WheatEZE
Santa Maria Brewing Co.

Poured into a Seattle Beer Week pint glass. Pours a very hazy, nearly opaque, orange with a three finger white head with good retention and solid lacing. Aroma of pale malt, citrus and dank hops, orange, grapefruit and mixed fruit. Flavor is pale and wheat malt, citrus and dank hops, orange, grapefruit, green grape and berries; dank finish with good moderate bitterness. Medium bodied with light creaminess. Wasn't sure what to expect here, and when it poured very hazy, my expectations dropped. Fortunately this was a combination of a different malt base (wheat), pleasant hop choice and best of all, a solid alpha oil bitterness kick in the finish. I actually like the looks of unfiltered IPAs, but too often hazies are boring in the bitterness department. I was pleasantly surprised to find the wheat malt was similar to a standard pale malt, but definitely had the dry wheaty character, which I found quite satisfying. The hops profile isn't too complicated, but has good citrus and faint mixed fruit notes with a solid dankish finish. Looked good, tasted fine. I'm really glad I took a chance on this. If it was local, I'd put it into my rotation. Different, well done and a good introduction to the brewery. Nice retro imagery on the can too.