It has been hot in Cincinnati lately. Very hot. Temperatures in the high 80s to mid 90s. I need a beer to cut through this heat. And since today is officially the first day of Summer, what better way to do it than with a Summer seasonal. I was a bit leery of Mt. Carmel's Summer offering. I'm not the biggest fan of wheat ales but on closer inspection I saw that their Summer Wheat clocks in at 34 IBUs. Pretty bitter for a wheat ale! My curiosity has been piqued. And Mt Carmel hasn't disappointed me in the past so here we go. Also a couple things about the label for this beer. I never realized until after visiting the brewhouse, but the building on the label is the actual Mt. Carmel brewing facility. And how great a touch is the cornhole boards on the label?! If that isn't summer in Cincinnati, I don't know what is. To the beer!
Summer Wheat pours a crystal clear golden yellow in color topped off by two fingers of frothy white head that leaves a nice bit of lacing on the way down.
The aromas are very summery. Lots of lemon on the nose with hints of spiciness and some light graininess.
Summer wheat is light bodied with a bit of a creamy texture. Citrusy fruity flavors of lemon and grapefruit hit first and lead into a good amount of refreshing bitterness. The fruitiness and bitterness from the generous (for a wheat beer at least) hop bill pairs really well with the fruitiness from the wheat. Even though the hops are really what makes this beer interesting, it is still very well balanced. Summer Wheat finishes very crisp and clean. One very refreshing and drinkable beer.
I was looking for a beer to cut through the heat and this one fit the bill perfectly. Crisp, refreshing, lots of fruity summery flavors, and generous hoppiness. That hoppiness takes this beer from being just another wheat ale, to something really interesting and tasty. If you're looking for a sixer for a hot summer evening, this one would serve you very very well.
Also, an addendum to Monday's post. I went back to Listermann's to pick up another packet of yeast, pitched it, and now I have fermentation! The airlock is bubbling away! Hopefully the homebrew turns out!
HD
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