Marz Community Brewing Company Bubbly Creek Yuzu

Brewed By: Marz Community Brewing Co. in Chicago, Illinois  

Purchased: 22oz bomber bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2015 

Style/ABV: American Berliner Weiss, 3.0%

Reported IBUs: 10

Chicago breweries have apparently hit critical mass in the past six months, so I feel obligated to try something new. About the Marz Community Brewing Company:

The Marz Community Brewing Company is a brewery based out of Chicago, Illinois. The brewery launched in 2014, and was a project started by brothers Ed and Mike Marszewski, along with a handful of professional and amateur brewers. The website credits several "members of the Colletive," including Alex Robertson, Mike Marszewski, Pete Alvarado, Johanna Wawro, Michael Freimuth, Doktor Kazys Ozelis, Eric Olson, Ed Marszewski, Mike Redwick, Malread Case, Tom Piekarz, Eli Espinoza, and Tim Lange. This is like a football team or film credit roll, and I'm sure their list of contributors will expand. The brewery's POV is that they are a collective comprised of home brewers, professional brewers, and artists, that have united to make small, artisanal batches of beer. And that's all you really need to know. For more info, check out their website or Facebook.

Marz Community Brewing Company Bubbly Creek Yuzu

The Bubbly Creek Yuzu is a Berliner Weiss-style beer brewed with yuzu. And it pours into a hazy yellow-orange body, kicking up a finger or two of that perfectly white, tightly packed, Berliner Weiss head. It's a good looking beer, with lasting carbonation.

On the aroma: a lot of mild-mannered lactic funk. The lactic notes in here include some buttery/oaky sourness sans the barrel of course, with tons of lemon, lemon tree, lemon tree leaves, wet rain, a faint pineapple note, some fruited candies, yuzu, and light wheat. This smells vibrant for a small 3.0% package.

This is actually really delicious, with simple and clean wheat, yuzu, and lemon profile, running against appreciable lactic funk. The lactic funk is well done, and there is nice griping sourness here, but it isn't too sour or too funky. 

For 3.0%, this has a surprisingly substantial body. I'd go as far as to call this medium-bodied, thanks obviously to the wheat. Despite the appreciable body, this is incredibly refreshing and drinkable. Palate depth is great for the style, and complexity is good too. There's a lot of juicy lemons and yuzu up front; the mids roll into a softer and sweeter fruit, with some candied lemon notes and wheat malts; the back end drops mad wheat notes, with some faint cracker/biscuit malts. 

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. This is a nice offering from Marz, and I hope they keep this around because I would happily pick this up again. Noice. 

Random Thought: I have a bunch of Deschutes' shelf turds that I'm debating to review. 

Anderson Valley The Kimmie, The Yink, & The Holy Gose

Brewed By: Anderson Valley Brewing Company in Boonville, California 
Purchased: 12oz CAN from a 6-pack bought at Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2014

Style/ABV: Gose, 4.2%
Reported IBUs: ?

This beer was a random purchase, and not something I would normally seek out. But, at the time of buying this beer, I was sick with a cold, and I needed something in a can to bring to a party. You really can't go wrong with a low-ABV Gose, right? About Anderson Valley Brewing Company: 

The Anderson Valley Brewing Company is a brewery based out of Boonville, Cali that was founded in 1987 
by Kenneth Allen. Originally, the brewery brewed out of a 10-barrel brewhouse, until an expansion was needed to meet demands. The expanded brewhouse was built in 1996, at the corner of Highways 128 and 253, a mile from the center of Boonville. In 1998, the brewery expanded again, with construction of a three-story Bavarian-style brewhouse being completed in 2000. In 2010, the brewery was sold to Trey White, and that same year Fal Allen took over as brewmaster. For more info, check out the brewery's website or Facebook page. 

The Kimmie, The Yink, & The Holy Gose is part of Anderson Valley's Highway 128 Session Series. Their traditional-style Gose is brewed with pale two-row and malted white wheat malts, finished with Bravo hops, and features a kettle soured wort.

The Kimmie, The Yink, & The Holy Gose

This is a golden, lightly hazy, but filtered looking affair. The beer kicks up two fingers of wispy, wheat-fueled, white head, and there's good lacing and lazy carb.

Having just got this beer into a glass for the first time, I'm surprised at how good it smells. There's a lot of wheat notes, floral aromas, peach, coriander, lemon sherbet, and some minerality.

This is clean and refreshing, with nice griping lemon and peach tartness, without much lactic funk. There is a refreshing, underlying tartness that drives this beer...which is fantastic. You pick up the wheat and coriander in the taste, and there's a kiss of salt and minerality.

At 4.2%, this is incredibly drinkable. This is a really well-done wheat beer that is tart and refreshing without any crazy lactic funk. If you like lactic funk, you might be a bit disappointed, but the beer makes up for it with spot-on palate duration, a light and gently carbonated mouthfeel, and pretty good complexity. This delves into sour lemons and peaches up front; rolls into some stone fruits and tropical fruits in the mids, with coriander showing up; the back end drops wheat notes, salt, light minerality, and a super clean finish. Nice.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd) 

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average here. If you want a griping, sour wheat beer...look no further. This is clean, refreshing, and good. I might pair this with sushi tonight.

Random Thought: Somehow, my fridge is full of beer. I'm a happy camper.

Off Color Fierce

Breewed By: Off Color Brewing in Chicago, IL

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 4-pack bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2014

Style/ABV: Berliner Weiss, 3.8% 

Reported IBUs: 3

Tonight's beer makes a strong case for why session beers rock. About Off Color Brewing:

Off Color Brewing is a brewery founded in 2008 according to their Facebook, or 2014 according to their website, or 2013 if you follow their release party and the logical timeline. It really doesn't matter, I suppose. What you need to know is that this brewery is the brainchild of former Goose Island barrel guru, John Laffler, and former Two Brothers brewer, Dave Bleitner. The duo are both graduates of Siebel, and share a passion for brewing exotic, off-color beer. For more info, check out the brewery's ABOUT page.

The Fierce is a low-ABV Berliner Weiss-style beer. This beer is brewed with Pils, Wheat, and Flaked Wheat malts; features "a little" hops; and uses some kettle souring for that slightly tart and sour note. More specifically, this features an "overnight kettle souring with our house lactobacillus culture, the wort emerges furious at what we did to it." This one is fermented with saison yeast. 

Off Color Fierce

This pours into a hazy, melon-yellow color, almost like a murky Reisling. It's hazy and well-carbonated, yielding a finger of white, fluffy head that hangs around after the pour, leaving lacing like my loser kids leave their loser friends around my house. If this mash got the clinic, it looks it. Except that it is a Berliner...the kid gloves wheat beer of soured beers.

On the aroma: big lemon, wheat, big straw, funk/barnyard, faint malts in the form of cracker/biscuit, and some nice pineapple. There's a wet rain note, and you get some of that lactic funk, with some definite sour mash coming through on the nose. 

This is fantastic, with lemon-pineapple and wet rain crashing against that lightly funky lactic mash. It's like drinking Greek Yogurt spiked with lemon. The lemon dives into notes of citrus, pineapple, maybe a dash of orange and grapefruit...it's all rounded out with some wheat and straw notes. 

The wheat malts really build as you work through this...they provide just enough density to substantiate the body, but it's light citrusy and incredibly drinkable at 3.8%. Like...it's almost a shame this comes in a 4-pack, but I know that this takes work to brew. This has great palate depth and duration for the style, and it's complex too. Up front is a nice blast of sour mash, sour lemon, lactic punch, wet rain, and big pineapple/lemon; that rolls into wet rain, wheat, straw, some more orange/grapefruit, nice attenuated citrus notes ala a white wine; the back end lays on some nice bread/cracker notes, with malts, and then finishes dry and pleasant. This is really quite nice, and super drinkable and refreshing.

Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Divine Brew on this...I love this style and this is a fun, tasty brew. Would buy again. I mean really, at $9 a 4-pack...you can't go wrong with this. And the 4-pack format means you can take this to a party or barbecue and drink the whole damn thing! And you won't even get that drunk. Nice. Food pairings here include fruit salads, maybe white fish...lighter foods. Good.

Random Thought: Dat glass defect, right?

Perennial Artisan Ales Tart Hopfentea (brewed with Hopleaf)

Brewed By: Perennial Artisan Ales in St. Louis, Missouri  

Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at the Sheridan 'L' Longue in Chicago, IL; 2014 (Bottled 5/2014)

Style/ABV: Berliner Weisse, 4.2%

Reported IBUs: ?

Perennial is one of the big dicks in the room thanks to their Barrel-Aged Abraxas, but these guys also make other good beers that aren't Abraxas. I think. I'm popping my Perennial cherry with a collaboration brewed with Chicago's Hopleaf...seems appropriate. About Perennial:: 

Perennial Artisan Ales is a brewery based out of St. Louis, Missouri. The brewery was founded in 2011 by Brewmaster Phil Wymore (formerly of Goose Island and Half Acre), with the help of Cory King (who is balling with Side Project). Perennial focuses on brewing Belgian and American craft inspired beers, with the addition of premium ingredients like fruits, spices, and wild yeast strains. They also have a barrel aging program, including the internal start-up, Side Project. Definitely check out their website for more info. 

The Tart Hopfentea is a collaboration brew with Hopleaf. This beer is a Berliner Weisse brewed with a tropical tea blend. The bottle reads: "A wave of tropical fruit and spice brighten this lively, tart wheat ale, taking the German Berliner Weisse tradition on an island run. Hopfentea pairs well with light appetizers, fish, and high humidity."

Perennial Artisan Ales Tart Hopfentea (brewed with Hopleaf) 

This beer pours into a radiant, melon-pink color at first, but once the body fills into the glass the beer takes on more of a hazy orange body. The beer produces two fingers of the most dense and beautiful head I have seen. I'm not one to gush about a beer's appearance very often, but this beer is simply stunning to look at. The head is white and dense, and retains well with nice lacing. Bright light confirms that this is very much a hazy orange beer, with a white head. 

The aroma here is really nice, with assertive tea, tropical fruits, and hops standing out on the nose. I'm getting lemony tea, iced tea, peach and melon tea, floral/peach/earthy hops, and big flower notes. I get some big rose petals here, and mild hop spice. I don't know what hops are used here...maybe Saaz or something? As this warms up a bit, a huge papaya note emerges, with big papaya tropical fruit.

This is more tart than I was expecting, especially based on some of the reviews calling it mediocre and lacking lactic character. I'm finding this to be quite tart up front, with moderate lactic pull. I'm definitely getting some sourness pulling on my gumline. Along with the nice lactic character is some really nice tea notes. The tea notes are floral and lemony, with rose petals, flowers, iced tea, lemon, and some peach. The papaya note from the aroma shows up as well, which is super refreshing and nice. The back end has that wheat density, and despite this being sour/tart, it cleans up nicely. 

I'm really enjoying this. This is super drinkable at 4.2%, with a refreshing, light-bodied mouthfeel. The mouthfeel is tart and lactic-driven up front, but finishes with some nice creamy wheat towards the back. This has good palate depth, and is fairly complex. I don't understand the reviews ball-busting this. I think this accomplishes what it set out to do: this brings nice tea notes and tropical fruit notes to the style. Up front: lactic funk, sourness, tropical fruits, papaya; the mids roll into big tea, with flowers, rose petals, iced tea, more papaya; the back end is lingering tea and fruits, and then some of the creamy wheat kicks in to round things out.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. This is a simple but elegant beer. This beer would pair great with papaya, mango salsa, fish, lightly seasoned fish tacos, fruit salad, and sushi. I'm a huge Berliner Weisse fan, and I'm a huge tea fan. I think this is a good fusion of the two, so ignore the haters and check this one out.

Random Thought: I need to go and pick up more beers from Perennial. 

Pipeworks Elijah’s Revival

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 22oz bottle (Batch #293, 296) bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2014 (bottled 01.09.2014)

Style/ABV: Wheatwine, 10.0%
Reported IBUs: ?

It's an Unofficial Pipeworks Thursday™, and this weekend is Super Bowl weekend. I happen to be kind of-probably-most likely rooting for the Broncos, so tonight's orange-labeled beer seems appropriate and whatnot. About Pipeworks:

Pipeworks has humble roots. The brewery was founded in Chicago in 2011 by Beejay Oslon and Gerrit Lewis. The duo were both homebrewers that met while while working at West Lakeview Liquors. In 2011, they began to raise money for their brewery using the online Internet site, Kickstarter. Olson and Lewis were both educated at De Struise Brewery in Oostvleteren, Belgium. With that knowledge, and the money from their kickstarter, Olson and Lewis created a unique brewery that is smaller in size, and intended to brew smaller batches of beer. The company's motto is "small batches, big beers." And indeed, since the brewery has been around, they've been releasing a lot of one-offs and small batch releases. The goal is to release a new beer every week. You can read more about the brewery at their website HERE.

Tonight's beer is a "wheat wine style ale aged with orange and spices." This one is brewed with Niche (based out of Gevenva, IL), and punches in at a gentle 10%. The back of the bottle states:

"Ladies and gentlemen, step right up and take a pull of this desirable imbibable wonder! Now, I'm not hawking a ballyhoo for any old flukum. No, this prestidigitational flavor rambunction is brewed in inspired conjunction with Niche. Wegotcher orange, wegotcher Mandarina Bavaria hop, wegotcher spices, wegotcher all things nices. This ale is the best on either side of the river or my name's not Elijah (which it is) and this is not my revival (which it is)."

Pipeworks Elijah’s Revival

The beer pours into a murky and swampy dark orange color, with some dark brown and golden straw clouds floating in the haze. The beer kicks up a finger of amber/orange-tinted head, which is very Belgian-esque. In bright light the beer is a cloudy orange color with peppery dots of carbonation cascading up, there is some nice lacing, and a centimeter of creamy, sea foam head just hanging around.

The aroma is really bready and sweet...if you pull away from the beer, you start to pick up some of the orange and spice as it wafts towards you. I'm getting raisins, ginger, nutmeg, bread, candi sugar, cream, vanilla, and some wheat malts. This beer has a similar base to the Hey, Careful Man, as you get that obnoxious and loud wheat/vanilla aroma. Really big wheat and vanilla...it just grows the longer you take in the aroma. 

I'm drinking this pretty warm, which you probably should for a 10% Wheatwine. The big thing that I'm getting here is pillowy wheat, dry bready notes, dry fruit cake, raisins, alcohol, vanilla/cream/wheat, and some subtle orange and spice. There are hints of bready and cakey stone fruits in here, with hints of fruit cake. 

This beer reminds me of some sort of Egyptian ancient ale. It has a rustic edge, and I can't say I have ever had anything quite like it. It's entirely unique, and the orange and spice is a lot more toned down than I was expecting. This is just dense...like bread or cake, but dry and creamy thanks to the wheat. It's...fuckin' weird. This is medium-bodied, but drinks much more full-bodied thanks to pretty laid back carbonation and the creamy wheat malts doing their thing. Palate depth is really outstanding, where complexity is kind of like, "huh," or, "meh," or, "????" Like...I don't even know? There's the dry bready thing, the wheat, the subtle orange and spice, the general sweetness...what's going on here....up front: sweet orange, cream, vanilla, wheat, and then some dry bread, spice, raisins, hints of hops; the middle rolls into more slight bitterness, dry fruits, dry bread, wheat, spice; the back end ramps the cream/wheat/vanilla/sweet bread/cake thing back up, and the finish is malty and dense and then dry.

Rating: Above-Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a ??? Light Above-Average on this...I don't know. I really don't. This is pretty enjoyable though. The 10% is completely hidden, and the beer favors sweetness and rich cream/wheat/vanilla. It's not a bad vibe, and I find myself wanting to pair this beer with fruit cake or something sweet. Speaking of sweet...I'm picking up a dash of honey and saffron in this. Seriously, this beer is like the ancient ale Dogfish Head wanted to brew but then they didn't. You can also pair this beer with SUPER SPICY FOODS, like mango habanero wings, or ghost pepper marmalade sauce. Actually, the fruity and spicy notes in the ghost pepper play off this beer in wonderful ways....Pipeworks should try making a version of this beer with some ghost peppers. But yeah, I'm really intrigued, I'll have to try this one again.

Random Thought: Ghost peppers and sweet peach/mango/marmalade. Do it. Now. I had Chinese food tonight, and the fried chicken things came with a sweet sauce...I dumped some ghost pepper sauce into the mix and walla. Success. Instant classic.

The Bruery White Oak

Brewed By: The Bruery in Placentia, California  

Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2013

Style/ABV: Wheatwine, 11.5%

Reported IBUs: 20

Continuing with the barrel-aged, bourbon beers...we have The Bruery: 

The Bruery are based out of Placentia, California. As with many craft breweries, The Bruery began as a homebrewing adventure when Patrick Rue, his brother Chris, and his wife Rachel brewed their fast batch of beer. Patrick Rue continued to homebrew during his first year of law school, until he decided that he had a passion for brewing beer. The Bruery opened up in 2008, and since then, they have built a reputation around their experimental, and wild ales brewed with a Belgian flair. To read more, check out the Breuery's website.

Tonight's beer is part of The Bruery's "special collection." The White Oak is is a blended beer, 50% Wheatwine aged in Bourbon barrels, and 50% Mischief (the brewery's Golden Strong Ale). Clocking in at 11.5% and 20 IBUs, this beer is described as having vivid caramel, coconut, and vanilla flavors...blanketed in a crisp yet robust wheat ale. Let's see how she stacks up.

The Bruery White Oak

In low light, this beer pours a darker golden color, with two fingers of fluffy, white head. In bright light, the body of the beer is a murky/hazy golden-orange, and the head is bright white with maybe a hint of gold. There's a lot of tiny carbonation bubbles streaming up in this, and the head is creamy and sustaining nicely like on a nice Belgian Ale.

I was expecting more aromatics on this, but what I am getting on the subtle nose is big whiskey aroma, pears, berries, banana, clove, mango/pineapple, and some light caramel/white sugar. You do get some of that coconut and pina colada thing going on.

Like the nose, this is a subtle beer. But there's a lot going on. You definitely get some big whiskey, oak, vanilla, and coconut in this...but you get a blast of refreshing citrus, mango/pineapple, banana/clove, and wheat up front. As the barrel and whiskey character settles in, you get coconut, pina colada, vanilla, caramel, and lingering wheat beer. 

This is a really awesome blend. I don't know how they did it, but the way this beer transitions from a solid Belgian-style Golden Ale/Wheat beer to those whiskey characters is amazing. The 11.5% in this is completely within reason, as you get much more whiskey than alcohol heat. The whiskey is done with a deft hand, and has a mild character with big vanilla/coconut/caramel. This is a medium-full beer, with Belgian Strong Ale-like carbonation that smooths things out. The wheat gives the mouthfeel a creamy edge, and the beer is dry/attenuated. It finishes with whiskey and some whiskey heat. Palate depth is good, complexity is good...up front is big wheat, clove, apples, pears, citrus, mango/pineapple...this rolls into whiskey/wood...that rolls into big coconut, vanilla, caramel, pina colada. The finish is super dry, with lingering whiskey, wheat, and coconut.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. Not surprisingly, as this warms, the Bourbon comes out even more, with pronounced vanilla, whiskey, and coconut notes. All-in-all, this is great stuff...almost like two beers in one. I wish some of the flavors and aromas were a bit more pronounced, but I can't complain. I'm hesitant to recommend food pairings, as this strikes me as a sipping beer with the potent ABV + the 750ml bottle format. You might do well sharing this with a friend. You could serve this with coconut cream pie, lemon meringue pie, strong cheeses...maybe even something like friend calamari. It's very wine-like, and has a dry finish. You can't miss the whiskey though. I don't remember the price per bottle, but this one will age for a year or two, so it's worth checking out if you're a fan of the style.

Random Thought: I'm so behind on movies. I have so many movies to go see...I'm hoping to knock out one or two movies this weekend, so we'll see how that goes.

Two Brothers Bare Tree 2012 (Barley Wine Style Weisse Beer)

Brewed By: Two Brothers Brewing Company in Warrenville, Illinois

Purchased: 12.7oz/375ml corked bought at Evolution Wine & Spirits in Chicago, Illinois; 2012

Style/ABV: American Barleywine/Wheatwine, 11.0%
Reported IBUs: ?

Tonight will mark the first time I've tried tried Two Brothers' Bare Tree series. This one comes in a fancy, mini-champagne bottle, with a cork, cage, and the works. The bottle suggests you can age this for 2-5 years. Let's see if this one is worth investing in to age. About Two Brothers:

Two Brothers are based out of Warrenville, Illinois, a town not far from Chicago. Two brothers was founded in 1996 by brother Jason and Jim Ebel. Their brewery and Tap House Restaurant are both located in Warrenville. Their distribution and production seems to be increasing with each year, and along with their beer you can buy home brewing equipment and supplies at the Tap House Restaurant.  

I'm having a heck of a time finding any info on this beer, aside from Ratebeer's brief description. According to Ratebeer, this is a Barley Wine-style beer made with 57% wheat, and 43% barley, and German hops. Apparently this beer starts fermentation using a Hefeweizen yeast, and is then finished with Scottish Ale yeast. This one is apparently oak aged for over one year before being released. Evidently the vintages do not differ in recipe, but do differ in barrel usage. The back of my bottle states: "Our magic 8 ball indicates this beer can be enjoyed now or cellared."

Two Brothers Bare Tree 2012

This one pours into a hazy orangeish color, with a pinky of off-white head that rapidly dissolves into a long-lasting cauldron effect. There's some head just chilling on the sides of the glass, and in bright light, you can see a TON of carbonation streaming upwards in towers made out of tiny bubbles. The head is white/orange-tinted in bright light, and the beer is murky like orange juice. There's some lacing, and the creamy, strong head duration really suggests a Belgian Ale or Hefeweizen. This one has some nice alcohol legs, and they betray the aroma, which doesn't necessarily suggest a huge beer.

The nose is kind of Belgian or German Hefeweizen-esque, with some hints of clove, big banana, bubblegum, and vanilla. When you focus on the vanilla, you pick up some oak, wood, and light woody vanilla. There's some fruity and boozy complexity on the nose as well, with suggestive alcohol aromas. There's maybe a dash of caramel or heavier malt as well. It's kind of a laid back and subtle nose, but what you can pick up on the aroma is suggestive of complexity lurking beneath.

WOW. This is ridiculously smooth and creamy, like drinking chocolate milk. There's subtle and light carbonation, but you mostly get blasted with chocolate milk mouthfeel, Wheat-malt-smoothness. This is insane...so creamy, so smooth. It's like a smoothed out Weizenbock/Doppelweizen. 

I'm getting a ton of creamy banana, clove, caramel, vanilla ice cream, caramel on vanilla ice cream, pleasant wheat malt astringency, and wheat malt in this. A hint of citrus shows up, with light grass, apricot, and some mild peppery spice. There's a huge boozy complexity beneath the super smooth surface, and you get some oak, and hints of wood. There's some hints of grain with the malts as well, and a hint of grape/apple in this.

This one is full-bodied, and creamy as hell. Wow, what a mouthfeel. It's like Demeter the Goddess of Grain did the female equivalent to bricking a load of wheat in my mouth. Despite being a supped up wheat beer, you really want to sip this at its presumed 11.0% ABV. This one is boozy, and you can feel it. The booze adds to the complexity, and never hinders drinkability. If you love German Hefeweizens and Weizenbocks (I know I do!), you'll feel right at home drinking this. Palate depth is outstanding, and complexity is high. You get creamy banana, clove, vanilla, caramel, oak, wood, ice cream, and massive booze up front; this rolls into apples, fruity booze, peppery spice, tons of wheat, hints of grape; the back end trails of with complex booze, grapes, grain, apples, lingering clove...wowza.

Rating: Divine Brew

Strong Divine Brew on the 2012 version of this. I don't know what the fuck I was expecting but it certainly wasn't this. This is fantastic, and might be one of the better beers I've had from Two Brothers. Maybe the timing is just right. This is a 2012 bottle, and I'm not entirely sure how much age this has on it. Regardless, the apple/grape/grain booze complexity combined with the giant, creamy, wheat-forward mouthfeel wins this beer. This would go well with aggressive/strong cheeses (as does any solid Hefeweizen). You could also pair this with peppery meats, shrimp, rissoto, or a salad topped with cheese. You might even go the dessert route with banana pudding, yellow cake, or fruity baked goods. These were selling for like 7 or 8 bucks a bottle...grab two of these. I bet this ages well.

Random Thought: I think we fought off the last bout of winter in the Midwest. It's currently back up into the 50s and 60s, with rain and thunderstorms all week. Does that mean Spring is finally here?