Beer Review: Uinta Hazel Amber Wheat

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: Four percent

Appearance: This poured in the form of a tea-colored brown. There was a darker brown hue towards the lower three-quarters of the glass and gave way to some golden colors in the upper portions. That led to a thin and bubbly white head that didn't have much activity even after the pour.

Smell: I was a little bit surprised to get some dark roastiness in this. Mostly darker malt. As for sweetness there was some hints of brown sugar.

Taste: The malt and roast profile hit me on the front of the tongue. The sweetness from the brown sugar kicked in about mid-way back and there was a small patch of bitterness on the finish. Overall, this was a good combination, but this just seemed a bit bland. Also, it felt as if it was a bit watered down. Not that it really was, but it kind of had that feel to it.

Overall Rating: 

Dark Wheat Ales are something I'm getting acquainted with still, but this one just didn't cut it for me. Not as strong or complex as I would have thought. One thing is for sure, though. i love the bottles that Uinta uses. Notice the compass rose etched on the outside of the bottle. Really cool.

Monday Rant: Pumpkin and Brown Sugar

Keep your minds out of the gutter. As far as I know, the sweet-tasting yet sticky feeling brown sugar along the glass rim of your pumpkin beer (should your bar choose to do it) is a sweet and sugary sensation that can easily amplify your pumpkin beer. The type of thing is referred to as a "rim-job" as in the rim of your glass.

I've only gone out to partake in this phenomenon just twice this season, but have the same feeling as I have for the past three years when snagging a pumpkin ale at the local pub. It adds an extra kick to the beer, but I constantly find myself complaining half-way through my beers when I get one of these.

I hate to actually sound like some form of a snob on this subject because I rarely end up coming off that way. I know it's ironic given the name of this blog. I just find the dripping of the moistened brown sugar and the stickiness of the fingers that follows to be a constant annoyance. It's almost like a melting ice cream cone, which I find almost even more distracting because I don't enjoy ice cream cones. I'm a spoon and a bowl person. I don't enjoy the fact that I'm re-licking my own spit.

The brown sugar can amplify the taste of said pumpkin beer in terms of sweetness, but as for the aforementioned stickiness. Holy hell. After years of receiving this (and I know you can easily ask for no brown sugar) on the glasses of the pumpkin beers I've ordered I'm not so sure how I feel about it anymore. Nonetheless, I still love pumpkin beer.