Boulevard Brewing Co. - Unfiltered Wheat

For the Second Beer of Christmas, I decided to turn off my filter, too. No, wait, that's probably not a good idea.

Boulevard Brewing
Unfiltered Wheat

Boulevard Brewing's Unfiltered Wheat is a crisp, clean beer that anyone (from a IPA-fan to a stout heavyweight, to a Budweiser drinker) can enjoy.

Pouring up a deep yellow, almost gold, the beer is predictably cloudy. A thick head formed in the glass and I had to pause to keep it from overflowing. Very little lacing was left behind and the head fizzled away by the time I was halfway through the glass.

Unlike a hefeweizen or Belgian wit, this wheat beer lacks the scent of bananas and cloves that I usually associate with wheat beers. However, it is fresh if you focus you'll get a touch of floral, a bit of yeast, and a lemony undertone. If you're trying to convert a Bud/Coors drinker, the smell of this beer will not scare them away.

Similarly, the taste is very smooth and clean with a light touch of lemon. It was a bit too clean and too understated for me. Not bad, just not enough there for me. Perhaps I've grown too accustomed to the hefes and wits. However, it is extremely refreshing and is not a challenge, especially for new craft beer drinkers. If my local pub, which I frequent every week, had this on tap, I'd would just as often have this as the usual Shiner Bock that I order. The clean taste is finished off by a slight dryness which makes this light-bodied beer extremely drinkable. On a hot day, it would be a definite thirst quencher.

Keep this one in your refrigerator and any beer drinker who stops by will enjoy it.

Stats
Brewer: Boulevard Brewing Co.
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
Website: http://www.boulevard.com/
Style: American Pale Wheat Ale
Alcohol Content: 4.40% ABV
Interesting Note: I haven't visited this brewery but I can already tell that I would enjoy it. I like breweries that like to be involved with their patrons. From their blog, sponsored events, and tours, you can tell they like to be involved. They take it a step further, though, with brewery rentals. That's right. You could get married or have a party or even hold your conference right in the brewery. I've seen lots of wineries that offer that kind of event service, but this is one of the few breweries that seem to. I'm looking forward to visiting sometime soon.

Ballast Point Brewing Company - Longfin

For the Third Beer of Christmas, we drank the great, great, great grandfather of most North American lagers (like Bud, Coors, etc.)

Ballast Point Brewing Company
Longfin Lager

I have been accused by a few people of drinking "tar" and "scary black beers." Maybe that's true. This year I made sure I grabbed a few bright, non-scary beers to throw into the mix. Today's brew is a craft beer version that's very similar to, but tastier than, the North American lagers (Bud, Coors, etc) that I grew up drinking.

The appearance, taste, and aroma are all similar to the commercial lagers, but the taste and aroma are definitely better.

The beer is a beautiful pale gold, just like you'd get from a draft beer or if you poured your Bud/Coors into a glass. The head is a very thin cap of tiny bubbles that clears away well before I can finish the glass.

A fragrance of sweet grass -- not freshly mowed, but long and sweet -- and a light floral from the hops are the main scents that greet the nose. It's not a beer that smells so good that I want to linger over it like I do with my tar-like brews, but it is nice and light, promising a refreshing drink.

Light and mellow are the best descriptions I can give for the taste of this beer. There's a light citrus taste from the hops and it has a well balanced combination of malt and carbonation that make it a thirst quencher which doesn't dominate the mouth or linger on the tongue.  This beer is highly session-able.

Overall, I prefer a bit more presence from my beers, but this is a solid brew that's highly drinkable. If you're trying to sway friends or family members away from the mass market commercial beers to craft beer, pick up a sixer of Ballast Point's Longfin along with some Calico (their amber) and Wahoo (their white.) Soon you'll find them rifling through your refrigerator looking for a porter.

Stats
Brewer: Ballast Point Brewing Company
Location: San Diego, California
Website: http://www.ballastpoint.com
Style: Munich Helles Lager
Alcohol Content: 4.50% ABV
Interesting Note: Ballast Point isn't just a brewer, they're also a distiller with offerings of rum, gin, vodka, and whiskey. I have not tried any of their spirits, but I think some Devil's Share Bourbon may be in my future.