Hey everyone, welcome back to yet another weekly CSU-Pueblo beer review. My name’s Eric, I drink beer, and this week I’m going to learn you about a Mexican plant.

The agave… tall, tragic plant of the desert! Beginning life small as a fern, over the course of their 25 year life span a tall flower stalk rises from the center to spread its seeds. With release, its purpose fulfilled, the plant dies, like something out of a Shakespeare poem.

The juices of this plant, when fermented, are the main ingredients of tequila. The story goes that during the Spanish Conquest of the New World, when the Spaniards ran out of their own imported brandy, they began to ferment the agave as a replacement, creating a spirit called mezcal. Mezcal remained popular until refined techniques, developed in the 19^th century, created tequila, which has been dubbed North America’s first distilled spirit.

Interesting, yes? The complete history of tequila and the agave plant can be found at http://www.ianchadwick.com/tequila/history.htm

As for what this has to do with beer, well, I’m getting to that. This week’s beer is Agave Wheat, brought to you by the folks at Breckenridge Brewery’s. Not your typical wheat beer, I picked this one up at the liquor store because it had a sombrero wearing skull on the label. What can I say? I’m a simple man…

When poured into your pint glass, Agave Wheat has the familiar murky look of most wheat beers. Its like a golden, watered down glass of orange juice. The head is creamy and thin, and laces around the glass throughout drinking.

Its scent is appealing; with hints of lime mixed in with the grainy smell of wheat. The agave mixed in leaves a subtle, syrupy smell, giving this wheat beer a unique fragrance.

A complex flavor includes toasted wheat and tangy citrus, with the sweetness of the agave balancing out the flavors nicely. The aftertaste is refreshing, slightly syrupy, and doesn’t overpower in the slightest.

Though a bit too sweet and thick for a hot afternoon, this is a good beer for those cool summer evenings when you’re barbecuing or lounging around in the pool. It’s the standard $7.99 a six pack they charge for local breweries, so it’s fairly expensive, but it’s unique flavor makes it highly recommended for anyone who enjoys a good wheat beer.

Agave Wheat gets a 4 out of 5.