Wheat Beer
Napa Smith Brewery, Napa, CA
4.6% ABV
Appearance: Light honey gold with a thin head. Very slight cloudiness; probably the clearest wheat beer I've ever seen.
Smell: Almost no smell, which is fairly typical for a wheat beer.
Taste: This beer has a very light and crisp taste to it. Very little hoppy bitterness to it, with just a hint of citrus and spice and almost no wheat.
Mouthfeel: As noted, it's very light, both in flavor and in texture. The carbonation is there, but it's not at all aggressive. Finishes very cleanly with almost no aftertaste.
Overall: I'm told that this beer uses lager yeast and 1/2 wheat, which probably explains the clarity of the pour and the lightness of the malt. As wheats go, it's pretty disappointing, but I also tend towards lighter, sweeter beers so this actually suits my tastes pretty well. Were I looking for a Hefeweizen, I would look elsewhere, but if I were looking for something cool to drink after mowing the lawn, this would be a decent enough choice. I give it a B-.