Jimmy Crack'd Wheat

While I wait for the next time to test my homebrew, it is time for another beer review. This time it s New Glarus Crack'd Wheat. The label promises something a bit out of the ordinary for a wheat beer. This is a mix of a true German Hefeweissen and an America Pale Ale. Not being a big fan of wheat beers, I like the idea. This also means I tend to pour it like homebrew, leaving most of the yeast sediment in the bottom.

The beer does pour fizzy and alert. The white head is a bit more energetic, perhaps from the bottle conditioning. The head does settle down rather nice and the color is a pale, cloudy yellow. On the nose is clove with just a slight touch of cinnamon. The fruity yeast esters are also quite noticeable while cold, but not overpowering. The nose presents the promise of a refreshing wheat.

The tip of the tongue gets some spice, but sweetness comes out as it roles over. Mid-mouth brings the taste of clove and cinnamon. The yeast and hops provide enough citrus for me, I would not add a lemon slice to this one.

It finishes with a bit of hop bitterness, quickly overshadowed by the sweeter wheat. Clove is still present afterward, as is the citrus. For a wheat, the finish is clear, but not light. It does refresh, but leaves on wanting "just one more sip".

As the beer warms, the various flavors become more alive, but still well balanced. The clove becomes more noticeable on the nose. A quick swirl returns a layer of the whitehead and releases more of the smells. Mid-mouth the flavors become more full and the finish becomes a bit less tart.

Overall, this is a nice wheat beer, but has enough ale like flavor to get the non-wheat drinker to try it again.