Mad River Farmhouse Wheat
Upper Thames Brewing Company

Dec 14 2025

At my lady Pamela's house; canned and chilled, 473mL in a weizen glass. From my favourite LCBO at Tecumseh Mall in nearby Windsor. My first beer from the Woodstock, Ontario brewery. With Sundae the cat...

473 mL can from the LCBO; dated May 5 2025 and served slightly chilled. As of 2025, this pale wheat ale is brewed with Saaz & Sasquatch hops, according to the Upper Thames online shop.

Pours a hazy golden-yellow colour, capped with one finger of loose, soapy white head that fades within three minutes, give or take. A thin collar and a few filmy wisps on the surface are all that remain; scant lace deposition. Whole wheat bread and crackery sweetness on the nose, with suggestions of floral hops, spice, lemon & orange peel.

Flavourful for only 4.6% - the first thing that strikes me is its acidity, with orange, green apple, grapefruit and lemon peel coming through alongside a bready, wheaty malt backdrop. Spicier on the back end, with floral, herbal hops, white pepper and cilantro preceding an aftertaste of orange, banana and yeastiness; fades to off-dry after a few seconds. Light-medium in body, with aggressive carbonation that adds a firm, crisp bite to this brew's mouthfeel. Decent drinkability.

Final Grade: 3.66, an adequate B grade. There are some vaguely farmhouse ale-like aspects to Mad River Farmhouse Wheat, but overall I'd have to agree that American Pale Wheat Ale is the closest fit. Within that style, this is more interesting than average: at a mere 4.6%, the wheat backbone comes off as relatively robust, and I also enjoyed the citrusy notes, as well as its spicy characteristics. I still don't see any reason to pick this over a hefeweizen, but it's refreshing enough on a balmy summer night - if you enjoy lighter wheat ales, this could be a sleeper pick.

Appearance: Poured from a Boston round bottle that produced only a half finger of head that did not lace or retain. That said, I am being slightly lenient on this front given the medium and that it sat for a few days in my trunk. What I do like is the crystal clear brassy body with ample carbonation that reminds me of a solid Kristalweizen.

Smell: The barest notes of wheat malt and a slight touch of spice that warming doesn't really help out. There's nothing wrong with it, it's just the potency isn't there.

Taste: Starts with a mild mixed malt, as touches of banana and mild toffee gently feel each other out. It then turns a bit of a sweet carrots, coriander, clove and a shortbread touch before a second surge of banana comes forward with the barest touch of earth at the end just to cleanup.

Mouthfeel: Pleasant river is more like it, as the transitioning isn't as smooth as silk, but slightly bumpy in an interesting way. The carbonation strikes me as a bit low, but it seems to work out well here. Aftertaste is mostly clean with only the barest notes of wheat malt present.

Drinkability: Incredibly light bodied and exceptionally easy to drink. Settles down incredibly well and is certainly interesting taste wise to keep me involved. Refreshing, but stops just shy of being watered down.

Final Thoughts: Even though the Brewer lists this as a Belgian Wit, they also list this as trying to aim somewhere between a Wit and a Saison (hence the name, Farmhouse Wheat) so I felt the Pale Wheat Ale style fits this one the best. As a wit, this is lackluster, as the wheat and spice are way too low and as a Saison the lack of earth and potency of the yeast would leave this too odd. However, as the hybrid it is, I have to say I am a fan. It walks the line very well to produce something unique and tasty without abandoning either side. That said, this would be much better suited for hot summer drinking then the dead of winter when this review happened. Certainly worth a try if you are in the area.