Beer of the Weekend #886: Good Day Sunshine
It’s officially summer and that means it’s time to bust out the growler.
Ironically, the first growler beer this summer is a spring seasonal brewed by the Kalona Brewing Company of Kalona, Iowa: Good Day Sunshine.
The color is cloudy light amber. Two fingers of dense, beige-colored, buttery head dissipates slowly and mostly evenly, leaving a web of foam stuck to the glass.
The aroma is weak but very malty. It smells like wheat bread but there are also hints of esters—mostly apple and strawberry—and sweetness. Is the sweetness honey, as one expects from a honey wheat ale? I’m leaning no. It has that soft Kalona character (whatever it is), and it reminds me of the brewery’s lager.
The flavor is interesting. It is not very flavorful or refreshing, but it’s a beer. I do not detect much honey or sweetness, though it has been a long time since I ate honey. It is more floral than anything, with a light bitterness that lingers on the taste buds. It is wheaty and bready and has an ester that is reminiscent of apple. It’s soft, has that Kalona touch, and the esters become more noticeable as the beer continues to warm. Even the honey comes out. It’s easy drinking but nothing special. The bitterness continues to work the taste buds.
Fun facts about Good Day Sunshine:
• Style: The brewery calls it honey wheat ale.
• Price: $14.98 for a 64-ounce growler fill at the Kalona Brewing Company taproom in Kalona. That price is the total with tax, so the base price is probably around $14.
• Alcohol content: 5.1 percent ABV.
• Good Day Sunshine is Kalona’s spring seasonal, available from March through June.
• There’s not much info or nerdy text about the beer on the brewery website other than this: “Welcome the warmth of spring. A malty and bready ale with an underlying honey sweetness.”
The Quiet Man’s grade: C+.
Ironically, the first growler beer this summer is a spring seasonal brewed by the Kalona Brewing Company of Kalona, Iowa: Good Day Sunshine.
The color is cloudy light amber. Two fingers of dense, beige-colored, buttery head dissipates slowly and mostly evenly, leaving a web of foam stuck to the glass.
The aroma is weak but very malty. It smells like wheat bread but there are also hints of esters—mostly apple and strawberry—and sweetness. Is the sweetness honey, as one expects from a honey wheat ale? I’m leaning no. It has that soft Kalona character (whatever it is), and it reminds me of the brewery’s lager.
The flavor is interesting. It is not very flavorful or refreshing, but it’s a beer. I do not detect much honey or sweetness, though it has been a long time since I ate honey. It is more floral than anything, with a light bitterness that lingers on the taste buds. It is wheaty and bready and has an ester that is reminiscent of apple. It’s soft, has that Kalona touch, and the esters become more noticeable as the beer continues to warm. Even the honey comes out. It’s easy drinking but nothing special. The bitterness continues to work the taste buds.
Fun facts about Good Day Sunshine:
• Style: The brewery calls it honey wheat ale.
• Price: $14.98 for a 64-ounce growler fill at the Kalona Brewing Company taproom in Kalona. That price is the total with tax, so the base price is probably around $14.
• Alcohol content: 5.1 percent ABV.
• Good Day Sunshine is Kalona’s spring seasonal, available from March through June.
• There’s not much info or nerdy text about the beer on the brewery website other than this: “Welcome the warmth of spring. A malty and bready ale with an underlying honey sweetness.”
The Quiet Man’s grade: C+.
