The best home brew I have ever tasted

A couple of night ago, my friend Eric and his wife came over. They brought a four pack of the excellent Urban Chestnut Schnickelfritz Hefeweizen, and a large bottle of what appeared to be a Schlafly Holiday Ale. I thought this latter beer an unusual choice for a warm July evening, but Eric later explained to me that it was a home brewed hefeweizen. Clearly, this was a much more suitable beer for this time of year, but when I think of home brew, I think of cloudy, flat, slightly skunked liquid, or worse, the 'beer' I brewed a few years ago.

Luckily, my friend Eric appears to be a smart guy who has much more patience than me. He also lives next door to the head brewer at one of St. Louis's premier craft breweries, and it is with this fine gentleman that he "home" brews.

The beer poured a reddish amber color with a generous frothy white head. It was just slightly hazy as is to be expected with a bottle conditioned hefe. It had a distinct citrus hop aroma reminiscent of Troeg's Nugget Nectar. The first taste revealed a champagne mouth feel that was to be expected from the frothy head. This beer clearly had been brewed with patience: not only was it well carbonated, but there was a depth of flavor and balance between the hops and wheat. The hops did not overpower the wheat body, and there was a pleasantly tangy finish. There was plenty of fruit flavors: apricot and perhaps tangerine. The depth of flavors here was perhaps a testament to the quality of ingredients. I guessed 5ish ABV, and 30 ish IBUs.

This was an exceptional home brew and has made me think twice differently about home brewed beers, particularly those made by Eric and his friend.

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