At some point last year, I think it was, I came to the conclusion that New
Glarus' Kid Kölsch and Bubbler from Next Door Brewing should form the core of
my Aestival Beer Arsenal™. They are both lighter beers with some grainy taste
complemented by a dash of hops and dab of fruitiness. A pilsner of some kind is
also usually available. And this year I have been keeping Weißbier on hand more
often than in summers past.
Looking at this blog's archive, it seems that I have never
posted a review of a beer by Madison's Ale Asylum. They have the dubious
distinction of brewing the beer that bears most of the responsibility for me becoming
sick and tired of very hoppy beers. Their pale ale Hopalicious was everywhere and
I drank it frequently. Eventually its hoppiness wore me out and I stopped
drinking it which led me to abandon American pale ales altogether.
While Ale Asylum brews more than hoppy pale ales, they brew
a lot of those. It seems like there's a new one out every month that can only
be distinguished from its predecessor by the order in which hops are listed on the label.
One month Citra comes first and the next it's Mosaic or Sultana. But once you dig
past all of the beers that try to kill you with hops, you find some stalwarts that
are more friendly to those of us with grain-loving palates. I've always enjoyed their malt forward brews like Madtown
Nutbrown and Contorter Porter, though I honestly don't know if they are still
brewed. Another non-pale ale which seems appropriate with more oppressive heat looming is Hatha-Weizen, er, Unshadowed, a Hefeweizen.
This was actually the first beer served at Ale Asylum back in the day and was
originally called Hatha-Weizen in honor of co-proprietor Otto Dilba's wife,
Hathaway, who apparently is a fan of the style. It was only available to those
who checked themselves into the Ale Asylum taproom until 2014 when it was re-christened
Unshadowed and put into bottles for the first time.
I found that it had a light body with wheat and zippy citrus/lemon
flavors at the fore. Those archetypal Hefeweizen yeast flavors of banana and
bubble gum sat underneath. With all of those bubbles, I was not surprised at
the beer's firm fizziness. The carbonation and that lemon tartness lent an
astringent edge to beer that was greater than I am used to in the style. On the
finish, the yeasty fruit and gum flavors faded to reveal lingering wheat and
lemon tastes which were joined by some spicy/herbal hoppiness. Those hops and
the tartness made for a pretty dry ending.
My glass was left with some very fine lacing.
In contrast to the last Hefeweizen I indulged in, Unshadowed
is lighter with an emphasis on the lemony tartness that relegated the banana
and bubble gum flavors from the yeast to supporting roles. This stuff has an acidic
bite that is stronger than I've ever tasted in a Hatha-, er, Hefeweizen.
Despite this deviation from the norm, Unshadowed is a great brew and a perfect
fit for the sultry days of a Wisconsin August.
Junk food pairing: Pair Unshadowed with a bag of Andy Capp's Cheddar Fries. Let the beer wash away the salty, starchy goodness of the fries. Repeat.
1 comment:
Small (3-oz. bags) of Andy Capp's 'Fries' turned up in the Dollar Tree store I shopped in Wednesday on 56## W. Belmont St.
I did not buy any of them. I opted for the bags of cheddar popcorn, and fried crunchy cheese curls.
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