Game Day Beer Review: 7venth Sun Brewery Graffiti Orange Creamsicle American Pale Wheat Ale

Graffiti Orange Creamsicle Ale was poured from a growler into a pint glass at home while watching the activity of the final day of the European football transfer window on Labor Day weekend in the US.  Fortunately for purposes of this review, the quality of the beer vastly exceeded the quality of the transfer activity of this writer's favorite team. 

The beer poured a hybrid yellow-golden color with a huge head of bright white foam. 

Graffiti smelled, unsurprisingly, of oranges and cream, with a slight wheat undertone. The taste followed the nose, with plenty of citrus mellowed by a cream aftertaste. 

This is a great hot day session beer. The mouthfeel was moderate. I give the brewery high marks for trying something different: B+

Game Day Beer Review: Boston Beer Sam Adams Summer American Pale Wheat Ale

Memorial Day is the traditional kick off to summer here in the United States -- even if the weather in the northeastern part of the country will make it feel more like a rainy spring weekend....  But that's of no concern to us, as we live in Florida, where summer is well underway.  And we've managed to get a good head start on the beers to try this season:

The first of these was Sam Adams Summer, which we tried when it was poured at Morton's steakhouse in Fort Lauderdale. The beer arrived a nice copper color with a beautiful, thick head, as shown above

Sam Summer was all mild hops and citrus on the nose.  The beer initially started off dry and while the wheat shone through, it finished with a nice lemon twang. It was very refreshing; and even though it's not officially summer yet, when you have one of these in your hands it feels like it should be....  B

Game Day Beer Review: Abita Brewing Lemon American Pale Wheat Ale

(4.40% ABV) Abita Lemon Wheat was poured on draft at the world famous Acme Oyster House in Party City, USA - New Orleans, Louisiana. 

The beer arrived in a plastic cup with little fanfare and featuring only the slightest bit of a head. The smell was full of wheat, with some lemon citrus scent also apparent. 

Lemon Wheat was cold and refreshing, with the lemon twang most noticeable on the finish. The beer was very crisp tasting, but nothing to write home about.  The oysters, however, were another story altogether....: B-

Game Day Beer Review: Cold Storage Craft Brewery Florida Avenue American Pale Wheat Ale

 

(4.70% ABV)  Poured on draft at the Sheraton Westshore in Tampa, Florida.  The beer was served in a glass that still retained a film of dishwater soap on certain spots -- thus the bubbles sticking to the side of the glass in the photo above.

The beer itself was only mildly more impressive than the appearance of the glass.  Florida Avenue Ale wasclear gold color and smelled ever so faintly like grain. Overall, the beer offered only a very innocuous smell.

The taste followed the nose with the exception of a slight citrus/lemon note at the end.  It contained lively carbonation, but the beer had a very thin mouthfeel.

Overall, we'd have to say this beer was truly nothing special -- a beer like this won't convert many to the craft beer revolution: C

Game Day Beer Review: Odell Brewing Easy Street American Pale Wheat Ale

I drank this next beer while sitting at the bar at Pacifica in Aspen, Colorado.  Quite a spot, quite a town, and quite a beer....  I drank a bunch of beer while staying in Aspen on a recent vacation, and I have to say that Odell's beers were uniformly outstanding, truly the best of the bunch in a craft beer haven.

Beer: Easy Street American Pale Wheat Ale

Brewery: Odell Brewing Company

ABV: 4.8%

Color: Rich orange. Healthy white head.
Smell: Faint spiciness, citrus.
Mouthfeel / Taste: Lively carbonation, wheat flavors combined with a refined orange sweetness.

Overall: A great thirst quenching beer.  Highly sessionable: A

Game Day Beer Review: Lagunitas Brewing A Little Sumpin' Sumpin' American Pale Wheat Ale

Photo by emilydickinsonridesabmx on Flickr

Columnist James, distraught over the prospect of rooting for an AVB-led football team, decides to focus his energies instead on ABV....

Beer: A Little Sumpin' Sumpin' American Pale Wheat Ale

Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Company, Petaluma, California

ABV: 7.5%

Appearance:  Pours honey gold, looks almost like a macro lager, very light gold with voluminous and quickly dissipating head

Smell:  Honey and malt, balanced with light hops and touch of grapefruit

Taste:  Wow!  The smell lightly previews what can only be called a wheat beer IPA.  Pine, citrus and hops balanced by malts and honey - somehow strikes the perfect balance between the lightness  of a wheat with the substance of a serious pale ale.

Mouthfeel: The lightness and carbonation of a wheat with the substance of an ale.

Overall:  Superb!  A fantastic redefinition of a wheat beer striking a perfect balance of wheat crispness and hoppiness.  A-