Okell's Maclir

When I saw this beer on the shelf at my local B&M I was intrigued. Two things caught my eye: 'Okell's' and 'wheat beer'. Not many UK breweries have a wheat beer amongst their staples, and Okell's are a brewery which I have very little knowledge of. Two good reasons to pick it up and try it. Not to mention the fact that it was only £1.09.

It pours a clear golden colour with a creamy white head which quickly dissipates to leave nothing more than a few bubbles on top. Citrus fruits dominate the aroma with not much malt coming through. Not a typical wheat beer aroma, for me. The taste is more of the same: decent citrus hoppiness up front followed by a dry and bitter finish with a hint of wheat.

As a wheat beer fanatic, I'm a little disappointed with this beer. The wheat doesn't seem to add anything to this beer and it's left me pining for the bottle of Erdinger I have in the fridge.

It raises an interesting question though: what do we think of when we hear the words 'wheat beer'? For me it's that fantastically fluffy, white head on top of a hazy, golden body in a tall, slender glass. I saw the label of this beer and expected a Bavarian hefeweizen. Instead I got an English golden ale.

Maybe this beer would be better billing itself as an 'English wheat beer'. 'Wheat beer' may be too broad a style, leading each of us to draw our own conclusions

about what we hope to be in the glass.

Maclir isn't a bad beer though. It's well made and really quite delicious, it just wasn't what I was expecting from the label and it left me a little disappointed, to be honest. I'd definitely try this beer again, especially at just over a pound for a pint.

Better go grab that bottle of Erdinger, I suppose.