See what happens when you pour the brew from a 12 ounce American bottle into a pint glass from the Guiness brewery in Dublin? Look at that wasted space on top!

The contents of the glass are Wildflower Wheat from Wolaver's. For those not familiar, Wolaver's is a line of organic ales brought to you by Otter Creek Brewing of Vermont. I've enjoyed many of their offerings in the past (as I also generally appreciate brews from Otter Creek) so I looked forward to this one as well.

Wildflower Wheat as you can tell from the name and the photo is an unfiltered wheat ale. It is also brewed with a touch of wildflowers and honey.

Not surprisingly there is a flowery aroma as you bring the glass to you. As you might also suspect from the effervescent appearance of the beer in the glass there is a prickly sensation on the tip of your tongue as you first taste it. 

The first impression is a fruity sensation as you drink in the beer. Then as you hold the ale in your mouth you get the shot of honey taste loud and clear. It's not too sweet to be cloying, nor overwhelming, but there's no mistaking what you're tasting.

Then as you swallow the initial prickly sensation returns for a final bow. 

Overall this is a balanced and tasty brew. It is not for you if you do not like anything sweet or flowery in your beers. But again it is done in a way where the flavors balance out. Still it is not a beer where I would buy an entire six-pack or 12-pack of just this ale. It's fine though as a member of a variety pack and an interesting, different and refreshing offering.

I give Wolaver's Wildflower Wheat 6 mugs out of 10.

Hope the warm weather starts showing up with more regularity so we can dive into some summer brews.

Wolaver's is a line of organic brews that is owned by Otter Creek Brewing in Middlebury, Vermont. I've been a fan of Otter Creek's for a while. They have a nice show room/tasting room on the outskirts of Middlebury that we enjoyed visiting a few years back when we were visiting that very picturesque town. 

I walked out of there with an Otter Creek glass, a 12 pack of home brews from one of their contests, and a heavy duty canvas bag to carry the 12 pack as my wife and I decided to walk back to town from there. (In case you're wondering a friend had dropped us off at the brewery, but the weather was so nice we decided to hoof it back to town.)

So the other day, when I saw a 12 pack of Wolaver's at a local store I couldn't resist. And as usual for anything Otter Creek related I was not disappointed.

One of the offerings was an India Pale Ale from Wolaver's. And it had everything you would expect in an IPA. 

Citrus aroma - check. Hoppy flavor - check. A slightly prickly sensation on the tip of your tongue with the first taste - check. That slightly bitter spiciness giving way to a full bodied balanced taste sensation - it's in there. 

As an added bonus there was a sweetness detected as I let the IPA sit in my mouth for a few seconds literally drinking in the flavors. 

All in all a nice balanced flavorful IPA. Not too bitter, but complex enough to be interesting. Just what I would expect from Wolaver's and Otter Creek.

I give Wolaver's India Pale Ale 7 mugs out of 10. Anyone who likes IPA's will enjoy this brew. And it's certified organic so it must be better for you and the environment!