First published in BEER June 2008 as part of a piece about wheat beers.
ABV: 6.8 per cent
Origin: Rock, Cornwall, England
Website www.sharpsbrewery.co.uk
Sharp's Honey Spice Wheat Beer
It’s a fine sunny spring day outside as I write this page – perhaps, given the weather so far this year, it’s too much of a leap of faith to assume the days will be warmer still by the time you read it. But even under grey skies you might cheer up by cracking open a bottle of wheat beer. With their buttercup and straw colours, summery fruit flavours and aromas as heady as a wildflower meadow on a hot day in June, they’re the perfect warm weather drink.
Cornwall’s Sharp’s has made waves from its coastal site since 1994 with cask bitter Doom Bar. But dynamic and imaginative head brewer Stuart Howe also has ambitions to brew world class speciality bottled beers that can hold their own against fine wine on the dining table. First he gave us Chalky’s Bike, flavoured with Cornish fennel (BEER, November 2007), and now he’s launching three more bottle conditioned specialities: abbey beer St Enodoc Double, 10 per cent barley wine Massive Ale, and this intriguing strong spiced wheat beer.
Hopped with Goldings and Bobek, enriched with Cornish honey and spiced with cinnamon, coriander and mixed peel, Honey Spice arrives in an elegant 660ml bottle intended for sharing at table, perhaps over a salad, seafood or white fish dish as recommended on the label. Leave it to settle for a clear beer, or do as I did and drink hazy, pouring a rich golden colour with a thick white orange-tinged head.
A spicy aroma has a fresh creamy cereal note and a barely detectable hint of coriander. The palate is firm but subtle, dry and herby, with a delicate, slightly leafy bitterness and a touch of marzipan, with identifiable coriander and earthy cinnamon starting to emerge. A slightly peachy swallow leads to a dry, spicy finish with delicate hops and herbs, a light citrus touch and a hint of old books.
Overall this is a very well-made, distinctive and refreshing beer with a remarkably light touch considering the relatively hefty strength – on a sunny day it would be tempting, though certainly not advisable, to swig with abandon. Beers like these should put Sharp’s in the first rank of modern British brewers.
Read more about wheat beers in the next post.
Read more about this beer at ratebeer.com: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/sharps-honey-spice-wheat-beer/88623/
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