Beer of the Weekend #370: Nude Beach Summer Wheat
The sad thing about hefeweizens and summer wheat beers is I have yet to drink a domestic version that is truly exceptional. Millstream’s Hefe‘r’weizen came close a couple years ago, but I was not impressed with it last year. (I have yet to try it this year. My uncle, a big fan of hefe, will be in town next week and I am sure a trip to Millstream will be in order.) Nothing can compare with the Bavarian versions. However, I will keep trying. The quest continues tonight.
The beer tonight (a possible candidate for the LV recommendation I may or may not write depending on space) is Nude Beach Summer Wheat, brewed by the Stevens Point Brewery of Stevens Point, Wisconsin.
Serving type: 12-ounce can. No freshness date.
Appearance: Poured into a 330 ml weizen glass. The color is hazy lemonade. One finger of buttery, white head dissipated quickly to leave a thin island of lacing in the middle of the glass and a thin ring around the edge.
Smell: It smells like canned, summer wheat. Apple juice and Tang-ish orange with some citrus hops. It has a hint of wheat but is mostly sweet and fruity. There is also a little banana and clove spice, too, so it is like hefeweizen light.
Taste: It mostly mirrors the smell. It has a beer-like mouthfeel, but the fruitness is a little off-putting. Apple juice, a little orange, citrus sourness, and some wheat-like grains. There may also be a hint of spice. As it warms, the beer takes on a much more agreeable and wheat-like feel: the haziness makes itself known.
Drinkability: It turns into a reasonable and worthwhile purchase, but there are many other (and better) wheats to enjoy during the summer.
Fun facts about NBSW:
-Style: BA classifies it as “American Pale Wheat Ale.”
-Price: $1.49/can at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 5.17 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: Point recommends:
I recommend cheese (Point suggests Brie or Asiago). I love cheese. I do not think I have tried a type of cheese I did not like. Perhaps I should augment my beer reviews with cheese reviews. Hmmm. Sounds tasty!
-IBU: 7.
-Calories: 158 per 12-ounces.
-Check this out: the beer’s Point webpage features information about carbs, fat grams, and protein. They follow immediately. All are per 12-ounces.
-Carbs: 13.8 grams.
-Fat: <0.25 grams. -Protein: 1.80 grams. -The beer’s webpage also lists another oddity: NBSW’s “wine relatives.” Wine relatives? Wow. Points suggests “unbaked Chardonnay or zesty Sauvignon Blanc.” -For some reason, I always thought Stevens Point was in the southeastern corner of Wisconsin, near Platteville and Dodgeville. However, I was mistaking it for Mineral Point. (Stevens Point is smack dab in the middle of the state along Interstate 39.)
The Quiet Man’s grade: C-.
The beer tonight (a possible candidate for the LV recommendation I may or may not write depending on space) is Nude Beach Summer Wheat, brewed by the Stevens Point Brewery of Stevens Point, Wisconsin.
Serving type: 12-ounce can. No freshness date.
Appearance: Poured into a 330 ml weizen glass. The color is hazy lemonade. One finger of buttery, white head dissipated quickly to leave a thin island of lacing in the middle of the glass and a thin ring around the edge.
Smell: It smells like canned, summer wheat. Apple juice and Tang-ish orange with some citrus hops. It has a hint of wheat but is mostly sweet and fruity. There is also a little banana and clove spice, too, so it is like hefeweizen light.
Taste: It mostly mirrors the smell. It has a beer-like mouthfeel, but the fruitness is a little off-putting. Apple juice, a little orange, citrus sourness, and some wheat-like grains. There may also be a hint of spice. As it warms, the beer takes on a much more agreeable and wheat-like feel: the haziness makes itself known.
Drinkability: It turns into a reasonable and worthwhile purchase, but there are many other (and better) wheats to enjoy during the summer.
Fun facts about NBSW:
-Style: BA classifies it as “American Pale Wheat Ale.”
-Price: $1.49/can at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 5.17 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: Point recommends:
Sweet citrus hop notes from Point Nude Beach will pair beautifully with fresh grilled salmon or sauteed perch, trout, or walleye. Its maltiness will complement duck al’orange or cornish hen with fruit glaze.
I recommend cheese (Point suggests Brie or Asiago). I love cheese. I do not think I have tried a type of cheese I did not like. Perhaps I should augment my beer reviews with cheese reviews. Hmmm. Sounds tasty!
-IBU: 7.
-Calories: 158 per 12-ounces.
-Check this out: the beer’s Point webpage features information about carbs, fat grams, and protein. They follow immediately. All are per 12-ounces.
-Carbs: 13.8 grams.
-Fat: <0.25 grams. -Protein: 1.80 grams. -The beer’s webpage also lists another oddity: NBSW’s “wine relatives.” Wine relatives? Wow. Points suggests “unbaked Chardonnay or zesty Sauvignon Blanc.” -For some reason, I always thought Stevens Point was in the southeastern corner of Wisconsin, near Platteville and Dodgeville. However, I was mistaking it for Mineral Point. (Stevens Point is smack dab in the middle of the state along Interstate 39.)
The Quiet Man’s grade: C-.
