Craft beer is, for
the most part, a local phenomenon. Most small breweries sell their beer
within a small distance from where it’s brewed, and for the most apart
that’s a great thing. Don’t get me wrong, there are many great beers from
around the country that I would love to have access to in my area. The
problem is that craft beer is best consumed fresh, and the likelihood that
the beer will reach the consumer fresh is directly proportional to the
distance the beer must travel to do so. Part of me also likes the fact that
I can only get a certain beer in a certain region. There’s a quaint charm to
local beer and food that I don’t want to see violated.
I live in New England, and about five years ago we saw an invasion of our
area by Pacific Northwest brewers. Pyramid, Red Hook, Nor’ Wester, Saxer,
Rogue, Grant’s, and several other brewers from the PNW suddenly became
available to us. Of course I was thrilled to see this, but with the
exception of Red Hook none really took off here (and Red Hook succeeded
mainly because they built a brewery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire). There
were just too many local craft breweries here for the invasion to take hold,
and I suspect that had we New Englanders launched an assault on Oregon and
Washington the results would have been similar. People tend to support their
local breweries.
Pyramid Hefeweizen pours to a golden yellow color for the first two thirds
of the bottle. At this point I cease pouring and peer inside the bottle and
see a thick slurry of yeast clinging to the bottom. A gentle swirling motion
of the beer left inside will rouse that yeast so that I might dispense it
into the glass, at which time the brew attains a cloudy appearance and forms
a thick creamy head. The nose is light and pasty; the palate is
cracker-like, bready, crisp with wheat character, smooth and refreshing.
Try it with a fresh-baked soft pretzel slathered with powerful horseradish
mustard.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft