Whippet Wheat

A collaboration between Toronto’s Black Lab Brewing and the Society of Beer Drinking Ladies, Whippet Wheat is, appropriately, a hybrid. Specifically, it’s a hopfenweisse—a hefeweizen hopped like an IPA. In this case, the beer is a 5.5% job that has, according to the website, been double dry hopped with Azacca. Along the way, a touch of oat was also added. The result is a cloudy beer—dull yellow-gold, with a bright white head, and not a lot of sediment for a wheat beer.

Whippet Wheat has a sharp, yeasty pong, with more than a suggestion of fruity elements, particularly pineapple. While the scent suggested a hefe-dominant combo, the flavour flipped the script with a fractious hop profile leading the way, and yeasty, mellow wheat beer notes in a beta role. Again, pineapple was prominent, building to a gritty bitter finish.

On a toasty July evening, this beer left me refreshed and chilled out. The tawdry relationship between IPA and hefe was carried off admirably, resulting in a hybrid that marries significant IBUs with a smooth, wheaty mouthfeel.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.