Dogwood Summer Brew
Review Date 5/26/2003
Try?
Re-buy?
Summer is here
in the South, and that means it’s hot. Really hot. Capitol H, Capitol O,
Capitol T hot. One of my preferred methods of cooling down is with a
delicious bottle of Dogwood Summer Brew. As the brewery puts it,
Dogwood Summer Brew is a Belgian-style white beer and is perfect for hot
Southern summers. There’s just nothing like a cool bottle of this wonderful
ale on a warm night while enjoying the occasional cool breeze, or on a hot
day at your favorite family gathering.
Once again, Dogwood has amazed me with the absolutely fantastic job it does with whatever style of beer it brews, this time a Belgian Wit. Wit means white, and refers to the cloudy whitish hue that wheat can impart to beer. For the same reason the Germans refer to their wheat beers as weiss, or white, beer. There is, however, a substantial difference between the two countries’ interpretations of wheat beer.
German Weissbier is made from water, barley malt, wheat, hops and yeast. That’s it. The Germans are sticklers about what goes into their beer, and they have a nearly 500-year-old law to prove it. The Belgians, by contrast, absolutely love to fiddle with their brews and toss all sorts of things into them. Wit is no exception, and it is usually spiced with dried Curacao orange peel and coriander. The results are a spectacularly quenching and flavorful brew.
Dogwood Summer Brew ranks among the best Wits I have ever tasted. It’s a fine successor to Texas Celis White as a southern brewed, Belgian-styled wheat. Even the label is refreshing, with its bright green border surrounding the company logo against a background of a light gold Dogwood tree and a crest of barley and hops. On top, a gently smiling sun looks at you approvingly with a gentle smile as if to say you’ve made the right choice with this brew.
In addition to the above mentioned spices, Dogwood Summer Brew is made with Belgian yeast, Mt. Hood hops, and barley malt, malted wheat, flaked wheat and oats. It has won the following awards:
Silver Medal : 1997 World Beer Championships.
A Top Ten Microbrew in Atlanta, Atlanta Journal-Constitution 1999.
Best Wheat Beer of the South, US Beer Tasting Championships 2001
At the present time, availability is limited to Georgia.
Dogwood Summer Brew pours to an orange-white color with a light and fizzy head formation and a nose that suggests fresh blueberries. The palate is slightly citric, refreshingly so from the orange peel, and hints strongly at coriander. The body is firm with an underlying foundation of light biscuity malt and cracker-like wheat. The finish is tart and slightly peppery. A very quenching and refreshing brew.
A sheer delight with a crisp, cool garden salad. I love salads, especially in the warm weather, and the delicate fruity-spicy character of this style lends it perfectly to a match with spring vegetables. I enjoyed it with a raspberry vinegraite and this was heaven with a wit.
Once again, Dogwood has amazed me with the absolutely fantastic job it does with whatever style of beer it brews, this time a Belgian Wit. Wit means white, and refers to the cloudy whitish hue that wheat can impart to beer. For the same reason the Germans refer to their wheat beers as weiss, or white, beer. There is, however, a substantial difference between the two countries’ interpretations of wheat beer.
German Weissbier is made from water, barley malt, wheat, hops and yeast. That’s it. The Germans are sticklers about what goes into their beer, and they have a nearly 500-year-old law to prove it. The Belgians, by contrast, absolutely love to fiddle with their brews and toss all sorts of things into them. Wit is no exception, and it is usually spiced with dried Curacao orange peel and coriander. The results are a spectacularly quenching and flavorful brew.
Dogwood Summer Brew ranks among the best Wits I have ever tasted. It’s a fine successor to Texas Celis White as a southern brewed, Belgian-styled wheat. Even the label is refreshing, with its bright green border surrounding the company logo against a background of a light gold Dogwood tree and a crest of barley and hops. On top, a gently smiling sun looks at you approvingly with a gentle smile as if to say you’ve made the right choice with this brew.
In addition to the above mentioned spices, Dogwood Summer Brew is made with Belgian yeast, Mt. Hood hops, and barley malt, malted wheat, flaked wheat and oats. It has won the following awards:
Silver Medal : 1997 World Beer Championships.
A Top Ten Microbrew in Atlanta, Atlanta Journal-Constitution 1999.
Best Wheat Beer of the South, US Beer Tasting Championships 2001
At the present time, availability is limited to Georgia.
Dogwood Summer Brew pours to an orange-white color with a light and fizzy head formation and a nose that suggests fresh blueberries. The palate is slightly citric, refreshingly so from the orange peel, and hints strongly at coriander. The body is firm with an underlying foundation of light biscuity malt and cracker-like wheat. The finish is tart and slightly peppery. A very quenching and refreshing brew.
A sheer delight with a crisp, cool garden salad. I love salads, especially in the warm weather, and the delicate fruity-spicy character of this style lends it perfectly to a match with spring vegetables. I enjoyed it with a raspberry vinegraite and this was heaven with a wit.
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
