Behind the Bar - White Oak Wheat Beer

From Tar Valon Library
Jump to: navigation, search

Author: Barmacral Tigana

TVT 5-2015 header-3.png

As summer comes into full force I’m going to review an increasingly popular Scottish brand that creates a wide variety of whiskey/wood aged beers, Innis & Gunn. The beers you are most likely to find are both the Original (aged in whiskey barrels) and Rum Finish (aged in rum barrels). Frequently though you can find seasonal beers such as this month’s White Oak Wheat Beer.

A solid 6.4% this beer is extremely clear for a wheat beer – a style that is traditionally very cloudy. The head on the beer was large and white and disappeared quickly, the nose is light and has a solid dose of orange in it. With a medium carbonation and a medium body the flavour of the beer distinctly shows off the wheat, orange and oak in it, making it a light and refreshing drink. The finish to the beer is dry but not bitter.

Rating: 3/5 – Tasty for a wheat beer, but the style is one I’ve never enjoyed all that much. If you like these kinds of beers then I definitely recommend. A good choice for a hot summer day.

Beer Facts: Drinking Temperature

Not all beers are made to be consumed ice cold, despite what you might expect. Most common lager brands such as Coors or Budweiser are certainly best consumed a few degrees above freezing but within the craft beer world there is a large range of temperatures. The beer reviewed tonight is likely ideal a bit colder, but some beers such as barley wines or stouts can handle being much warmer, about halfway between freezing and room temperature. Before you drink your next beer do some research, the company who made it may have a temperature recommendation for you, and if not there is likely some sort of guideline out there for the style you are drinking. Try drinking it around that temperature instead of cold, you may find a whole range of flavours and smells that weren’t there before.

Tar Valon Times Newsletter version