XX Mountainberry Double Wheat Ale
Grand Teton Brewing Co.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interesting find, well-cellared bottle from 2008. Cloudy amber bodied beer with a huge cream-colored head that settles down very slowly and lots of sticky lace. Complex nose still has some tart and sweet berry notes, but also a nice mix of grainy wheat and caramel maltiness as well as a noticeable boozy component.

The flavor is fairly close to the aroma; the berries are still in there but not as fresh, obviously, as they might have been. Sweet and lightly tart notes remain, but they’re blended in and well-integrated with wheat, chewy and somewhat heavy malt, and a fairly strong alcohol component. Little in the way of hops or bitterness. A vague spiciness adds a further nuance.

Moderately full bodied, somewhat chewy, with medium to slightly high carbonation. Sweetness lingers in the aftertaste. A bit lip-smacking. Not exactly a refresher and the big bottle, shared between two, still hit fairly hard in terms of potency. Glad I got to try this one, it was more complex, heavier, and boozier than I’d expected.

 

 

Appearance: Hazy brown with a hint of orange around the edges and mixed within. Had a massive frothy off white head that measured close to three finger widths.

Smell: Smells like beer mixed with grape juice.

Taste & Mouthfeel: Lighter in body with a thinner upfront taste. The berries are the first thing you taste, along with a great amount of tartness. The tart/bitterness is so overwhelming that my tongue is numb at this point. The taste is just to muddled to truly enjoy it.

Overall: It's not a terrible beer, it's just not great or even a mediocre beer. Something seems off, which I think has to do with the berry concentrate. I guess I pay for what I get. This seemed to have great potential.

 

Poured into DFH pint glass.

A - Poured deep purple, reddish color with big head that dissipated slowly leaving lots of lacing around the glass.

S - Lots of berries with slight hints of wheat and alcohol.

T - Definitely lots of fruit flavors but not too overpowering the taste of wheat.

M - Medium bodied with high carbonation.

O - Very unique and refreshing ale that can be enjoyed in the summer. I would recommend it.

 

Served from a 750 bottle into a pint glass.

Appears mostly a purple pink color with practically no head.

Smells a bit medicinal with touches of wine extract.

Tastes again of medicine with touches of natural and ripe berries.

Mouthfeel is a little musty. No creaminess and no booze burn.

Overall a bit disappointing. I wish there was either more fruit or more wheat. It is a double wheat, isn't it?!

Thanks to UncleJedi for hooking me up with this one!

One liter waxed (a.k.a. pain in the ass to open--thanks Del) swing-top bottle:

A-Hazy deep reddish copper with a large effervescent light tan head. Head slowly reduces to a thin cap and leaves large swatches of lace.

S-Berry fruit (duh!), apple a large dose of sweetmalt with a touch of alcohol burn.

T-Fruit flavour is certainly present but not overpowering or unrealistic in nature. A rich caramel malt base provides a solid backbone. Impressively complex for "just a fruit beer". This one has depth to it. Drying, astringent finish.

M-Medium bodied, somewhat sticky yet rather sharp with a nice twang of sourness in the end.

D-Quite the sipper. Becomes more and more interesting with warming. A tasty and rather unique brew!

I feel like the name is based off of the Smurfs. Pours a lighter brown with reddish hues throughout. A good pour leaving a soft white head with good retention and lacing through the whole tasting.

The nose is a little light and a bit muddled. The wheat notes are there with a light spicy aroma to them. Some minor malt notes with a hint of caramel but more of a background note. A weird fruity aroma that isn't exactly berry esk but does leave a hint of fruity notes. Some minor yeasty notes but nothing over the top.

The taste is similar. The fruity notes come out more versus the nose but leaves a sweet lingering flavor. The taste is not very descript as you get more of a cranberry, blueberry mix to it. Some off notes come out as well. Some grassy and almost watermelon like astringency that is off setting. The wheat is a background note but would like to see more malt to balance.

The body is moderate although finishes really sweet. I would have liked to see less of the fruity notes and more of a blend with the beer. The carbonation was a bit high with some carbonic bite but not over the top. Overall, the fruit side was a little funky and could have backed off, but hey it's a fruit beer.

Poured into my Widmer Hefe glass at 47 degrees.

Appearance: A frothy foamy w3 finger white head that has some retention to it. The head leaves lacing on the glass. The color of the beer. Orange and amber color body in the beer. The clarity of the beer is hazy with some particles.

Nose: A nice heavy wheat nose with caramel heavy berry notes from the assortment of berries used in making of this beer. In the back ground of the beer is yeast.

Taste: A heavy wheat flavor with caramel and tons of berry flavors. There is some yeast and malt.

Overall: The mouth feel of the beer is heavy and creamy and velvety on the tongue. The body of beer is medium thick and the finish is medium. This beer is as sipper, the heavy body of the beer makes it hard to drink. I really like the beer except it is just in your face. It is a boozy drink like wheat wine.

The beer pours a hazy burgandy color with a thick frothy offwhite head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a solid dark wheat scent along with a warming berry aroma. It's quite fruity with a rich, wine-like feel. The taste is decent. It has a smooth fruit beer flavor that's a bit heavy on malts and fruits. The blueberry concentrate is a tad much, but I'm not familiar with the others berries used either. It's unique and deserving of an anniversary selection. The mouthfeel is decent as well. It is a full bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is an interesting brew. I like the double wheat idea. I just think the fruit character is a bit overdone.

Reviewed on 11/13/08

Poured into a pint glass. When opening the bottle, LOTS of foam came rolling out of the top. Very much excessive carbonation. Dark honey color w/hints of ruby/purple. Thick, 3-4 finger, off-white head. Good lacing.

Smell is blackberry and other berries.

Taste is sweet malts and berries. Slight alcohol warmth even though its a fairly low ABV beer. Mild bitterness. Slight wheat-asscociated flavors as the beer warms up.

Mouthfeel is medium body and loads of carbonation.

Drinkability is fair. Slightly to sweet.

Overall i was hoping for more berry presence and less alcohol presence. Definitely could be a good brew with some tweaking.

Ok, whoever the punk who thought it would be a good idea to wax a swing top bottle, please, never do it again, what a pain in the ass. The beer is a bit over carbonated as it both foams up as soon as I pop the top as well as foaming over once I get it in my glass. The beer has a frothy, cream colored, initially four finger thick head. The beer is a red tinged, amber color that shows a clear, orange-amber hue when held up to the light. Fairly fruity smelling with lots of berry character, but it finishes with a thin, malt fermentation character that smells a bit cheap somehow. The berry character is not overwhelming, but it is the most dominant note found in this beer. Towards the end there is a touch of grassy grain and cracker-like malt.

This is quite viscous with a definite heft to it that coats the palate; it in fact is quite a bit thicker than the sweetness would suggest. Lightly sweet, most of which comes from the fruity berry notes that dominate the beer. The finish has some hot alcohol to it that definitely warms the throat and lets you know that this is not weak beer. This is actually surprisingly hot, though not overly so, for a beer of only 7.6%; it doesn't hide its alcohol very well. The wheat provides a touch of a tart, clean grain note, but also seems to weaken the overall flavor profile somehow. A fizzy, ample carbonation helps to temper the chewy body a bit, but can some times be a bit distracting.

This just doesn't really work for me. Despite being a big beer & even have a chewy richness to it, this beer comes off as thin and alcoholic.

Purchased: Plaza Liquors, Tucson AZ