity imbued with a tenaciously strong-willed sense of balance. It is a style indicative of the irreverent creativity and unrelenting passion for beer that form the hallmarks of craft brewing in the West Coast of the United States. Baird West Coast Wheat Wine is crafted in homage to the skilled brewing artisans and fearless beer entrepreneurs that have pioneered craft brewing on Americas great West Coast.
Baird West Coast Wheat Wine is a heavyweight this year (2005) tipping the scales at approximately 9.5% alcohol by volume. 50 percent of the fermentable extract is derived from malted wheat, and this lends a quenching drinkability rare to beers of this strength. This drinkability is buttressed further by a 10 percent addition of Japanese candy sugar which lends to the beer a character reminiscent of a Belgian-style Tripel. The hops once again are 100% American West Coast types; this year, though, large additions of Vanguard and Sterling render the hop character softer and spicier than last years boldly citrus performance.
Baird West Coast Wheat Wine is a heavyweight this year (2005) tipping the scales at approximately 9.5% alcohol by volume. 50 percent of the fermentable extract is derived from malted wheat, and this lends a quenching drinkability rare to beers of this strength. This drinkability is buttressed further by a 10 percent addition of Japanese candy sugar which lends to the beer a character reminiscent of a Belgian-style Tripel. The hops once again are 100% American West Coast types; this year, though, large additions of Vanguard and Sterling render the hop character softer and spicier than last years boldly citrus performance.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by GarrettB from Colorado
3.25/5 rDev -15.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
3.25/5 rDev -15.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
February 20th, 2015 - This serving is the 2014 edition, colored a brilliant gold in the pub's light, and looking mostly clear, save for the faintest veil of haze. And don't forget the thick head on top, shining a brilliant contrast of white against the golden body. A great deal of sweetness is evident on the nose, rich with cherry and a slight peachy vein to give the scent some brightness. The flavor is extremely alcoholic, even though this wine has (hopefully) been sleeping away elsewhere, and also tangy, with a discernible tangerine taste echoing from the foretaste to the aftertaste.
Nov 05, 2017
Reviewed by patre_tim from Thailand
4.56/5 rDev +18.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
4.56/5 rDev +18.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
A nice gold and copper, with very little carbonation, and a bright haze thst almost looks like it's coming from underwater in the Arctic. A seafoam, but no real head.
Smells of creme Brûlée, toasted sugar, stinky foot, and candy sugar.
Extremely balanced, notes of watermelon, sugar, crème brûlée, lemon, and a light sweetness.
Amazingly light and refreshing, and crisp for the ABV . Very little carbonation.
Extremely well done, it totally took me out of left field. Drinking in Chang Mai, August 11, 2017 .
Aug 11, 2017Smells of creme Brûlée, toasted sugar, stinky foot, and candy sugar.
Extremely balanced, notes of watermelon, sugar, crème brûlée, lemon, and a light sweetness.
Amazingly light and refreshing, and crisp for the ABV . Very little carbonation.
Extremely well done, it totally took me out of left field. Drinking in Chang Mai, August 11, 2017 .
Reviewed by JackieKu from Taiwan
3.88/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 2.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
3.88/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 2.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
330ml bottle. Packaged on 2014-07-28.
A: Hazy amber. No foam.
S: Pineapple. Honey. Fruits candy.
T: Intense malty (despite it's wheat wine). Toffee. Medium bitterness. Off dry.
M: Medium body. Low carbonation.
O: Bold flavor but not very impressive.
Mar 04, 2016A: Hazy amber. No foam.
S: Pineapple. Honey. Fruits candy.
T: Intense malty (despite it's wheat wine). Toffee. Medium bitterness. Off dry.
M: Medium body. Low carbonation.
O: Bold flavor but not very impressive.
Reviewed by CrazyDavros from Australia
4.37/5 rDev +13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.37/5 rDev +13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pours dark amber with a fading head.
Nose shows bready malt, doughy notes, melanoiding malt, sweet candy, figs, sultanas. Lovely.
Very similar flavours. Bready and toasty malt, soft spicy notes, resinous hops, sultanas, port. Very rich.
Could use a bit more carbonation.
Awesome stuff.
Apr 13, 2013Nose shows bready malt, doughy notes, melanoiding malt, sweet candy, figs, sultanas. Lovely.
Very similar flavours. Bready and toasty malt, soft spicy notes, resinous hops, sultanas, port. Very rich.
Could use a bit more carbonation.
Awesome stuff.
Reviewed by Sammy from Canada (ON)
3.95/5 rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
3.95/5 rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Bomber from Presario. Spot on wheat wine, tasty, fuller honeyish mouthfeel, lacey. Cloudy golden body.Fresh aromas. Very good drinkability, like a strong ale with its orange citrus hops. Good and complex fruit. Alcohol well hidden. Well crafted beer.
Oct 21, 2012
Reviewed by shigg85 from Japan
4/5 rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
2010 Wheatwine, 9.0%. Had this on tap at Popeye in Ryogoku, Tokyo. Poured into a snifter. A Mountain Dew wheat hue with a thin white bubbly head that subsides. Strong wheat, orange, and grapefruit scents. Pleasant sourness with a thicker mouthfeel than expected by the color. Smell retains and highlights hops as it warms. Goes very well with a lemon-garnished dish. Great wheatwine with a wonderful spice from the alcohol level.
Had again 11 years later. Either it changed or my taste did. Either way, it's still good, but not as good as I previously reported.
Jun 28, 2012Had again 11 years later. Either it changed or my taste did. Either way, it's still good, but not as good as I previously reported.
Reviewed by dansmcd from Australia
4/5 rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A - A finger and a half of white head, sheet lacing, murky body.
S - Apricot, pineapple, wheat, booze and rocky candy.
T - Sweet and sour complexity. Orange peel, kumquat, wheat, coriander, booze.
M - Syrupy medium body, moderate carbonation.
O - An interesting experience. Good stuff.
Mar 11, 2012S - Apricot, pineapple, wheat, booze and rocky candy.
T - Sweet and sour complexity. Orange peel, kumquat, wheat, coriander, booze.
M - Syrupy medium body, moderate carbonation.
O - An interesting experience. Good stuff.
Reviewed by ADZA from Australia
3.62/5 rDev -6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.62/5 rDev -6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours a murky non see through apricot hue which leaves a half finger head and little lacing,the smell is pineapple,papaya,strawberry guava and candied wheat,the mouthfeel is medium bodied and a touch syrupy with tastes of pineapple,kiwifruit,paw paw,lemon rind,candied wheat,candied sweet sugar and a touch of grapefruit bitterness on finish and overall a very fruity wheatwine that belittles its high ABV and overall a nice wheatwine and i could easily drink again with the fruitiness coming through in a very good way cheers.
Feb 15, 2012
Reviewed by leaddog from Canada (AB)
4.03/5 rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.03/5 rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance - Pours a cloudy golden amber hue with 1/2 a finger width of bubbly head.
Smell - Pineapple, passionfruit, starfruit, very slight hint of vanilla.
Taste - Very fruity flavours of pineapple and passionfruit shine through. Slight bitterness in the finish and aftertaste. Slight hint of honey.
Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with light carbonation and slight fluffiness.
Overall - If you want to get into the style, this is definitely a good start. Some very nice flavours in this wheat wine, as well as a nice fluffiness to the mouthfeel. I've had Demeter's Harvest by Half Pints, which is an excellent representation of the style, but besides that, this is still a good second runner up. Worth the try!
Feb 06, 2012Smell - Pineapple, passionfruit, starfruit, very slight hint of vanilla.
Taste - Very fruity flavours of pineapple and passionfruit shine through. Slight bitterness in the finish and aftertaste. Slight hint of honey.
Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with light carbonation and slight fluffiness.
Overall - If you want to get into the style, this is definitely a good start. Some very nice flavours in this wheat wine, as well as a nice fluffiness to the mouthfeel. I've had Demeter's Harvest by Half Pints, which is an excellent representation of the style, but besides that, this is still a good second runner up. Worth the try!
Reviewed by IronDjinn from Canada (AB)
4.1/5 rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
4.1/5 rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
From a 650 ml brown bottle, abv listed as 8% on my bottle. Pours out a cloudy gold colour, tall tight spongy white head with excellent retention.
Sharp aroma of pineapple and papaya, a yeasty twang, mild bready grains in the background. As it warms some Cascade hops can be detected.
There's notes of pineapple, papaya and strawberry up front in the flavour, soft sweet grains in the middle, finishing with sweet grapefruit and a bit of astringent pith. Aftertaste is actually pretty clean. Warm alcohol is present throughout in the background.
Medium-full body on the mouthfeel, silky smooth texture with some creamy fullness, low carbonation.
If you've never tried a Wheatwine before this is a decent place to start. Very enjoyable and quite approachable for both the style and the alcohol content. I'll for sure be buying at least another bottle of this, if not more. It should last quite a while at that abv% if I don't get to it too soon.
Dec 25, 2011Sharp aroma of pineapple and papaya, a yeasty twang, mild bready grains in the background. As it warms some Cascade hops can be detected.
There's notes of pineapple, papaya and strawberry up front in the flavour, soft sweet grains in the middle, finishing with sweet grapefruit and a bit of astringent pith. Aftertaste is actually pretty clean. Warm alcohol is present throughout in the background.
Medium-full body on the mouthfeel, silky smooth texture with some creamy fullness, low carbonation.
If you've never tried a Wheatwine before this is a decent place to start. Very enjoyable and quite approachable for both the style and the alcohol content. I'll for sure be buying at least another bottle of this, if not more. It should last quite a while at that abv% if I don't get to it too soon.
Reviewed by alpineclimber from Canada (AB)
4.25/5 rDev +10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
4.25/5 rDev +10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
I orginally poured a glass of this at cellar temperature but thought it would be best served at fridge temperature. The pour produces a white fluffy head on a golden brew.
The only smell I can pick up is pineapple. The smell is one dimensional in an interesting way.
The taste is of sweet pineapple and bitter orange. The flavours comprise of citrus fruit of many varieties that are reminiscent of a citrus fruit cocktail. The finish has a good bitterness to it and the mouthfeel is fairly full like a glass of natural fruit juice.
I like it! I really like the prominent citrus fruit smell and taste. The taste of the bitter-sweet fruit and the bitterness in the finish balance well. It's not really complex, just good and tasty.
Aug 10, 2011The only smell I can pick up is pineapple. The smell is one dimensional in an interesting way.
The taste is of sweet pineapple and bitter orange. The flavours comprise of citrus fruit of many varieties that are reminiscent of a citrus fruit cocktail. The finish has a good bitterness to it and the mouthfeel is fairly full like a glass of natural fruit juice.
I like it! I really like the prominent citrus fruit smell and taste. The taste of the bitter-sweet fruit and the bitterness in the finish balance well. It's not really complex, just good and tasty.
Reviewed by biboergosum from Canada (AB)
4/5 rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
2010 version, 633ml bottle, 8% ABV.
This beer pours a hazy, yet bright, medium golden amber colour, specked with sparse floaties, and supporting one hefty finger of foamy, bubbly, and milky white head, which leaves a few abstract iceberg profiles of lace around the glass upon its steady retreat.
It smells of sweet tropical fruit - pineapple, mostly - bitter orange peel, soft wheat cereal (shredded wheat comes to mind), dry alcohol, and strange musty organic essences that I'm going to peg on the native yeast. The taste is semi-sweet, heavy wheat malt, tangy orange and lemon citrus fruit, mildly piney bittering hops, and somewhat astringent, but generally well-behaved booze.
The carbonation is moderate, just a sort of pithy frothiness, the body medium-full in weight, smooth, and perhaps a wee bit creamy. It finishes still bearing the burden of that massive wheat-strong malt, but with a subversive drying tug from the twin forces of ethanol and bitter hops.
A nice idea for a pan-Pacific shout-out to the modern West Coast American brewing ethos, even though most of the wheat wines in the States seem to originate from the Mid-West and points further east. Anyways, this offering displays the extreme malt characteristics expected from any beer delving into '*wine' territory, with an edginess well attributable to the wheat. Hard to tell outright, though, when the aforementioned bitter fruitiness, in honour of the Pacific Rim influence, is so evident. Overall - drinkable enough now, and a prime candidate for some short to mid-term aging.
May 01, 2011This beer pours a hazy, yet bright, medium golden amber colour, specked with sparse floaties, and supporting one hefty finger of foamy, bubbly, and milky white head, which leaves a few abstract iceberg profiles of lace around the glass upon its steady retreat.
It smells of sweet tropical fruit - pineapple, mostly - bitter orange peel, soft wheat cereal (shredded wheat comes to mind), dry alcohol, and strange musty organic essences that I'm going to peg on the native yeast. The taste is semi-sweet, heavy wheat malt, tangy orange and lemon citrus fruit, mildly piney bittering hops, and somewhat astringent, but generally well-behaved booze.
The carbonation is moderate, just a sort of pithy frothiness, the body medium-full in weight, smooth, and perhaps a wee bit creamy. It finishes still bearing the burden of that massive wheat-strong malt, but with a subversive drying tug from the twin forces of ethanol and bitter hops.
A nice idea for a pan-Pacific shout-out to the modern West Coast American brewing ethos, even though most of the wheat wines in the States seem to originate from the Mid-West and points further east. Anyways, this offering displays the extreme malt characteristics expected from any beer delving into '*wine' territory, with an edginess well attributable to the wheat. Hard to tell outright, though, when the aforementioned bitter fruitiness, in honour of the Pacific Rim influence, is so evident. Overall - drinkable enough now, and a prime candidate for some short to mid-term aging.
Reviewed by wordemupg from Canada (AB)
3.65/5 rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.65/5 rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
633ml bottle poured into tulip April,5,2011
A glows a golden orange with lots of tiny suspended particles and a tight off white thumbs width of head that leaves several random patches of lace
S pineapple, cotton candy, dry cereal, yeast and booze
T what I smell but with some lemon rind and the booze is even more apparent
M lighter and fluffier then expected but the heat is hard to miss
O interesting brew perhaps needing some time to mellow out the booze but still worth trying
another style I'm not very familiar with but could learn to love, not as heavy as a Barley wine and maybe this needs to age even more so
Apr 07, 2011A glows a golden orange with lots of tiny suspended particles and a tight off white thumbs width of head that leaves several random patches of lace
S pineapple, cotton candy, dry cereal, yeast and booze
T what I smell but with some lemon rind and the booze is even more apparent
M lighter and fluffier then expected but the heat is hard to miss
O interesting brew perhaps needing some time to mellow out the booze but still worth trying
another style I'm not very familiar with but could learn to love, not as heavy as a Barley wine and maybe this needs to age even more so
Reviewed by basica from California
4.1/5 rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
4.1/5 rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Had this on tap at Baird Beer Nakameguro Taproom in Nakameguro, Tokyo, Japan - http://bairdbeer.com/en/taproom/nakameguro-taproom
A - Tapped a clear orange golden into a taster glass with a thin and slightly milky white head (4)
M - Biscuity, bready wheat malts with dashes of fruitiness suggestive of peaches or apricots (4)
T - Strong wheat malts upfront increasing in intensity towards the middle also with a gradually increasing phenolic flavor; finish is hoppy, fruity, and mildly bitter (4)
M - Medium bodied, slight syrupy with above moderate carbonation and a foamy smoothness (4)
D - Easy sinking despite the strength. Intense malt flavors were interesting and something I could appreciate (4.5)
This was the final of 3 beers I sampled at Baird's Nakameguro Taproom. The first 2 beers I had were the Jubilation Ale 2010 and the Dark Sky Imperial Stout
Feb 02, 2011A - Tapped a clear orange golden into a taster glass with a thin and slightly milky white head (4)
M - Biscuity, bready wheat malts with dashes of fruitiness suggestive of peaches or apricots (4)
T - Strong wheat malts upfront increasing in intensity towards the middle also with a gradually increasing phenolic flavor; finish is hoppy, fruity, and mildly bitter (4)
M - Medium bodied, slight syrupy with above moderate carbonation and a foamy smoothness (4)
D - Easy sinking despite the strength. Intense malt flavors were interesting and something I could appreciate (4.5)
This was the final of 3 beers I sampled at Baird's Nakameguro Taproom. The first 2 beers I had were the Jubilation Ale 2010 and the Dark Sky Imperial Stout
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