A wheat wine. This was a style that really made a statement when I first encountered them maybe 20+ years ago.

A golden orange body with a decent head considering the ABV. Poorly retained and no lace – as expected. The nose is way, way more alcoholic than the beer turns out to be, and that’s just fine. It smells like a solvent bomb that’s about to rip your head off.

In the tastes there are HUGE chardonnay oak elements here, in fact there is very little else. If you’ve been away from that taste profile for a while and you have a craving or a fancy for it, then this is maybe going to work. If not, then it might be a little tiresome. It’s a fine line.

Light warmth greets the palate and throat. Theres a booze element here but it is so, so, so well-rounded and light – especially considering the nose. The alcohol is a there, but it’s way smoother than the 14.8% suggests. It’s quite sweet – in fact a lot sweet. Vanilla kicks in more than cacao nibs, and there’s a lot of alcohol heat even though it doesn’t burn as much as one might think.

All in all this is a vanilla and chardonnay oak delivery vehicle, and in the end I simply ask, “Why don’t I just have a lovely glass of wine instead?” I’m not sure what this brings to the table that an nicely oaked white could not.