Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat

September 5th, 2011 by Scott in Walt Disney World Beer Reviews

Another Samuel Adams brew found at Hops and Barley during the 2011 Epcot Food and Wine Festival, Cherry Wheat is an interesting beer. The name pretty much describes the beer; it’s a wheat beer with dried cherries added. A beer with fruit isn’t particularly uncommon (Abita’s Purple Haze includes raspberries, for example), but the addition of cherries is somewhat unique.

It looks like a fairly typical wheat ale; perhaps a slight bit darker than usual. Take a sniff of this one and the cherries dominate the nose; they’re not hiding at all. The beer itself is full of cherry flavor; the wheat ale flavors are also present but the cherries make sure you know they’re present. I’m actually going back and forth on whether I like the flavor profile; even though I usually enjoy cherry in my soft drinks, it seems that one sip is good while the next sip tastes somewhat medicinal. As the beer warms, however, the flavor seems to become more consistent, and it seems to settle on the better-tasting side.

I enjoy cherries and beverages with cherry added to them; if you have similar tastes, you may like this beer. Otherwise, I’d exercise caution tasting this beer as the cherries dominate this beer, especially when it’s fresh out of the tap or bottle.