Smuttynose Big Beer Series: Wheat Wine Ale
Smuttynose Wheat Wine Ale is a unique hybridization of two well-known beer styles, combining the rich, voluptuous taste of a traditional barleywine with the subtle, tart flavors of an American wheat ale, topped off with a healthy dose of crisp, herbaceous hops.
The much-anticipated debut edition of Smuttynose Wheat Wine, brewed and bottled early in 2005, was delayed for nearly a year due to problems stemming from the federal label approval process. The Tax and Trade Bureau (formerly ATF) rejected our original label approval application, claiming that use of the word wine in a beer name would confuse and mislead consumers and retailers. We didn’t agree (barleywine, anyone?) and appealed their rejection. Ours is the first, but definitely not the last, wheat wine application the federal government has seen, so they had to create new guidelines regarding the use of this name. We did prevail, at last, and the issue has been put to rest, and although there are several outstanding examples of this style offered at brewpubs, we are pleased to say that Smuttynose Wheat Wine Ale was the first commercially bottled Wheat Wine on the market.
GOLD MEDAL WINNER – 2005 Great American Beer Festival.
GOLD MEDAL WINNER – 2010 Mondial de la Biere, Strasbourg, France
GOLD MEDAL WINNER – 2011 Great American Beer Festival
The much-anticipated debut edition of Smuttynose Wheat Wine, brewed and bottled early in 2005, was delayed for nearly a year due to problems stemming from the federal label approval process. The Tax and Trade Bureau (formerly ATF) rejected our original label approval application, claiming that use of the word wine in a beer name would confuse and mislead consumers and retailers. We didn’t agree (barleywine, anyone?) and appealed their rejection. Ours is the first, but definitely not the last, wheat wine application the federal government has seen, so they had to create new guidelines regarding the use of this name. We did prevail, at last, and the issue has been put to rest, and although there are several outstanding examples of this style offered at brewpubs, we are pleased to say that Smuttynose Wheat Wine Ale was the first commercially bottled Wheat Wine on the market.
GOLD MEDAL WINNER – 2005 Great American Beer Festival.
GOLD MEDAL WINNER – 2010 Mondial de la Biere, Strasbourg, France
GOLD MEDAL WINNER – 2011 Great American Beer Festival
3.6
604 reviews
Hampton, United States
Community reviews
Bottle. Looks incredible, clear dark amber red with off white head. Smells oxidised, sherry, caramel, dried fruits. Taste is similar, dried fruit, sherry, oxidised, caramel. Sweet with some alcohol
Hazy deep copper with little offwhite head; aroma is mildly hoppy with some tart earthy grainy notes; flava is malty grainy with some hop bitterness; feels light yet creamy; finishes mildly dry hop bitterness mingled with hint of tartness
2010 Bottle I finally opened in December 2014. A touch oxidized and obviously still pretty sweet but has nice fruity notes and some caramelly sweetness. Certainly a fine beer to cellar.
Bomber. Pours a veiled reddish amber with a short lived white head. Aroma is alcohol, fruits, loads of malts. Flavor is red berries, loads of caramel, resin, brown sugar. Finish is alcohol warmth, touch of hops and wood. Medium to full body, soft mouthfeel, weak carbonation. Might be a bit too strong.
2009 vintage. pours unclear dark golden with a small light beige cap, some retention and lacing. toffee fruitiness, some melons - borderline rotten though, grapefruit peel, very woodsy if not woody, spicy berries, pepper perhaps, wheat tartness - no huskiness, brandy-like warming alcohol, hint of sweetness - tasty barley sugar, light earthy notes. light carbonation, medium body - oily, warm and wheaty-grassy-lightly earthy finish. great balance and mouthfeel. surprisingly enjoyed!
Won’t lie I was a little scared of this one but I’m pleasantly surprised. Smells like a big barley wine with lots of toffee and oak. Good favors of toffee and oak with a hint of hops but then turns pretty alcohol harsh and bitter fast. Not bad but not sure I want a whole 22oz myself and honestly miss the bourbon in these oak barrels as that May round out some of the bitter harsh finish with some sticky sweetness.
Slightly hazy dark amber to copper pour with a thick skim, creamy to soapy beige head. Aroma is big on toffee and caramel, nice tangy floral notes, lemon curd some pleasant booziness and earthy hops. Flavor is toast, biscuit and crusty chocolate chip cookies (light on the chocolate), soft, tangy floral notes more reminiscent of rose or hibiscus than typical hoppy notes. Medium to heavy body, appropriately chewy feel throughout and a light to medium carbonation. Good stuff, lots of interesting grain character, definitely recognizable as related to a Barley Wine, but different enough to warrant the title. Great cold weather beer.
Draft at Flying Saucer. The pour is a vibrant ruby color with a lingering top. The aroma is mostly sweet toffee. The taste is a typical wheat wine upfront, but then you get a bite of bitterness and the aftertaste is a little boozy.
"10.5% hybrid. sampled June 2011, unknown that we’d just bought a 2009 bottle off the shelf. ironically, it would have been passed on if we knew it was 2 years old, but damn, this thing aged to near perfection. the bitter finish still balanced out the sweetness from the 47% barley malt and 53% wheat, which also made it just fruity sweet enough without being overbearing. somewhat thick, but hid the alcohol well. great beer, and another notch in the belt for Smuttynose!"
Bottle sample at DSG’s 5555 tasting at Sar Hamashkahot Ramat Gan. Thanks kerenmk. Pours orange hazy with a beige head, aroma of marmalade, caramel and wheat, flavor is slightly bitter with marmalade, malt, alcohol and herbs, medium bodied.
Flat pour with a minimal head. Aroma of candy and sweets. Taste is overwhelming sweet wheat. Close to a Belgian dark but not.
Not my favorite. Nice strong aroma but the flavor was slightly off putting. Not the biggest barley wine fan anyways.
Decent barleywine that poured a light amber color. The white head was quite modest but left some nice lacing behind. The nose was sweet with notes of wheat, alcohol, light whiskey and some floral hops. The body was big and strong, but well balanced. The flavors were on the semi-sweet side with notes of wheat, alcohol, orange, lemon, toffee and caramel. The finish was quite strong as well, with more notes of spicy hops and a bit more alcohol.
On tap, caramel color with a small head. It has a high ABV and it shows in the aroma and taste. Has a maple aroma and taste. Medium silky smooth mouthfeel. Watch out for this one!
On tap at Black Sheep..dark orange pour..thin white head..aroma of honey,bread,caramel..different is pretty much how I’d describe this one..just ok.
Bottle sample at American Strong Ale tasting at Beer&Beyond, Tel Aviv. Nice amber with low beige head. Sweet yeasty aroma, syrup, bready, date honey, woody. Very sweet flavor, syrup, light hoppy bitterness, spicy, notes of banana. Oily texture. Lots of sediments. Medium carbonation. Full body. Very alcoholic. Sweet-bitter aftertaste.
Bottle shared at DSG’s 5555th rating tasting at Sar HaMashkaot Ramat Gan. Hazy amber-brown with beige head. Candy, malt, a little dried apricot and old hops aroma. Stale hops, slightly bitter, then chocolatey in the mouth. Full body, chocolate finish, low carbonation. Heavy, sweet, vinous but not wheaty.
Bomber. Beautiful beer, copper color that becomes hazy with the yeast from the bottom of the bottle. More barleywine than wheat beer. A sipper, a bit boozy. Some citrusy notes, some sweetness, but not too much. Tastes like what it is: a light colored barleywine.
Very caramel malt forward flavor with caramel malts, malted wheat and some tropical fruitness. Worth checking out!
Heck yeah. Pours a hazy amber-orange with a fairly substantial khaki head that settles to a ring and leaves some spotty, soapy lace. Nose involves a nice melange of spicy and sweet with some maple, orange, caramel, a predominant tart wheat note, some toasted malt, peaches, apricots, citrus, and some alcohol vapors. Quite sweet, fairly bitter, big flavor all around. Thick, viscous, oily, sticky, full bodied, with a long warm bitter toasty finish. Pretty damn tasty, quite an enjoyable experience.
Bottle sample at my 5555th rating tasting at Sar HaMashkaot Ramat Gan. Thanks kerenmk. Hazy amber with an off-white head. Aroma of stale american hops, malt and a bit of alcohol. Sweet flavor with malt, fruitiness, caramel, stale hops and a bitter finish. Medium-bodied, a bit oily.
Great aromas of apple, spice, and a hint of bourbon malt. Mouthfeel is decent for the style, but a little bit thin. Taste doesn’t follow up the aroma though. Good wheated malt flavor just not a lot of depth. This is the 2014 version that was aged on oak chips, but they don’t really provide anything more.
Aroma of sugary toffee, honey and alcohol. Bright amber color, medium carbonation, floaty suspension. Long, harsh almost sweet flavor, like a very bitter run maybe. Some backburn in the finish - a real gut punch. Nonetheless a smooth and soft drinking experience, though it weighs a ton. Unique entry into an expanding field.
Sample at Daily Growler. Clear amber color with a thin white head that recedes quickly to an outer ring. Short strings of lacing on the glass. Aroma of malt, caramel and hops. Full-bodied with flavors of bready malt, caramel and earthy hops. The finish is sweet with a toffee and malt aftertaste. Decent overall.
Bottle:
Pours coppery-orange with a thin, off-white head.
Caramel, sticky fruit, almost honeyed aroma.
Tropical fruit, wheat malt, wood flavours....
A bit of alcohol sting.
Slightly peppery, tropical hop notes.
Quite nice.
Interesting beer. Strong hops even for an American barley wine, a new American style? Doesn’t work for me. Fruity and sweet with hops upfront and on forever. Probably would go for a good IPA instead of this when I’m in that kind of mood next time. Don’t drink cold, much better warmer as more wheat and fruit flavors emerge.
Bomber courtesy of ye ol’ rotbox, bought @ Olbutikken many fortnights ago. 2009 vinage. Pours clear deep copper with a small fizzy goldenish beige head that quickly dissipates without leaving any trace on the glass. Smell is malty and slightly oxidized with caramel, biscuits, hay, moist soil, resinous wood, toffee, alcohol, leather, orange zest and lemon zest. Taste is sweet, bitter, malty and slightly oxidized with heavy caramel, hay, leather, alcohol, dates, raisins, orange zest, resinous wood, cookie dough, golden syrup, lemon zest and liquorice root. Mouthfeel is soft, round, tiny sticky sweet, tiny oily bitter, tiny astringent and medium to full bodied. Finish is sweet, bitter and malty with caramel, biscuits, alcohol, hay, soil, leather, resinous wood and dates. Solid aged US-style barley wine.
bomber (bottle conditioned in 2014 and 10.8% ABV) poured into the Duvel tulip glass. Nose is candi, caramel and a tad farm-y (probably the wheat). Boozy and sweet which is quite satisfying going down the pipes. Slight hop kick, which would probably be stronger in a lighter beer. Smoother than the barleywines I’ve had. A treat.
22oz bottle pours a bright copper with a tan head. Sweet malt and fruit aroma. Taste is the same with a bit of a harsh finish.
Draft a the growler NYC. Pours a nice looking tan color. Kind of syrupy and boozy. Pretty well balanced. Decent