Now that I look at their webpage, it's billed simply as a
"lager". Well, crap. More specifically, "Lager. Behold-a classic lager. Refreshing, crisp and bursting with joy."
How blatantly unhelpful. (Are there any ales that are given the minimalist moniker of simply "ale"? I look forward to the John Cage Brewing Company putting out empty beer bottles labeled only with "12oz".) Is this stuff Supper Club redux? My
experience lately has been, if a beer is simply labeled "lager", then it's
an American pilsner, i.e. – a crafty Miller/Bud/Coors simulacrum. Back in
2016 a WBC beer release calendar showed a Czech pilsner as a new year-round
offering. This never happened, as far as I know. It seems that Wisconsin
Vacation is the end result of that initial attempt to put another pale lager into the
WBC line-up.
Well, to try and makeup for having missed WBC at Olbrich, I
recently decided to give their Sandy Cheeks, a pineapple hefeweizen, another
try. I had it on tap a couple of years ago and thought that it wasn't bad. Just a little
too much pineapple for my taste ensured it would be a one pint only deal,
though. But that was then and this is now. Perhaps the formula had been refined
or The Great Curse of 2020 had slowed pineapple imports or made the fruit quite
expensive leading to its more judicious use in Sandy Cheeks. I mean, hope springs
eternal, right?
Pineapples are a common enough (and cheap enough) sight down
at the supermarket these days that we forget that it (and many other fruits)
were once rare and precious. Although native to South America, Columbus encountered
them in the Caribbean in 1493 and they became an instant sensation when he
brought the tasty, sweet, pinecone-looking fruit back to Spain. It wasn't long
before every Tomas, Ricardo, and Haroldo with a greenhouse was trying to grow
them. Expensive to ship from the New World to the Old, pineapples were once the
province of the rich alone. In Europe, anyway.
They became a very coveted fruit perhaps by no one more than
19th century essayist and poet Charles Lamb who wrote of them in an erotic
way that puts that My Octopus Teacher guy to shame. Eating one, he wrote, was
"a pleasure bordering on pain, from the fierceness and insanity of her
flesh, like a lover’s kisses she biteth." I like pineapples and
hefeweizens but, if there's any pain involved in drinking Sandy
Cheeks, I am hoping it simply means I cut myself on the can.
If, like WBC, you're keen on adding fruit to your
hefeweizen, you could do worse than pineapple. (Notice how the coolers at your
liquor store aren't being overwhelmed with durian hefeweizens.) Like the hefeweizen,
pineapples contain fruity esters and a phenol which adds a clove-like taste.
The fruit also contains citric acid which is how she, er, it biteth you. So it's rather
complementary to the bier.
It is my understanding that Sandy Cheeks was first offered a
few years ago but was a draught-only brew until last year when it was canned
for the first time. As I noted above, I had it on draft a couple years back and
found it to be tasty. While the pineapple flavor was just a touch shy of cloying, it was still sweet enough to mask some, but not all, of the hefeweizen taste. I was
happy to have a pint and then move on to something else. Is the 2021 version any
different?
While it is surely the case that my photography is lacking, my picture still does a decent job of showing you what a pretty beer Sandy Cheeks is. It's a very hazy light yellow and I got a big, frothy, white head that was in no hurry to leave my mug. This is a very pretty beer – one that looks like summer in a glass.
It smelled almost exactly as I imagined it would. Brewmaster
Kirby Nelson preaches balance in beers and the aromas are all in harmony here with a
bit of wheat and a little of the pineapple here and your typical hefeweizen
bubblegum and banana there.
Sandy Cheeks is a late spring/summer seasonal and it was
brewed to spec. It has a medium-light body that was perfect for a recent balmy
day. A medium dose of fizz fit well with all of the fruit, esters, and phenols.
As with the aroma, pineapple, bubblegum, and banana were well-balanced with one
another. I was quite pleased that the application of pineapple was done with a bit more
care than in the past as there was no sweetness that even approached slightly excessive. A
little wheat came through towards the end as did a velvety smoothness which was
unexpected.
Some spicy hops and their attendant bitterness appeared on
the finish as the fruity flavors lingered.
The moderation in the pineapple addition here paid off.
There's nothing remotely cloying about Sandy Cheeks these days and more of the excellent
hefeweizen reached my eager tongue. The flavors are all in their places living
in harmony. I could definitely drink more than one of these.
Junk food pairing: With a Sandy Cheeks in one hand, you'll still be able to grab handfuls of hot and spicy pork rinds with the other.
4 comments:
As much as I approve of it; if the image atop this weblog post is official from Wisconsin Brwg.; it is going to be crucified in the public market by those decrying using such imagery.
I can absolutely envision beer weblogs, including those I follow, bemoaning the 'throwback' images of "bikini babes" selling a beer. Especially if it is from a craft beer brewer; and regardless of that brewer's prior history.
It is not from WBC and is something I threw together. They'd have done a better job with Photoshop.
Thank you for the glowing review of my first fermented baby in a can, Sandy Cheeks Pineapple Hefeweizen! The idea for this beer started back when I was a brewer at The Great Dane - Hilldale. I first brewed it for WBC on our one barrel pilot system back in 2018, and it did well enough that we brewed 40 barrels for the taproom only, when it was simply named "Pineapple Hefeweizen."
Several seasons, yeast strains, and production methods later, we have the current iteration of Sandy Cheeks, now available in 15-packs (price of two 6-packs with three more cans). Again, thank you for giving the beer another chance and for the informative, detailed review. Prost!
Hi James@WBC - thanks for the comment and a bit of the beer's history. You're welcome for me giving it another shot. I am glad you did some further tweaking. I look forward to your trying your rye lager (hint hint).
;)
All the best.
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