Peachy Keen: O'Fallon Wheach

I think spring is finally here.  I think.  That freak 8 inches of snow from last week has melted off.  Mud is everywhere, which the dogs are enjoying.  Weather is warming up and my allergies are kicking in.  Unless we get hit with another freak blizzard, I think we are in the clear.  I think.

That also means I have been craving lighter beers.  All winter I have been mostly drinking heavier ales, imperial stouts, wheat wines, barley wines, big Belgian ales.  I will still drink those now, but the idea of a crisp clean beer has been consuming my thoughts.  Enter O'Fallon Wheach.

I am not usually a fan of fruit/wheat beers.  It's not so much that they have a reputation as a girly beer.  A lot of them are syrupy sweet from using a fruit extract, which just isn't appealing to me.  O'Fallon's Wheach isn't like that.  I had first tried Wheach at the Zona Rosa Beer Fest last year, and I was surprised by how clean and dry it was.  For me that's what a Spring beer is all about.

12 oz bottle poured into a wheat glass. Tall fluffy meringue of white head sits on the surface. It took a good five minutes for it to settle down to a drinking level. Circles of delicate lace cling to the glass with each sip. The color is a a hazy, fuzzy light orange.

Smell is a mix of tart grainy wheat and sweet peaches, and it comes off a little muddled. I think going one way or the other could improve. It's not a horrible mess, but it is a little deceiving leading up to the taste. The taste is more defined. Clean, dry sweetness from the peaches. A little tartness comes in at the finish.

When I first saw Wheach, what came to mind was the heavy syrup that canned peaches come in. This is not the case at all. The wheat ale body is light and clean. Very crisp carbonation, very refreshing for warm weather. This is a big surprise