Ellicottville Blueberry Wheat

Date: 09/08/2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Cellar Party

crystal clear gold, wispy white head, specks of lace, strong sweet blueberry aroma, light blueberry flavor, sweet fruit character is well balanced by blueberry tartness, nice blueberry skin character,

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 5/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 10/20
Rating: 2.7/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **/4

Pours a transparent golden with a thin ring of white head. Aroma boasts good fresh blueberries and a touch of doughy pale malt. Smells like a blueberry muffin. Body starts with a good light malty sweetness and fruity balance toward a thinner finish. A pretty decent fruit beer.

12 ounce bottle from Beers of the World in Rochester, NY (June 2007), served from a Unibroue glass at just slightly above fridge temperature. A largish frothy white head forms, dying fairly quickly into a small lasting cap, leaving no lace above the faintly hazy, bubbly gold body....blueberries-in-syrup aroma is quite pleasant as is, but there is little wheaty sourness or indeed any malt noted.....body is tart, fruit is fairly strong throughout, some nice biscuity malts appear midway through the tasting, and even some grassy hops are noted towards the finish...some unpleasant metallic notes mar the whole thing, but the reasonably full yet light, effervescent body helps emeliorate this problem....refreshing and fairly decent fruit beer, overall.

Bottle and served in standard pint glass: A straw hued beer with a huge initial fizzy head (over carbonated) which left shockingly little lace upon the glass. The aroma has a nice blueberry pie character, doughy, light spice, and some grassy herbal hop background. The taste is fruity has expected but there also is a spicy and moderate bitterness too. Supported by pale malt and wheat, not one-dimensional IMO. The aftertaste needs to be cleaner however, a bit soapy. The mouth feel is LIVELY (again over carbonated) and a chalky. Not too bad, drinkable, but then I like most blueberry beers I try.

Bottle sample at Jungle Jim’s. Pours clear golden color with an average frothy white head that was mostly diminished with fair lacing. Moderate blueberry aroma. Light to medium body with soft carbonation. Medium fruity sweet flavor with a medium bitter sweet finish of an average duration. My expectations where met.