The Brew SiteMichelob Ginger Wheat
Michelob‘s latest seasonal, which they sent me last month and is only available in their Spring Sampler Pack, is their Ginger Wheat: a Belgian Wit style of beer spiced with ginger. (Or rather, “natural ginger flavor” according to the label.) Yes, they already have a Belgian Wit style of beer in their stable, and indeed, they note that, “It has all the citrus-y notes you’ve come to love in our Shock Top, but with a nice hit of ginger, balanced out with our white wheat malt.”
It’s an easy-drinking 5.2% alcohol by volume.
Appearance: Hazy golden orange, matching the orange of the label remarkably well. Poured a decent two fingers of finely-bubbled white head.
Smell: Ginger is the dominant note, not unlike the candied ginger I’ve brewed with. Also a bit yeasty.
Taste: Ginger up front too—more “dried” than “candied” and a nice refreshing touch of fruitiness a bit like a tart peach, or mango. Crisp and fresh wheat malt with a touch of weizen-yeastiness. Quite nice.
Mouthfeel: Crisp and light with a ginger zing and a refreshing finish.
Overall: I like this one quite a bit, actually, it’s different enough to stand out and has a nice flavor profile. Not overdone with the ginger but it’s definitely not shy with it either.
On BeerAdvocate, six reviews so far give it an overall grade of B-. On RateBeer, it scores 2.63 out of 5 and is in their 26th overall percentile.
On a recent trip to Portland, ME I was at a Comedy Connection. How is this related to your post? Well, they had “Mystery Beer” for only $3 a cup. At first I couldn’t figure out what the beer was, but then I realized it had to be a ginger wheat of some kind. Wasn’t sure what kind of ginger wheat would sell for $3 a cup, but after seeing your post, I’m 99% certain I was drinking the Michelob Ginger Wheat.
-Lost
I’m not going to lie, I’m surprised by your review. When I saw the name of this beer I immediately assumed the ginger would be too “candy-fied” if that makes sense, which is never a flavor profile that works.
But if they got the ginger right by making dried fruit than candy, with a crisp finish and some hefeweizen lemon zest, then I can see this working.
Based on your review I’ll definitely have to try this when I see it.
I was a bit surprised, as well. Ginger can be tough to get right, and we all know how beer geeks approach Michelob… 🙂