From the Beer Writer: I showed up at Amplified Ale Works’ new brewery-tasting room in Miramar the day after it opened. A hop, skip and a jump from my day-job, I was eager to see what sort of beers I’d have easier access to now that getting a hold of them wouldn’t require a trip out to the company’s original Pacific Beach location. As I perused the board, I was informed of a new offering that had been brewed specifically for the opening of the “Beeramar” space—Amplified Whammy Bar Wheat. I promptly added it to my taster-flight and made it the first of the quartet of samples I swigged. I didn’t expect to be blown away by a wheat beer as the beauty of such styles tends to be in their subtlety and balance. Whammy Bar had plenty of the latter plus nice assertiveness on the palate and a crisp finish. It tasted like, well, beer…and in this age of massive infusion and living outside the box, it was a welcomed change of pace. I thought it was really nice, but wondered if others would appreciate it. The following week, it won a gold medal at the World Beer Cup in the American-style Wheat Beer category. So, I guess that answered my question!
From the Brewers: “As an American wheat ale, Whammy Bar has a light, crisp flavor almost reminiscent of a lager, but the 40% wheat in the malt bill helps build in a nice body that provides a pleasant mouth-feel while still keeping the beer extremely drinkable. It’s the perfect beer for our brewpub patio. Having a larger, dedicated brewing facility outside of the brewpub has made our lives a lot easier. And the use of our newly installed reverse-osmosis system has really helped brewing styles like Whammy Bar Wheat, which call for a clean water-profile.”—Cy Henley, Head Brewer, Amplified Ale Works