Review- Holiday Cranberry Orange Wheat

This year for Christmas, my wife wanted to hand out gift baskets that included some of my beer. I wanted to brew a beer that had some of the holiday feel to it, but also one that was accessible to a variety of beer drinkers. While I enjoy brewing beers for the beer geek side of me, I also really like to make beer that everybody enjoys. I find that wheat ales offer me the ability to add a creative twist, but also are enjoyed by the people who might not be too adventerous of beer drinkers. The Cranberry Orange Wheat Ale was the right choice. I was happy that the cranberry gives it a nice tangy quality that fits well with the holiday vibe, and adds a distinct flavor to the sweet wheat ale. I had 3 lbs of frozen whole cranberries that had been in my freezer for a year. Knowing I had to get rid of them before they lost too much their flavor for cooking, I decided to add all 3 lbs to the secondary. This gave it a nice tangy presence, you definitley know they are there, but it's not overwhelming. The feedback has been really positive from both beer geeks and non, so I feel good that I hit the mark.
Onto my review: It pours cloudy dark gold with some deep orangish red highlights. Foamy white head that laces the glass. Tangy aromas of cranberry and citrus as well some clove. At first it's quite tart that gives away to a nice sweetness. Not overwhelmingly cranberry, but there's a tartness that lets you know the cranberry is present. It's a pretty sweet beer, with some citrusy flavors, lemony and orange. The cranberry flavor isn't dominant in the finish, instead there's a lingering tartness and some citrusy sweentess. The body is light as one would expect with a wheat ale, but there is a nice crisp finish that is aided by the tartness. Overall, a nice Christmas Ale.

The recipe is listed in the previous posting on this beer.

I'm in Wisconsin for Christmas, and just picked up my bounty of New Glarus. Excited to try Snowshoe Winter Ale, one I haven't had. Was also happy to see that the samplers including the outstanding Coffee Stout still was around. I will review both in the coming weeks. Thanks to all of you readers for your comments, interest, and overall curisosity in my small corner of the brewing world. A Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to all of you and yours.
Salud!
Bearded Brewing