First brewed in 2005 and the first wheat wine application the federal government had seen, Smuttynose‘s Wheat Wine pours a hazy, golden brown with a very light, almost still head. The aroma brings about stone fruits, like apricots.
Upon first sip, it has an atypical burnt flavor. This big beer is extremely dry at the beginning, as you would expect from a wheat ale, and quite hot in the finish, as you would expect from a barleywine. The wheat offsets the usual cloyingness of the barley.
This wheat wine’s profile is more analogous to a rich cognac or a good bourbon than a beer. It would pair well with a slightly greasy, gamey meat like duck.
