Grain Blonde Ash

Brewed by Grain
Style: Belgian White (Witbier)
Harleston, England

Serve in Tumbler, Weizen

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Jan 2009: Brown 500ml bottle containing an English Wheat Beer, a rare beast indeed. Drank 7 days before its BB Date, I think I should have opened it when it was younger because it disappointed me. It also may be that this isn’t a true Kristal and I should have rolled the bottle before opening, to allow everything in the bottle to come out. Poured into a Franzinkaner Weissbier glass it looked the part. Crystal clear (there was some sediment in the bottom of the bottle though) and Golden Yellow in colour. A thin white head soon became just a wisp and collar, even though bubbles were rising up through the beer, just like a normal German wheat beer. I love the vanilla and banana esters given off by most Weissbiers, this didn’t have those qualities. The only aroma I found was of cereal and grains, even those were weak. Refreshing enough, but it lacked a true bite and any character worth mentioning. I had high hopes for this beer, sadly it was thin impersonation and lacked body. As I said at the begining, maybe it is better younger or with the sediment in the glass.

Hazy golden, typical English small white head. Tastes of citrus, koriander and wheat. Proper wheat beer, some of the best British attempts at wheat beer I’ve had so far, but still plainly British ale (which in itself is not a bad thing)

Cask, The Salmon, Leicester. Golden with an off white firm foam. Aromas are caramel, mellow oranges and coriander with wheat. Ginger with floral notes and soft lemon. Apricot with hints of green apple. Flavours are sweet citrus fruits with peach and soft spices. Caramel with wheat and a lager malt like profile. Dry and spicy on the finish. There are more better UK wheat beers around now.

Cask handpull, The salmon, Leicester, 26/01/12. Finely hazed under a well-retained white mousse. Aroma of lemon mousse and ground coriander. Clean wheaty biscuit character with soft, spiced pear tones. Generous body. Orange and coriander middle, Weetabix linger. Not overly spicy- reminds me of Erdinger. For an English wheat, very good.

Cask@The Plough, Norwich. Hazy orangeish golden colour, small white head. Aroma is wheat, spices, fruits and mild wooden notes. Flavour is wheat, fruits, yeast and some spicyness. Very Hefeweizen flavour actually.

Cask - The Plough, Norwich. Poured a cloudy dark yellow with a small and foamy white head. Herbal, almost anise aromas with light and fruity orange notes. Dry and delicately wheaty, plenty of orange sharpness and a fair bitterness. Quite nutty in the aftertaste too. The body sits at the lower end of the spectrum with medium to full carbonation and a relatively short, dry and lightly tangy finish. Bloody refreshing stuff, suited the weather to a T.

Cask conditioned at Banbury Beer Fest ’09. Hazed gold with slight white head. It’s a wheat ale, I wouldn’t have guessed it while drinking it, there is a thin, slightly pear drop flavoured body, a little acidic, then vanilla notes with a touch of rosy lee for hops. It’s ok but not one to return to.

[500ml bottle from The Little Beer Shop, Blofield, Norfolk] Mid-gold, almost no head, moderate carbonation, particularly large, lumpy sedimentation. Everything is dusty hay and straw, with the odd bit of green grassiness - it’s like standing next to a threshing machine. Although there’s some refreshing sharpness there, there is little of the citrus flavour you’d normally associate with the style. Finishes with mild bitterness and more dust leading into a very dry sourness.

Bottle.Gold with a medium head,aroma of lemon and grapefruit,taste is citric and grassy with a dry finish.