Thanks to MrFacto for this one! A large creamy head tops off this black bodied stout. Strong coffee aroma with maybe a hint of smoke. Moderately sweet with loads of roast barley bitterness that carry all the way into the long finish. Wonderful creaminess that coats the tongue. Improves as it warms and one that will most likely improve with age as well, if you are lucky enough to have some to cellar.

The last beer of the project and also the least, betraying the popular euphemism. Hazy peachy body, thin clumping off-white head. Aroma of wet hay, thick fruity esters, chewy and bready, earthy, with sugar-crusted banana. Sugary sweet body with banana and white grape, grassy, and bready, with a huge yeasty bitter finish. Cloying and a bit harsh on the palate, the syrupy sweetness giving way to the spicy, rather pointedly bitter finish. Prickly alcohol. Muddled and bloated, unfortunately, but the "experiment" on the whole was quite fun.

A tremendous improvement over the four, but only an ok beer. It starts off good with a pleasant appearance. Dark and cloudy orange, and a thick tan head that laces the glass. The aroma has coffee and malt. While cold the flavor is a near clone of New Glarus Black Wheat with wheat in the flavor as well as a full-bodied roasted flavor, which is really what the beer is all about. Behind the roasted malt is a weird Belgian weirdness thing going on, that definitely has potential in its own right but doesn’t really work in this beer. Light aftertaste of bitter medicine. At least it is unusual; extra points for that.

Cloudy, golden-blonde presentatiion with little to no head. Malty aroma with spice notes. The hops come through in the taste — floral, grassy and, at the end, bitter. Very dry finish. Medium to lively carbonation.

Pours amber/copper with a light head. Aromas of pine, grapefruit and sweet malt. Flavor is a bit unbalanced, but not bad. It is a lot like an exagerated Bell’s Amber Ale with a bit more pop.

Bottled. Batch 7083. Sampled alongside the Wheat Four. Pours a big head in my hefe glass. More bubbles than the Four. Smell is a bit simpler, too: a light horseblanket under a touch of clove and trace of banana & citrus. Golden color with a blush of red like a good American ale. Very clear for a Bell’s, I had to look hard to see the finely distributed floaties. First taste impression is of an American version of a Weizen; slight bananas, but with a gummy yeast aftertaste. Carbonation is pretty low, leading to a watery mouthfeel. Distinguished in being a wheat beer that tastes nothing like the usual pale lager, but after that, um… undistinguished. Conditioning yeasty remains in the bottle. Well, I’ve got a sixpack, I’ll lager it in the fridge and try again.

12 oz. bottle. Batch 7104. Sampled alongside the Wheat Two. In my tall wheat gflass, it poured up a might big head with about 2 inches of beer on the bottom. Head starts out brown, then settles to an eggshell color with the cinsistency of seafoam. Has a pretty consistent clove smell without the banana one usually finds here. Actually smells a bit horsey, giving up the Belgian yeast in its mix. Color is golden brown, a bit cloudy. Couldn’t find the usual Bell’s floaties, perhaps they’re a bit finer. Mouthfeel is kind of watery, like it’s not fully carbonated. I get a gummy yeast afterbite, same as with the Two, Still a little horsblanket in the tatste, but not much, more of a touch of cheese. I’ve really got to say I find some unpleasantness with it, inclusing an impression of diapers. Well, I’ve got a sixpack, so I’ll hold on for a while and try again.

Bottle consumed on 11/25/05. Unfiltered, cloudy mahogany brown, very dark, with some slight ruddy tinges on the edges, a large amount of tan head that laces well, but recedes quicker than expected. Highly roasted/toasted wheat nose gives notes of nuts, popcorn and the chocolate mixes in for a light cola-like note. Vanilla and heavy cream notes apparent, as are light earthy notes of spice (white pepper, cardamon) and a touch of dry banana and sourdough. Quite complex, but very dry. Blackness from the nose is pronounced in the flavor, with a spicy/peppery flavor up front, plenty of dry grains, earthy, burnt notes and light vanilla. Light chocolate and caramel notes add a touch of sweetness and the barley is very subtle here. Don’t know what to make of all this yeast, there seems to be a fair amount of banana and light clove, but nothing dominates in that regard. As in the New Glarus black wheat, the dry, burnt popcorn meets cola and black chocolate seems to dry the flavors out too much so, adding borderline astringency. Mouthfeel shows sharp, prickly carbonation, large bubbles that do not seem to recede. Light coffee and prunes lingers on the finish. Texture is slippery, very wet with lots of bubbles as I said. Tremendously complex beer, but I think it might be a bit overboard on wheat influence without enough backing barley sweetness. Watery on the end, with no alcohol apparency. 7/4/6/3/12
Rerated on 4/10/07. Comments added to Wheat 4 review. Score is for rerate.

Bottle consumed on 11/25/05. Light, hazy, but not terribly cloudy appearance. Tangerine-golden appearance is much darker than a modern wit, but about on par with say, Abbaye des Rocs Blanche des honnelles, which is supposedly a traditional wit. Head is small and white, with moderate retention and spotty lacing. Aroma has a dry, lightly creamy wheat note, fresh and easygoing. The Belgian yeast contributes light bubble gum notes, not very sweet in nature, with some light orange-peel like citrus. Flavor begins with a dry, lightly chewy wheat presence, mix of Belgian and Bells yeastiness (dry, sourdough and lightly sweet, lightly fruity notes combined). Body is medium, perhaps even medium-light, but nowhere is it watery or thin. Just not tons of sweetness from the barley malt. Natural carbonation is lightly expansive on the end, but not too much so. Texture is lightly chewy, very-wheat influenced. Touches of spices remain on the palate, as well as light bubble gum and a touch of lemon or orange peel. Very sessionable ale, and it’s interesting to now have a Belgian/American wheat from Bells, alongside their German/American wheat (oberon).