I finally decided to give Points’ Horizon Wheat a try after walking by it many times at my local grocery store.  After being disappointed with their Belgian White I didn’t think I was going to be knocked coming into this beer….and after trying it…….. I was right. A flavorless wheat beer that did nothing for me. As much as I really wanted to like this, and in all honesty, I was really wanting to find a really good wheat beer to have around the house for hot summer days, this one just did nothing for me. Points’ products are readily available, even at my local grocery store in Mount Vernon but the two I’ve tried have missed the boat. Am I missing something, am I buying the wrong Point product? I’m not sure, I think maybe if I decide to go back to them I will go with their pale ale.  (http://pointbeer.com/point/)

STYLE: What Ale

ABV: 3.65%

Purchased At: Gary’s grocery in Mount Vernon, IA.

Wheat beers have been really hit and miss for me; I’m finding myself less enthused about American wheat beers and focusing more on German style hefeweizens which, if you get a good one, are packed with flavor; banana, bubble gum, clove, citrus, etc. all in a really good hefe/wheat.

REVIEW
Pour: Cloudy yellow with a nice white head.
Aroma: Grainy smell, and a somewhat off-putting skunky smell.
Taste: A watery wheat beer, mildly refreshing.
Overall: D

Eastern Iowa Residents: I’ve seen this all over.
Would I Buy Again: No. Maybe a good beer for someone who is starting out drinking craft beer; a training wheels craft brew.

With the craft beer scene in Iowa starting to make an effort to catch up with the rest of the country, we are starting to see some more of the “mainstream” style beers being released from our Iowa breweries. Peace Tree is doing great things in Knoxville, Toppling Goliath in Decorah, Madhouse in Newton, etc. but the oldest brewery in Iowa still stands in Amana and that is Millstream. Millstream to me is known for their John’s Generation White Ale, one of the better American White Ales you can find and I also used to love their Colony Oatmeal stout before it disappeared from the shelves.
The emergence of hoppy beers has led many breweries to go with IPAs, and Double IPAs. Millstream skipped the IPA section and went right into the Doubles.

STYLE: Imperial/Double IPA

ABV: 7.8%

Purchased At: Trade with a friend.

I really wanted this beer to be good and have Millstream put itself on the map for breweries with great Imperial IPAs, but it just didn’t stand up to most Double IPAs I’ve had. I think they started to feel pressure from other breweries in the area and the country where a lot of them are putting out wonderful IPAs. I think this hurried, maybe the wrong hops were used? Not sure, but hopefully they go back to the drawing board and try again.
REVIEW
Pour: Ruby red pour with an off-white head poured into a tulip glass.
Aroma: Different hop smell, some citrus; can’t place the aroma.
Taste: Got the sweetness and then it turned into some bizarre flavor citrus flavor.
Overall: D+

Eastern Iowa Residents: I’ve seen this at John’s Grocery and Hy-Vee.

Would I Buy Again: No. Maybe I got a bad bottle, maybe it really was as disappointing as I thought. If you’ve tried this please let me know your thoughts.

Thanks to Slim for another great guest review. Here it is:

ABV:  4.4%

Style-Belgian Wit

This beer was briefly mentioned in one of the IA Beerbaron’s earlier articles. I thought this would be a good one to review because I had not tried it in awhile but I remember it being a pretty solid summer seasonal. I stumbled into it at my friend’s wedding. I was impressed by the fine selection they had at the reception. It included 4 different types of Boulevard alone. And it came along with those precious words that will instantly bring a smile to your face…open bar. With unlimited Boulevard Zon’s at disposal, it was shaping up to be a rough night for sLiM.  But I made the wise decision to focus on enjoying the beer instead. I feel that Zon is an underappreciated offering by Boulevard. It’s super easy to drink and sweet like the unfiltered wheat. But I feel like it gives you a different type of sweet that you aren’t exposed to with the wheat. It’s a nice alternative to the wheat. My only complaint to this beer is that it doesn’t seem like you’re drinking a beer after about two of these. Very tasty, though, and without a doubt one of the best beers you can grab for any occasion during the summer.

Pour-Hazy yellow pour with a thin white head. Minimal Lacing

Aroma-Mostly a sweet, citrusy smell, not overpowering by any means

Taste-Great taste out of a summer seasonal. A great balance of citrus and lemon, but wish there was more of a trace of hops.

Overall– B+. I was pleasantly surprised when I tasted this beer after going a few years since last trying it. It was much better than I remembered.  My taste has evolved over the years but I can still appreciate a very clean, easy to drink brew and the Zon fits the bill perfectly. I think this is one of Boulevards best offerings and I would drink this outside of the summer. Don’t know how well it would do being sold year-round but I would buy it regularly.

STYLE: India Pale Ale

ABV: 6.2%

PURCHASED AT: Family Beer and Liquor, East Dubuque, IL

I would consider Rogue Ales one of the better breweries in America. They produce a few beers I would consider to be in my “Top 10” list and they also can be ballsy with some of the beers they produce. Their Yellow Snow IPA is terrific take on the hugely popular style of India Pale Ale.  Like most IPAs you get the fruity citrus aromas from the hops that goes along with a little bit of bitterness. I would think this IPA is more sessionable than others because of its ABV and it is a very tasty beer to sit and drink. I purchased this at Family Beer and Liquor in East Dubuque which had a huge selection of Rogue products, so if you are in the area check it out.
An excellent beer as Rogue continues to shine.
REVIEW
Pour: Sunny gold pour with a really thick white head. Huge amounts of lacing on the glass.
Aroma: Your typical citrus/grapefruit with a touch of grassy smell.
Taste: Nice hop bitterness with the citrus flavor.
Overall: B+

Eastern Iowa Residents: Purchased at Family Beer and Liquor and I’ve also seen it at John’s Grocery in Iowa City on occasion.
Would I Buy Again?: You bet, it is sold in a bomber for about $7.99 each. A little pricey but well worth it.

Let me know if you try this and what your thoughts are!!

STYLE: Wheat Ale

ABV: 5.3%

PURCHASED AT: Hy-Vee Liquor store; Marion, IA

Sam Adams continues to make very good craft beer. Lately the word craft isn’t being attached to the Boston Beer Company (Sam Adams makers) because of the number of batches of beer that the brewery puts out; but to me, as long as they continue to use high-end, hard to find ingredients, and don’t sell-out to the big corporations, they are definitely craft beer.
The Coastal Wheat is another beer that could be considered one to drink for this who are still trying to venture into the world of craft beer. My first craft beer experience and the one that got me into craft beer, was Boulevard Wheat. This is similar to the Boulevard with less citrus and more resemblance to a German Hefeweizen. Really great on a hot day with the flavor of lemons and the wheat malt combining nicely. Give it a try!
REVIEW
Pour: Hazy gold pour with a nice thick white head. Lacing sticks nicely to the glass.
Aroma: What and lemon citrus smell.
Taste: You get the citrus flavor followed by the wheat malt; nice and smooth.
Overall: C
Eastern Iowa Residents: Purchased at my local Hy-Vee. I’ve seen some Hy-Vees that do not have this beer but most do; any good liquor store would carry it.
Would I Buy Again?: Yes, easy drinking and refreshing; perfect for the beach or after mowing the lawn. Price tag on mine was $7.99 for a sixer; not bad.
Let me know if you try this and what your thoughts are!!

There are many beers out there that taste great no matter what time of year it is. I can enjoy a good stout when it is 90 degrees and muggy and still be refreshed. Pale and IPA’s taste great all year around and good porter has that warming feeling during the winter holidays but also does the trick on a warm sunny afternoon. However, beer does have it’s seasons and right now, of course, we are in the middle of summer so I would like to take a look at some beers I’m familiar with drinking that are only available during the summer season.

**Bells Oberon Ale**                                 
5.8% ABV
Available: Any good liquor store
Style: Wheat Ale
Maybe my favorite “summer” beer, this wheat ale is nice and fruity with nice grassy hop finish. The citrus is what sticks out to me in this wheat beer as some wheats I’ve had come across bland, this one packs a flavorful and refreshing punch. The perfect summer beer! It is available on tap at Red’s Alehouse in North Liberty, IA!

**Goose Island Summertime**
ABV: 5%
Style: Kolsch
Available: Any good liquor store.
Kolsch style comes from Germany that has clear yellow color with some hoppiness and less bitterness than most lagers. Since Goose Island has sold to AB-InBev I’ve found myself trying to get away from their beers just so I’m not putting money in the pockets of AB-InBev, but Goose Islands’ beers make that difficult at times because some are very good. This one has the flavor of apricots and peaches and then finishes with lemon flavor. Nice crisp and refreshing.

**Boulevard Zon**
ABV: 4.4%
Style: Belgian White
Available: Any good liquor store.

The summer seasonal from one of my favorite breweries is Boulevard’s Zon. This is a take on a classic German Witbier (white).  You have the classic orange peel and coriander flavor which makes this beer greatly refreshing on a hot summer day. Have your Blue Moon drinking friends give this one a shot, not only are you getting them into craft beer but you are getting them away from Coors produced beer, which Blue Moon is.

**Dogfish Head Festina Peche**
ABV: 4.5%
Style: Berliner Weiss
Available: Dogfish is getting more and more scarce around the midwest; I have seen it in Illinois and Wisconsin yet though.

Another beer experience courtesy of Dogfish Head Brewing. Festina Peche is Berliner Weiss beer that fermented with peaches. This beer is full of peach flavor and is close to being champagne like in flavor. If you are a fan of peaches then this is the brew for you.

**Anchor Summer Beer**
ABV: 4.6%
Style: Wheat Ale
Location: Any good liquor store.

Summer wheat ale brewed with all malts and 50% of that is malted wheat. The malted wheat is where the flavor comes from as this beer doesn’t have your normal citrus aroma or flavor that comes with many wheat beers. However, this beer is still very crisp and refreshing and is great on a summer day.

I’m sure I missed some brews to talk about. Make sure you try to have a few summer seasonals before they go and we are then replaced with my favorite time of year; Fall seasonals!! Let me know your thoughts!