Tumblewheat Hefeweizen Ale
Brew Brothers Brewery

 

 

A 14oz pint at the newish Local Public Eatery in south Edmonton.

This beer appears slightly cloudy pale golden hue, with one finger of soapy, almost creamy white head, which settles quickly, leaving some sparse streaked lace around the glass. It smells of faint gritty wheat, and a bit of mild yeast. The taste is light wheat grain, some orchard fruitiness, and soft earthy hops. The carbonation is moderate, the body on the light side, and generally pretty smooth. It finishes off-dry, the wheat malt persisting.

Definitely on the light side as far as even Canadian wheat beers go. Enjoyable enough, though not all that memorable.

Tumblewheat Crystal Wheat has always been on tap at BBs, but now they have finally started to bottle them again, and the four-packs of this are available at Brew Brothers now, as of June 20. Hence, your local store should be able to order them in. Tumblewheat on tap looks exceptional in the pint glass, with a magnificent creamy-white head and screen lacing that is rare in most beers poured on tap. I got no dish detergent aroma at all from the glass, unlike some other establishments. I talked to Peter Kufelt, the brewmaster, and he said it was a combination of cleaning the glasses very well and having a tender who knows how to pour that made the beers look so well. Tumblewheat is a hazy golden colour. The aroma is not very typical of the style, because the wheat is not overly detectable. Instead, I get a sweet fruitiness akin to raspberries. This is nothing like Grasshopper, the other Calgarian Kristal Weizen--there are no sharp notes of wheat here, just a very delicious creaminess. The taste is also a little unexpected, because this could pass for a cream ale or something, as very little wheat malt is there. A good balanced taste, but a little disappointing for the style, because besides a light maltiness there is little else of interest going on. Medium bodied and with a fantastic mouthfeel, creamy and velvety. Drinkability is high because of the smoothness, and I found I could empty these pints dangerously quick. All in all, another fine brew from the Brothers(no, not THOSE brothers.)