Velvet Fog
Style: American Pale Wheat Ale
ABV: 4.5%
Presentation: 6 packs of 341 ml brown bottles
Brewery: Wild Rose Brewery
Country: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk
No my friends, this isn’t a write-up on jazz or Mel Torme, although something nearly as smooth. The thing is, back in 1998 Wild Rose brewed the first commercially available unfiltered wheat beer in Alberta, which in a glass would have appeared as some sort of “fog” to the masses of those uninitiated to such a thing. However with a malt bill of 50% wheat rounded out with the other 50% of barley, a smooth flavour and mouthfeel can be expected as well. Almost velvety smooth one could say. I’ll let you piece it all together. In the end what we have here is an accessible introduction to unfiltered wheat beers for those of you who were always curious, but were unsure where to start without getting too overwhelmed.
A tall fluted weizen glass would be ideal to serve this in, however a pint glass will work too. Expect a short spongy white head that will probably not linger long, while the beer itself is more hazy than cloudy and a bright golden hue. Regarding the aroma, it is not as intense as many wheat beers can be, offering some mild sweet wheat with light touches of bready malt. Some might even pick up faint notes of citrus, of lemon zest. Another point of note is that the mouthfeel is also a bit fuller than would be expected for this style, which is a nice touch, while some light carbonation is also effective in carrying a clean zippy texture. Bready malt up front in the flavour, mild grainy tart wheat on the finish, and the faintest of spice in the aftertaste, with hints of citrus zest at time.
Velvet Fog would pair surprisingly well with egg dishes, from omelettes to quiche, and is also an ideal partner for salads of almost any incarnation. Mild white fish is also an ideal match, along with sashimi if you don’t go too heavy on the soy sauce. This is also a refreshing wheat beer for sitting in the sun on the patio or balcony, although an accompanying wedge of lemon or orange, while a refreshing addition, is purely optional based on personal taste.
The next steps in the cooler:
From This Brewery:
WRaspberry Ale
Brown Ale
IPA (India Pale Ale)
WRed Wheat
SOB (Special Old Bitter)
In-Style:
Pyramid Hefe Weizen
Pyramid Crystal Wheat Ale
Okanagan Springs Hefeweizen
Tree Hefeweizen
Lateral Steps:
Konig Ludwig Weiss
Erdinger Weissbier
Hacker-Pschorr Hefe Weisse
Blanche De Chambly - Unibroue
For The Adventurous:
Impériale Weizen Grande Cuvée - Les Trois Mousquetaires
Schneider Aventinus
La Fin Du Monde - Unibroue