CURTIS HENRY
Sports Editor
As I will always introduce this column, it’s important to note that I’m not a beer connoisseur. I’m not a food critic. I probably shouldn’t even write in Life & Arts. But here I am: a college student reviewing beer for fellow college students. I’m just doing The Lord’s work.
I’m not a picky eater by any stretch of the imagination. I eat just about anything and everything; my stomach is just a pit to rake in the goodness in this world referred to as food.
However, there are a select few things in this world that I cannot stand eating. Among my brief list of untouchable food items are blueberries.
Blueberries are awful. They have a weird texture and have never sat well with me. Quite frankly, they repulse me. I don’t know. I’m weird; it’s fine.
One positive can be taken from blueberries, however. That positive is the simple fact that they provide me with yet another appreciation for beer. EBC’s Blueberry Wheat is hard evidence that beer can make the best out of anything in the world — even something as grotesque as blueberries. Yes, beer is something that contains powers beyond the knowledge and understanding of humans. It’s a beautiful phenomenon.
EBC’s own brand definition of the beer tells you about all you need to know: “refreshing, light, golden wheat beer brewed with blueberries.” Those eight words should be all that is needed to convince you to down one of these the next time you’re out. It really isn’t a complex brew by any stretch of the imagination, it is just a damn good one.
The blueberry wheat on tap offers an international bitterness unit score (IBU) of 11. It’s a noticeably lighter beer with a sweet taste to it, courtesy of the beer’s infusion of blueberries. It gives blueberries a rise to their truest potential in food and drink’s finest form: alcohol.
On the opposite end of the spectrum from EBC’s stronger IPAs in both taste and alcohol content, the Blueberry Wheat clocks in at about 4.2 percent alcohol by volume (ABV). It isn’t going to knock you out after a couple glasses, but it’s more than good enough to make you wanna down the entire six pack.
It is no secret that the Blueberry Wheat is EBC’s best-seller on tap. It’s also sold in bottles in select markets around Western New York. Available year-round, this gem of a brew is appealing at all times and social settings. Whether you’re out to get a good buzz going with the squad on a Saturday night or trying to blackout at three a.m. because Marvin’s Room came on shuffle and you’re missing your ex, this is the right call. Any time, any place.
If you haven’t had one of these by now, then do you really even drink beer?
Rating: 4.5/5.0
Verdict: This is definitely a go-to brew