Williams Bros. Brewing Co. "Grozet" Gooseberry & Wheat Ale:
Did you know that the word "grozet" is Auld Scots for Gooseberry? Yeah, me neither. As a lovely Christmas gift from cousin, I received a four-pack of beers from the Williams Brothers Brewing Company of Scotland. Being of Scottish descent, and having watched
Braveheart at least ten times, I thought this was wonderful. However, knowing that Scotland is also the land of haggis and Scotch whiskey (I'm not a fan), I had some doubts.
Cracking open the
Grozet Gooseberry & Wheat Ale, I was struck by its effervescence and head in the glass. I used a small pilsner glass instead of a wheat glass proper, and luckily El Presidente was not around to witness the faux pas. My nose in the glass, you can smell the wheat, tasting it, you are not overwhelmed. There is a bit of lingering wheaty aftertaste also where you can find some of the berry flavor. The berry flavors come out more as the beer settles down and warms up a degree or two.
To be honest, though, I am at a disadvantage, because I have never consumed a gooseberry, so I don't know what to look for (or taste for). But I liken it to another berry wheat beer I reviewed (
Long Trail's Black Beary Wheat). Its subtly is its strength. Some wheat beers feel overly wheaty and fill up your nose and mouth and stomach. Some berry beers go overboard on the berry to make it distinctive. This is different and nice, and the fact that Scottish brewers have been using the gooseberry in fermented drinks for centuries, this beer strikes me as sophisticated and not gimmicky at all. Of course, maybe I'm just buying into hype. But I like it. I found it interesting, too, the ingredients listed on the bottle: Malted Barley Bree, Wheat, Gooseberries, Bogmyrtle, and Hops. Whatever the combination I like it. Very accessible, good introductory beer, not overly berry-ish, and at 5% abv, able to drink all night long as you recite Robert Burns poems and paint your face blue. Wallace!!!!!
Williams Bros. Brewing Co. "Grozet" Gooseberry & Wheat Ale:
Representation: .8
Accessibility: .95
Style: .75
Personal Preference: .85
Total: 3.35 Flags
What: Boaks Belgian Wheat
Williams Bros. Brewing Co. "Grozet" Gooseberry & Wheat Ale:
Long Trail Blackbeary Wheat Beer. This review begins with an admission of guilt. Being an amateur cartoonist, I could not help but pick up a six pack of Long Trail's Blackbeary Wheat due to its funny and well-done label art depicting a cartoon bear (in glasses) on the verge of being pumelled by his wife with a rolling pin as he steals a blackberry (blackbeary) pie. I am guilty of being wooed by beer artwork, but I vow never to judge a beer by its cover. A long sniff into the bottle and a first swig reveal a pretty recognizable but timid taste of blackberry. Swigs 2 through 6 and you can taste the blackberry only as a finish. Pay attention as you swallow, you can taste it right there on the back of your tongue. What this beer scores low in style, it makes up for in accessibility. Its a fruit flavored beer I don't feel pressured to float an actual piece of fruit in, and I welcome a second and third bottle. On the neck label, Long Trail writes that the beer is "finished with a hint of Blackberries in the kettle," and that is what you get, a hint. Not too much, just enough, which makes this drinkable, and a novel summer beer to take to parties or just to admire and laugh at the label. Kitschy? Maybe, but smooth, not overpowering, and good enough to go back for more.
Sierra Nevada Wheat Beer:
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