Sleeman Brewing & Malting Co. 5514 Filtered Wheat Ale American Pale Wheat Ale at 4.5% ABV | 20 IBU (Trade – Stephen Shorlin, 341 ml, packaged on 16-May-2017, acquired 28-Jun-2017, reviewed 30-Jun-2017)
Appearance: clear straw with one finger of loose white head diminishing gradually to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: sweet wheat malt, grass, hints of citrus and stone fruit. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (4/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry semi-crisp finish. (3/5)
Starts off smelling not terrible, and that’s pretty much where it stays: not terrible. Not good, either, mind you, but not terrible. It’s almost like a typical adjunct lager, except there’s wheat instead of corn. Whether that represents an improvement is very much up to the drinker to decide: as far as I’m concerned, change is always good – but it doesn’t rescue this thing from the doldrums of mediocrity. On the other hand, it was an easy-to-drink thirst quencher while lighting the barbecue, so there’s that. (10/20)
5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
