Cranberry Wheat started out as a summer seasonal beer, only available in the Yukon and only from about Victoria Day till Labour Day (no snarky comments about the length of a Yukon summer, please!) The beer grew immensely popular as the word got out…the last summer that the beer was only available seasonally (2003) the summer supply sold out in mid-June! The following spring, we decided (actually, we just got tired of being asked) to develop packaging and launch the brand full-time. And, being smart guys who learn from their experience, we made sure that we had lots available for the summer! So, this time we ran out in early July instead of mid-June. This beer has been doing so well in the Yukon, we decided to let the bear lose in the rest of Canada. You'll be finding it very soon in B.C. and in Alberta. Why is the beer so popular? First things first…flavour!
We have tried a number of different fruit beers, and always found them, well, too fruity. But cranberries, especially Yukon cranberries, are tart – very tart. So, they kind of act like a slice of lemon or lime. And, many people drink wheat beers with a slice…in this beer, it’s kind of built-in. Like many wheat beers, it is unfiltered so that the tangy flavour of the yeast can mingle with the tangy flavour of the wheat.
We do use local cranberries, by the way, when they are available. That means in the fall, after a good berry season. It is extremely weather-dependant. When they are not available fresh, we use a 100% natural cranberry concentrate that we purchase fresh-frozen from Quebec City.
Right now, this beer is available only in the Yukon. Pity that, but it is just one more reason to make a visit. And if you do, you will have the opportunity to enjoy it on tap at the one location on the earth that has it – the Westmark Whitehorse hotel in downtown Whitehorse.
Beer Ratings and Reviews:
[1] Review by mmmmBeer from Edmonton, Canada who has tried this beer a couple times. (10/11/2006 6:01:47 PM)
"This brew poured a cloudy honey brown with zero head, barley any bubbles floated on top, this stuff resembles Metamucil perfectly. A pleasant malty banana aroma that is some what fruity is admitted from the beer, I enjoy the smell but the only problem is its very weak and hard to detect. Lots of bready malts can be tasted combined with a dry sourness that probably comes from the cranberries. This brew is medium bodied with good carbonation, and leaves a bready after taste. This beer is highly drinkable and refreshing but is also highly forgettable and boring. "
Aroma:
5/10
Appearance:
5/10
Mouthfeel:
7/10
Flavor:
6/10
Overall:
7/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3)
Sampled: Bottle
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure
[2] Review by BigBry from Calgary, Canada who has tried this beer once. (8/7/2006 12:38:49 AM)
"Part of the Yukon "Thirst Aid Kit" mixed 12 pack, came with a free pint glass.
Pours a slightly cloudy orange color with a bubbly head. The foam has almost a pinkish orange color, but disappears too quickly to be sure. Smell is a very faint sour cranberry. It is alright, but I was expecting more. You can taste some cranberry, but it is very subtle. The wheat flavor comes through more than the fruit. The high carbonation gives a good twang in your mouth, but not much else. Good for a summer thirst quencher, but my least favorite from Yukon. I guess I wanted more fruit flavors. Brewster's Winter Cranberry was better, imo.
"
Aroma:
6/10
Appearance:
6/10
Mouthfeel:
6/10
Flavor:
7/10
Overall:
6/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.1)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 341ml @ $1.55 Unit Cost: $2.15 per Pint
[3] Review by beercronic from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada who has tried this beer many times. (7/28/2006 12:15:15 AM)
"Wheaty good! Cloudy dull orange with a small white cap on the pour and no cap to speak of a couple of minutes later. Zero lacing. Aroma is faint, but the wheat and sour berries are mixed together equally. A chemically odour hides in the background. It's nice to get a beer with aroma that is soft once and awhile. Taste is pretty good, except I'm not sold on the sourness - not that it's bad. Soft wheat and yeast start you off while the sour cranberries finish. Good or bad, depending on your sour tolerance. I like it cause it's different, but I don't love it. It's medium bodied with a very long sour yeasty finish. Fairly smooth with ample carbonation. Very tart and dry aftertaste. There is a collection of yeast that has gathered at the bottom of my glass that has a one way ticket to my stomach. Lots of sour - man, this aftertaste just doesn't go away!"
Aroma:
6/10
Appearance:
5/10
Mouthfeel:
9/10
Flavor:
7/10
Overall:
6/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.3)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 341ml @ $1.55 Unit Cost: $2.15 per Pint
[4] Review by Carole from Basin, Wyoming, USA who has tried this beer a couple times. (8/19/2005 6:59:46 AM)
"I tried this at a bar in Whitehorse, YT (where Yukon Brewing is located). As a wheat beer, it is quite tasty. Maybe I am not that fond of cranberry, because they gave the beer and unpleasant bitter aftertaste. While you could smell the berries in the beer, it lacked the sweet fruit aromas I have come to appreciate in a fruit beer."
Aroma:
6/10
Appearance:
6/10
Mouthfeel:
6/10
Flavor:
5/10
Overall:
6/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(2.9)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 12oz @ $3 Unit Cost: $4 per Pint
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(3)
