Mendocino Summer Seasonal Wheat Beer

Brewed by Mendocino Brewing Company
Style: Wheat Ale
Hopland, California USA

Bottle. The aroma is a strange melange. I’d say yeast and wheat. Not finding hop. I’d say the color is brassy gold. The head is white, and it is strong. Medium bodied. The first impression is carbonation, followed by wheat. It gets a bit creamy and chewy as the carbonation effervesces. Then some herbal and spicey notes play against the wheat. The finish is indeed preceded by something metallic. Odd. That metallic note seems to be in the aroma, although not noticeable at the beginning. Finally there is bitter. There is also something like old veg. After a short break, I think it has a bit of pepper. Bell, that is. Gives one something to ponder. The whole impression varies with repeated mouthfuls. A mystery wrapped in a conundrum.

Picked up a single 12-oz bottle at John’s Marketplace in Portland, Oregon. Pours a semi-hazy straw blonde brew with a thin white head that quickly dissipates to a thin ring. Aroma of crystal grain malt with wheat, some lemon zest, flowery hops and a touch of coriander. Taste is medium bodied, lightly carbonated with flavors of wheat malt, coriander a touch of black pepper and some citrus zest. Finish has a mild spice and bitter aftertaste that slowly disappears. For a year-old bottle of wheat ale, this hold up pretty good.

Bottle. Clear golden amber beer with an off-white head. Malt/wheat aroma with lighy hay. Hay/wheat flavor with a bit of lemony citrus. Medium body. Hay, wheat, malt lingers. Easy drinking. A bit thin.

03-Feb-08 (12 oz bottle: BevMo in La Jolla, CA) Slightly hazy and bright golden in color, the quarter-inch-tall white head is kept alive by dozens of streams of tightly packed bubbles making their way to the surface. Wheaty nose seems sweet and honey-like, with a floral hoppiness coming out as well. Big, wheat taste is balanced by floral hops, but the honey sweetness is terribly prominent. Bitterness is light-medium, but seems stronger because the wheat is an easy push-over. Medium in body and well-carbonated, but the sweetness of the beer along with the floral nature of the hops leaves a heavy and stale feeling on the palate and a bad aftertaste. Plenty of flavor here, which is a big plus for an American-style wheat beer, but the hop profile isn’t especially enjoyable.

A slightly hazed pale yellow pour with just a hint of quickly dissapating white head. An aroma of fruity yeastiness. A hint of bannana and appliness. The apple hint was a bit of a surprise. The typical wheat yeast flavor that tries to be sweet at the start but ends up being quite dry. The palate is just a tad thin but not bad for what it is, carbonation is just a bit on the fizzy side for me but not over the top by any means. What would surely be a pleasant drinker on a hot summer day.

Bottle from BevMo. Pours medium gold in color with a small white head. Light grainy aroam with a little spice. Crisp wheat flavors. Somewhat sweet. Drinkable, but fairly boring.

This golden ale poured with a decent off-white head. The body is light and refreshing. The flavor is very spicy for a wheat beer with a somewhat bitter finish. A simple beer that is not particularly satisfying.

Here is another one I tried both refrigerator cold and at 57 degree from my beer cellar. Much better if not too cold. Optimal would probably be somewhere in between. This poured a cloudy gold, with medium white head and average lacing. Nose is of yeast, banana, and wheat. Mouthfeel is average for a wheat being medium in palate. Flavor is complex for a wheat with fruit, hops, and citrus detectable. Slightly bitter finish. Very drinkable.