Wheat Beers — Avery Brewing Co. vs. Lefebvre Brewery

Avery Brewing Co.
White Rascal
(Belgian Style White Ale)
ABV 5.6%

Color: Hazy pale gold.
Aroma: Banana, lemon, clove and a bit of Belgian yeast funk.
Flavor: Smooth and rich with spicy clove and banana notes.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Balanced
Finish: Not much. Quickly disappears.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good +

Lefebvre Brewery
Blanche de Bruxelles
(Beer brewed with coriander & orange peel)
ABV 4.5%

Color: Hazy pale yellow.
Aroma: Very floral and perfumy. Jasmine and orange blossom.
Flavor: Light and crisp with citrus and floral notes.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Balanced
Finish: Floral with some acidity.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good +

Blow by Blow
Since the thermometer appears to be stuck at 95 degrees (or higher) we've been craving lighter, more refreshing beers. Wheat beers fit nicely into the "light" and "refreshing" category so we found two intriguing competitors and the fight was on. Our choices included one authentic witbier from Belgium and one wheat beer brewed in a Belgian-style from Colorado.

As usual, Ellen poured them blind for me and after tasting both I declared that it was obvious which was the authentic Belgian beer. Also as usual, I was wrong. What confused me was that the White Rascal had more prominent yeast characteristics with lots of banana and clove. The Blanche de Bruxelles, on the other hand was dominated by a sweet, floral perfuminess that I thought was more likely to be the imitator. After some research, I discovered that the banana and clove we tasted in the White Rascal are most often associated with the type of yeast used in Hefeweizens (German wheat beers). Authentic Belgian witbiers usually offer more aromas and flavors that come from the spices added to the beer (ie. coriander, orange peel, etc.) But that's enough of the geeky style discussion, which beer did we like better?

We liked both beers quite a bit, but when it came down to it we chose the White Rascal because the Blanche de Bruxelles was just a bit too intensely perfumy for us. It might not be the most authentic Belgian witbier knockoff but it's a damn fine beer to sip on a hot summer evening and we will gladly pack along a few cans of it on our next kayaking trip.

Winner by unanimous decision: Avery Brewing White Rascal

American Style Wheat Beers — Murray's Craft Brewing Co. vs. Widmer Brothers Brewing

Murray's Craft Brewing Co.
Whale Ale
ABV 4.5%

Color: Cloudy, dirty orange.
Aroma: Grainy with some floral notes.
Flavor: Light, simple, grainy and fruity.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Balanced
Finish: Grain, lemon juice.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre

Widmer Brothers Brewing
Hefeweizen
ABV 4.9%

Color: Cloudy and golden.
Aroma: Hay, flowers, grain and some barnyard funk.
Flavor: Crisp, acidic and grainy with a nice, smooth body.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Balanced
Finish: Citrus acidity and mild bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Blow by Blow
This was the second battle that we did in Hawaii with our friends from Australia featuring one bottle from the Northwest and one from Australia. The Whale Ale described itself as an "American Style Wheat Beer" so we figured it would be appropriate to face it off with the beer that it likely was trying to imitate, Widmer Hefeweizen.

The Whale was fine, but it just really didn't do anything extraordinary. It was easy drinking with a bit of grain character and a mild lemony finish. Certainly not offensive, but nothing to write home about.

The Widmer Hefeweizen was definitely a little more interesting. It had some great floral notes in the aroma to go along with a bit of yeasty barnyard funk. The flavor was fresh, clean and a bit acidic. It even offered up a smidgen of citrus hops in the finish.

We were not all in agreement as to the winner. The Australian Gibson decided that he was not a big fan of American Style Wheat Beers and picked the Whale Ale since it had less of the "wheaty/grainy" character. His lovely wife Hayley, thought that both were fine, but gave a slight edge to the Widmer. Ellen and I both preferred the Widmer and can understand why it's one of the best selling craft beers in the U.S. It's an easy drinking beer that has just enough going on to keep the attention of a beer geek, but not so much that it will turn off the casual beer drinker. It also seems to us that it would be a good beer to drink on a yacht. Anyone have a yacht that we can borrow?

Winner by split decision: Widmer

Wheat Beers — Grieskirchner vs. Pike

Grieskirchner Weisse
ABV 5.1%

Color: Hazy light orangish yellow.
Aroma: Phenolic yeast aromas (band-aid, banana).
Flavor: Smooth, creamy, refreshing and lemony.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Balanced.
Finish: Grain and cloves.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good +

Pike Dry Wit
ABV 5.0%

Color: Almost the exact same color but less hazy.
Aroma: Cardamom, coriander, cheese rind.
Flavor: More of the same — cardamom and coriander.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Balanced.
Finish: Grain with some bitterness and tannins, like an over-steeped tea.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good -

Winner by unanimous decision: Grieskirchner.
In honor of the World Cup starting tomorrow we thought we'd stage an international battle. Unfortunately, we could not procure any English wheat beer to battle the Pike Wit. Instead we had to settle for an Austrian Weissbeer from a brewery with a name that is nearly unpronounceable. Sure, Austria isn't actually in the World Cup, but based on this battle it's apparent that they make up for their lack of futbol talent with some serious beer-making talent.

It wasn't exactly a "fair" fight, as the Pike Wit is an interpretation of a Belgian-style witbier (flavored with orange peel, coriander and other spices), while the Grieskirchner is made in a German Hefeweizen style. Sure, they are both made with wheat, but aside from that they vary greatly in aroma and flavor. However, fights don't have to be fair — the battle goes on without regard to categorization or style. And in this battle, the one that starts with a G was clearly the winner. Its smooth, creamy mouthfeel and classic hefeweizen yeast characteristics made it a joy to drink. If the weather in Seattle ever gets hot again (big "if"), this would be an excellent beer for a BBQ or picnic. The Pike, on the other hand seemed harsh in comparison. The coriander and other spices came through a bit too much and it finished with a strange tea-like bitterness. It wasn't a bad beer (and actually, it might go quite well with Indian food or other boldly spiced fare), but it just didn't match up well with the Austrian Weisse.

And finally, we'll answer the question you've all been waiting for, "Does this mean that the US will lose to England in the first game of the World Cup?" I hate to break it to you, but the results of the battles on this blog have yet to provide any meaningful sports predictions. However, if you do plan to have a beer while watching the game we suggest that you have two: Grieskirchner during the first half and Pike during the second.

In the interest of full disclosure to satisfy the FTC’s law, this battle features a sample bottle received from the Pike Brewery.