Up North and Down in the Dumps: A Review of Majestic Wheat Ale from North Peak Brewing Co

I'm sure that in every American state there is banal terminology to indicate one's proximity to another spot on the map. In Michigan everything not Detroit is basically Up North or Down South and other permutations of western seeking ambition. Well, this stub-nosed beer is made Up North. Through some familial alliance between Jolly Pumpkin, Grizzly Peak and God knows who else it has made it's way Down South to the Detroit area.

At first sip I was not overly impressed. The second sip through to the last gaping gulp left me just as underwhelmed. That's not to pigeon-hole the entire brewery on the basis of one beer but at this juncture I have a feeling about these guys. That feeling is that they are trying to be craft brewers but on a minimal scale. Obviously it's intentional because the beer has all the qualities of a finely crafted wheat beer but at the bare minimum. Something akin to a northern version of Shiners Brewery.

This is a thin wheat with little of the sweet estery fruits of some of the standards in the movement. There is also a dry hop tinge to the back-end of the drink that doesn't really settle right with me especially for a wheatie. It's not bad and it's not great and I suppose that might be good enough for you Up North folks but for this Detroit-born numb skull it only makes my medula oblongata that much more mushy. The squat little bottles though will afford it another try at a future time.

5.50% ABV

-Wörtwurst