TRÖEGS SCRATCH SERIES --WHEAT FOR WINTER

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TRÖEGS SCRATCH SERIES –WHEAT FOR WINTER

NOTE– Maybe we should title this blog “almost beer of the day” — Until I can get ahead, 5 or 6 days a week is about the best I seem to be able to do. Look here on February 15, I hope, to find a new Beer of the Day. Also look for a major post in “Hopping Around” soon. Cheers and thanks for visiting.

Tröegs Scratch Series #272 Abv 7.2 IBU 24 Most German Hefe Weizen beers are summer beers, with spicy and fruity flavors and a relatively light and refreshing body. The Germans keep their love affair with wheat going during the winter with a range of darker, heavier and stronger versions of the style. we liked it - 3 stars Very few of them, however, have that wonderfully estery spiciness that characterizes the light version, and many of them seem to wander around in a brewing forest without a clear sense of purpose. Tröegs Scratch series #272, however, captures the essential esters of the Weizen style quite well. This Weizenbock is another fine example of the remarkable range that their smaller brew house can produce well.

Tröegs Weizenbock captures the essential “Hefe” esters unusually well.

Tasting notes: A bright pepper and clove spiciness shows throughout this heavy-enough-for-snowstorms wheat bock beer. Caramel and lemon from the malt form a firm foundation, but the brightness of the yeast (“Hefe”) never fades. Ellie found it a bit boozy and at 7.2%, she’s right, but I thought the overall breadth of the beer held the taste of the alcohol well in check. Not everyone will like these flavors, but there surely are plenty of them.

Food Pairings: Chicken is the safe match either roasted or stewed. The strength and spiciness of the beer, though, invites a cheese pairing. We’d go with a spicy cheese to complement the beer’s full flavor—a sharp cheddar or Manchego, perhaps. Even better would be to pick up a good local specialty and see how it goes; it’s hard to make a mistake with cheese and full flavored beers.