Wheatland Spring Farm + Brewery “Reunion” Smoke-Kissed Lager

Name: Reunion
Brewer: Wheatland Spring Farm + Brewery (United States)
Style: Classic Style Smoked Beer (Base Style: Czech Amber Lager)
ABV: 5.7%
Review Year: 2021

Reunion is a “Smoke-Kissed Lager” brewed by Wheatland Spring Farm + Brewery in Virginia. This smoked lager features Pecan wood-smoked malt, Wheatland Spring water, lager yeast, Old World hops, and a diverse mix of Single-Origin Bavarian, Virginia, and North Carolina grains.

STYLE GUIDELINES

This beer is being evaluated as a Classic Style Smoked Beer (32A) with the Czech Amber Lager (3C) as the base style in the context of the 2015 Beer Style Guidelines of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). Since this beer was reviewed before 29 December 2021, the mentioned guidelines were used. The 2021 Beer Style Guidelines, which is the most current version, can now be found on the BJCP website.

TASTING NOTES

Clear medium amber with a medium-sized off-white head. On the nose: moderately-low grainy malt, a touch of smoked wood and some caramel. Light-medium-bodied; moderately high carbonation. Moderate malty sweetness is the best way to describe the main flavor. This was backed by accents of slightly smoked cedar wood, caramel, and nuts. Alcohol was also noted albeit very subtle alongside soft floral and spicy impressions. Both bitterness and sweetness were perceived at levels below moderate. Reunion concluded with softly smoked wood and a floral quality.

THE VERDICT

Reunion, which is a beer marketed as a “Smoked-Kissed Lager,” was benchmarked as a smoked Czech Amber Lager due mainly to its moderately malty sweet and caramelly malt backbone and spicy-floral accents. It is essentially a thirst-quenching lager that evoked the poignance of autumn, with accents of wood and smoke really adding to the charm. Overall, we think this beer was well-crafted and is something to enjoy in quantity during a picnic on a cozy autumn day. Excellent.

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