People in Vermont love them some Long Trail. The Bridgewater Corners, VT brewery makes a host of different beers, and the Blackbeary Wheat is one of their four year-round offerings. The labels are a little childish for my taste, but it’s what’s inside the bottle that counts, isn’t it?

Blackbeary Wheat is toted as an American Wheat with 8 IBUs and 4.0% ABV. This tells me the beer is going to be super duper light all the way around. I am curious as to how the blackberry flavor will really make a difference. Claiming a trace back to Belgian Lambic roots, Long Trail seems to be making a statement about their beer that I hope they can back up…

Pours a very light golden straw color with a bubbly white head which diminishes to nothing in under a minute. From an arm’s length, this beer looks like a regular Adjunct Lager. The nose, however, boasts a subtle sweet berry aroma … a “hint” is a good description, I’ll agree. Otherwise I sensed no other specifics in the nose.

Taste, mouthfeel and the rest … very ordinary. It is light, well carbonated, and has that slight hint of berry to it. This is a beer for consumption.

What baffles me is the “Wheat” part of “Blackbeary Wheat”. Long Trail say this beer is brewed with Two-Row and Wheat malts. And Nugget hops. But really, folks, this is not a wheat beer. It bears none of the taste characteristics of a wheat beer. It doesn’t even look like a wheat beer. Now, wheat beers aren’t my favorite in the whole world, but my palate sure does know them. This is the first “wheat” beer that just … isn’t. Thankfully for the berry presence, we can classify this one as a Fruit Beer and call it a day.

If you’re in Vermont and are curious to try this beer, let me save you the trouble … it tastes like an Adjunct with a hint of berry. Try something else instead.

ABV: 4.0%

Grade: C