Island Wheat - a nice change

Had the fine pleasure of getting out of the Bay and venturing into the nearby countryside yesterday with friends. We took the opportunity to check out a neat little organic nursery in Bonduel, WI called appropriately Thistledown Greenhouse. I can say that there was a removal of a thistle or two this morning. Picked up some nice perennials for adding to the yard, seeing more but realizing that time is always on our side with perennials.

We then voyaged off to Wescott (N side of Shawano Lake) to have dinner at the Cotton Patch Supper Club. First time for us. Menu at the door looked good, so hey, take a chance. As with most WI supper clubs one is obligated to have the pre-dinner drink. Pretty smokey at the bar so we took it outside to the deck. Weather was good (60's) and the night was young.

My choice, Capital Brewery's Island Wheat. 12 oz, nicely chilled. Had a good yeasty profile with a little hint of citrus and banana. The balance of bitterness brought on from the hops and yeast is enhanced with the sweet wheat malt. Clean, crisp, and for the start of summer a nice change of pace for me.

While it doesn't fit the stand in the corner at attention Pale Ales that I tend to favor, Island Wheat is definitely a choice that one should add to the mix. One always needs to have diversity in the portfolio.

Until later.

The Beginning

Sitting on deck of my brother's house it became clear that the world deserved another view of what was good with beer. It was humid, the sun was still up. A hog had been sacrificed to the charcoal and hickory gods. All was well with the world.

Now it was time to solve the world's problems.

Schlafly Beer offers a fine array beers. The only problem is that my brother didn't share. Now I know. We took the time to understand a little of the pale ales. My favorite? Dry Hopped APA (IBU = 50). Fine, very fine. The right amount of hops brought out just enough of the fruit tones to make me jeaolus that there distribution range was just 3-4 hours around St Louis. Oh well, perhaps another trip to St Louis. It will be missed in WI.

Next on board for the list - Bell's Beer.

Soon...