Pineapple Mana - Maui Brewing

The Sixth Beer of Christmas 2018 is Pineapple Mana in

Summary

• Appearance: Hazy gold with a head of big, white, frothy bubbles
• Aroma: Light pineapple, caramel, yeast, white grapes
• Taste: Pineapple, but not that sweet. A touch of pepper.
• Feel: Light to medium body with a dry finish.

Stats

• Brewer: Maui Brewing Company
• Location: Kihei, Hawaii
• Website: https://mauibrewingco.com/
• Fruit: Pineapple
• Style: Wheat Beer
• Alcohol Content: 5.5%

Lagunitas Brewing Co. - A Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale

For the Eleventh Beer of Christmas, I opened a big ol' beer.

Lagunitas Brewing Co.
A Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale

Lagunitas rolls out hit after hit. I've never tried this one before but it's definitely up to spec with the rest of the line up.

This one needs an over-sized glass. The medium gold beer quickly foams up a large, soft-white head that leaves outrageous lacing. Check out the picture at the bottom.  Here's why: wheat has higher protein levels which contribute to foam stability. That means better, longer-lasting head on the beer and it gives the beer a fuller feel.

It smells of orange juice, spices, and sweet malt. At first it made me think of wassail. Piney hops continue to enhance the Christmasy feel. There's enough of a hop punch to ward off non-IPA drinkers.

The taste clocks in a little closer to that of an American IPA except smoother and thicker. Floral and fruity hops give it an IPA punch in the mid- and after-taste. However, the edges are rounded off making this beer very sessionable. Light alcohol esters come out as the beer warms and become more obvious in the taste.

Carbonation streams out to the last drink keeping the body crisp and the head charged.

The style proclaims it as an American Pale Wheat Ale, but I'd call it more of an India Pale Wheat Ale. Just fuller and softer. It's a great drink.

Stats
Brewer: Lagunitas Brewing Co.
Location: Petaluma, California
Website: http://www.Lagunitas.com/
Style: American Pale Wheat Ale
Alcohol Content: 7.50% ABV
Interesting Note: Back in the early days of Lagunitas, the brewery used to throw parties every Thursday afternoon at 4:20pm. Yes, that 4:20. On Thursday, March 17, 2005 - St. Patrick's Day - the brewery got a surprise visit from the police. The small company survived that encounter and every spring they brew Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale to commemorate what they now call the St. Patrick's Day Massacre. Check out the video below for the whole story.

Lots of lacing on this Little Sumpin' Sumpin'

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.

Napa Smith Brewery – Wheat Beer

For the Sixth Beer of Christmas, we visit the home of fine wines.

Napa Smith offers up the idea that the world renown home of wine can also be the home of great beer. I hope, for their sake, that their other brews are significantly better than the Wheat Beer which is a nice beer, but really only better than the mass market swill (Coors, Budweiser, Miller, etc).

The beer pours out in a clean, clear golden color with a nearly white head that dissolves so rapidly that I missed the first photo op and had to top off the glass and take the picture very quickly. The aroma is very faint. Pleasant, but faint. A mild wheat with a little citrus. Maybe lemon. It didn’t scream “drink me!” like the previous five beers.

The taste is clean and crisp. But a little lacking in the flavor department. A little lemon, a touch of coriander, and a bit of, no surprise, wheat.

Don’t get me wrong, this is a light bodied beer that’s easy to drink. It’s not one I’m going to grab when I want to sit back with friends or just watch some TV. But, on a hot day when I just want something to quench my thirst, this would do the trick. But, honestly, last year’s Lawnmower from Saint Arnold’s is my mowing and working outside beer. But I would definitely drink this if someone brought it over.

By the way … I have some fence to build this coming summer. Come on over and help. And if you bring some Napa Smith Wheat Beer, I’ll be happy to drink it with you!

Stats
Brewer: Napa Smith Brewery
Location: Napa, CA
Website: http://www.NapaSmithBrewery.com
Style: Wheat Beer
Alcohol Content: 4.8% ABV
Interesting Note: The Napa Smith beers only recently (July 2011) made their way to Texas. They make their home in one of the most famous wine regions in the world, Napa Valley, California.