This is one of those where I’m in a minority. People on beeradvocate RAVED over this stuff – it’s got an A- average rating, which is huge. Me, I’m not so big on it. So remember, this is in no way a commentary on the beer or the brewing or the brewery so much as it’s a commentary on my tastes and my experience with this beer. Also remember: my taste isn’t *better* than yours. It’s just potentially different.
Basic Info:
Name: Harvest Dance
Origin: Boulevard Brewing Co., Kansas City, MO
Style: Wheat Wine (I’ve also seen it described as a wheat barleywine)
ABV: 9.1%
IBU: the Boulevard site isn’t letting me through (I’m over 21, swearsies!), so I don’t know. I’ll update once it lets me in.
I drank this: on tap at Old Chicago, Olathe
This beer is a really pretty, bright golden color with a creamy white head. Looking at it, I would have guessed it was a Belgian Golden Ale – it has that sort of rich brightness to the color.
It smells like root beer-flavored bubblegum. And bananas. Maybe even a banana split featuring root beer ice cream. As I hate root beer and I tend only to like bananas in whole fruit form, this should serve as part of the explanation as to why I’m so *not* into this particular beer.
Moreover, it tastes like banana Now&Laters. Seriously.
For those of you unfamiliar with that particular candy, it’s like banana-wheat-yeast-hint of clove with a super-creamy mouthfeel and a slight bit of hops if it’s held in the mouth for a second or two. There’s no noticeable alcohol burn at all, which is impressive for a beer of this caliber (though I suspect the alcohol level explains how sweet this beer is – I make the candy comparison on purpose). Total lack of alcohol burn aside, it’s recognizable as a barleywine for those who know the style well. A banana Now&Later-flavored wheat barleywine.
The aftertaste is long and lingering. And root beer. Again, another thing that makes me go BLRG, but which other people would understandably like.
The best I can say is that it’s really interesting and that I’m glad I got to taste it, no matter how far it falls outside the realm of flavors I like. At the same time, NEVER AGAIN. At least, not for me.
For the banana root beer lovers out there, this means more for you. And y’all should try it, because you’d probably really like it.
