Great White Wheat
Old Market Pub And Brewery

 

Great white wheat is a beer that changes with the seasons. It is sometimes 4.5% and is sometimes 7.5% alcohol.

Appears solid orange like amber color with a substantial white head.

It smells somewhat clove like: it smells slightly spice like. I also get a bit of a citrus fruity smell and a grainy smell to the beer.

It tastes similar to how it smells. There is a strong yeasty flavor to the beer. I get a fruity and slightly spicy yeast flavor. There is also a slight floral flavor to the wheat ale.

It has a smooth mouthfeel with a moderate amount of carbonation.

The drinkability is pretty good. It goes down smooth and would be a good beer with flavor to drink on a summer day.

Overall a pretty good wheat ale that is quite flavorful.

On a whim after tonight's Blazers 113-83 blowout win over Oklahoma City, I stopped at Broadway Grill & Brewery (affiliated with Old Market) and had a pint and a plate of fries. Great White is served in a faceted pint glass, with lemon wedge, for just $2.50 (Monday special).

A: Hazy golden, a somewhat rosy 'breadcrust' orange. Short head of creamy whiteness is long-lasting and sticks in long sheets and small flecks. Loaded with active, fast-moving carbonation.

S: Pleasantly 'Bavarian' wheat/clove/banana aroma; traces of bubblegum. An unfortunate hint of plastic limits the score, but only slightly.

T: A sweeter malt-wheat, laden with those clove spices and ripened banana esters. Something a little off with the balance, but a pretty respectable version of a traditional hefeweizen.

M: Somewhat thin in feel. A creamy texture but a dull finish.

D: Refreshing and easy easy enough to drink, sessionable. A nice discovery that I'd probably have again; preferable to the ubiquitous other 'hefeweizen' brewed locally.

I ordered this beer from the waitress – the attractive young BLOND waitress – and a moment later it occurred to me that they would probably serve me their weizen with a wedge of lemon. I like lemon with my weizen. (It took me a whole weekend at a diversity training workshop to come to terms with the concept of drinking beer served with a wedge of citrus fruit.) But I like to taste my beers au natural before adorning them with fruity condiments. So I called the waitress aside before she placed my order at the bar and I stated my preference for having my weizen served with the lemon on the side. By “on the side” I meant not in the glass, not touching the beer itself, on a little saucer perhaps next to the beer or aside the beer, but not actually in the beer. “Representing a physical separation of materials.”

But what did I get? I got a pint of weizen with not one but TWO wedges of bright yellow lemon ass-cheeked to the rim of my glass. Served with a smile (sigh….) and too cold.

Still, I enjoyed the principle flavors of this clouded wheat beer. It was served flat and headless, the tap no doubt being old. The flavor of Great White was yeasty though the beer itself wasn’t overly clouded. The color was that of a very light honey. It was not especially white as the name might suggest and bore no resemblance to a Belgian wit in appearance or flavor. The taste was fair enough and was quite palatable when enhanced by the lemon, though certainly it was compromised by the staleness of the tap. Perhaps you’ll have better luck than me on that.

Old Market does not specifically designate Great White as a hefeweizen. It’s not nearly as clouded as a hefe- though the comments on their menu toss a brassy quip in the direction of a certain other hefeweizen known to be brewed locally.