There are two styles of beer I am most certainly not a fan of; ‘wheat beers’ and ‘lagers’. To me, they are marmite (even though I like marmite ….. don’t you dare judge me!). A few months ago, during its first brew run. I was fortunate enough to try the ‘American Style Pale Wheat Ale’ brewed by Rye River Brewing Company under the Lidl brand of ‘The Crafty Brewing Company’. And it blew my socks off how good it was.

A few months have passed, & I’ve cracked open a fresh bottle of this. I just fancied something ‘light’ to start off an evening. The first thing that you notice cracking this open is the sheer amount of pineapple that comes charging out of the bottle like a shotgun blast to the face. It’s beyond ballsy.

Pouring into the glass, it’s a wonderful pale colour that leaves a great creamy two finger head. It’s so nice to stick your nose into a wheatbeer and not be slapped with corriander & orange peel, which to me is always like bloody pot pourri. What hits the nose is a giant carribean dream filedwith pineapple and citrus fruits that honestly has a ‘Lilt’ type hit to it minus the sickly sweetness.

The body of the beer on the palette is really velvety without being sticky, and leaves a nice hum of the citrus behind with a slight bitterness and some lingering sweetness that isn’t overpowering. This beer is powered by Cascade & Mosaic hops. Now, for those unfamiliar with my preferences around hops, Cascade again is one of those hops I am so over & frankly just hold almost zero love for in beers. Mosaic however is one of my favorites for the flavours it brings which I really love in my choice of beers.

‘American Style Pale Wheat Ale’ a beer that personifies refreshment. And I cannot believe I’m writing that about a wheat beer. I honestly thought I had my top pick for Irish Craft Beer of he year 2016 locked in (there’ll be blog post before the new year coming for that), but this honestly when I step back from it in it’s totality is vying for that spot like Conor McGregor in it’s brashness.

I bought this bottle for €2 in Lidl. Think about that for a second. A pint can of your average popular industrial piss is the same price. And this beer punches so far above that for the same price. It’s just ridiculous in the best way possible. Irish Craft Beer in the last 12 months has come further than it has come in the last five years. And beers like this? They are the game changers. They are the momentum stealers. They set the tone.

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