Tallgrass Halcyon Unfiltered Wheat

Hard to review this one in an unbiased way with Tallgrass Brewing being one of my favorites, and it being located in Manhattan, Kansas – home of my alma mater, Kansas State. Then again, you had to know that taste is a subjective thing – and you’re here to read my tastes and hope they match up to your own.

Sure, Tallgrass Brewing Company had a wheat beer when they first became a brewery back in 2007, and I could never figure out how they did it but every time I tasted it, all I could taste was bologna. Needless to say, when Halcyon came out, I was hesitant. I was only hesitant shortly, because woah! That’s the stuff. It’s been years since I first tried Halcyon, and now that I can’t get Tallgrass where I live, I miss it. It’s great for spring and summer days where you’re in need of refreshment but aren’t willing to grab a tasteless beer that’s almost just water anyway.

There are wonderful hints of citrus, including orange, apricot and lemon but they aren’t overpowering. It’s easy to pick these flavors out of the beer because they also define the color it is in your glass. It’s rare to find a beer that’s so nice to look at on a summer day. Because it is unfiltered there is a good bit of yeast taste and the wheat texture to it, but that only adds to the experience. The wheat and yeast also define the smell of the beer, though they are mixed with the citrus too and so won’t turn anyone away from down this one immediately. There isn’t a lot of hops bitterness coming out, but there doesn’t need to be in this fine, refreshing summer beer.

Halcyon, like all Tallgrass beers, is not available in bottles.

Rating: 93/100

Style: American Pale Wheat Ale