Allagash White, or: Why on Earth do people drink Blue Moon?
Wheat beer has gotten pretty popular here in the states. I have never been the biggest fan of wheat beer because the majority of wheats offered by American macrobreweries are complete fucking garbage. The worst offender of this category is Blue Moon, brewed by the morons at Coors. Blue Moon tastes like hot dog water. There is no two ways about it. Cut open about 40 packages of hot dogs (Oscar Mayer…not the good stuff), drain the run off into a glass and do a blind taste test with some Blue Moon and you won’t be able to notice a difference. It’s fucking disgusting and completely turned me off to wheat beer for a long time. Then I decided to try some Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat and found it to be refreshing and not hindered by that cloying taste of processed pork assholes that is ever present in Blue Moon. It made me willing to give wheat beer another chance, and I am glad that I was willing to get back in the pool with wheats.
Wheat beer is complicated and mysterious. It is chameleon-esque in it’s ability taken on a variety of different flavors (and colors, too). What I find off-putting about wheat beers are when they are crammed full of fruit or citrus flavors and take on the personality of juice instead of beer. Good wheat beer should be soft and subtle with citrusy and fruit hints and background notes, not a full-on sweetness assault on your palate. Properly brewed wheat beer will naturally possess this type of flavor with minimal additives, and the fine people at Allagash know that, which is what makes their White such a delicious example of proper wheat beer.
Allagash White is a cloudy ale that is light straw yellow in color and features minimal head and a slightly spicy bouquet. The mild appearance and smell are a perfect precursor to a very mild and refreshing flavor that starts bright and finishes clean. The palate presents subtle spice…clove and allspice, methinks, and finishes very crisp with citrus flavor that leaves absolutely no trace of it’s presence on your tastebuds, which is something I absolutely crave in a wheat. To me, some wheats just have a very displeasing aftertaste that I cannot accurately put into words. An estery sourness that I find neither appetizing nor easy to erase. Reminds me of Franziskaner, which is a very, very good thing.
This beer would be a welcome elixir on a hot summer’s day, due to it’s refreshing nature and moderate alcohol content, and if you were to pair it with food I would treat it like white wine. Fish, seafood, chicken…anything with a citrus acidity to it. Bright, clean flavors would be complimented very well. I got my 750 ml bottle at Binny’s on sale for $6.50, which is about a dollar less than usual. A steal considering the quality and quantity involved. Definitely would recommend to any of you who thinks a Blue Moon with an orange slice is a treat. Get a taste of the real thing.
Digg this! -
Save to del.icio.us! -
Stumble it! -
Subscribe to feed
One Response to “Allagash White, or: Why on Earth do people drink Blue Moon?”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
April 24th, 2008 at 10:01 pm
[...] are a perfect precursor to a very mild and refreshing flavor that starts bright and finishes clean.http://thedrunkist.com/2008/01/28/allagash-white-or-why-on-earth-do-people-drink-blue-moon/Allagash, Maine ME Detailed Profile - relocation, real estate …Allagash, ME residents, houses, and [...]