TY Harbor Wheat Ale is a 4.5% wheat ale from TY Harbor Brewery, based in Tokyo, Japan. It’s part of their all-year round range and can be found in both bottles and on tap. It’s brewed to a traditional Belgian style white ale recipe. Yes, this is the draft version review of a bottled beer but for some reason, I’ve yet to come across this beer in bottles!
TY Harbor Wheat Ale Aroma and Taste
TY Harbor Wheat Ale came up a very hazy dull golden yellow colour with a plump white head on top that clung to the side of the glass throughout drinking. There was a distinct banana, wheaty nose to the beer, and some hints of creamy oats came through too. The yeast brought a subtle funk to the aroma but stayed solidly in the background throughout drinking.
The body had a crisp, wheat bite to it, that was punctuated by some banana and cloves to it. It didn’t have the body of a Belgian wheat though – it seemed to be more of a hefeweizen than anything else. The light body I had expected was actually much heavier than I thought – a shame as I was hoping for something crushable on a hot summer day’s. It ticked all the right boxes for a hefeweizen – yet it’s not technically a hefeweizen. The lingering banana and clove flavours kept reminding me but after a pint and some long walking, I forgot about TY Harbor Wheat Ale was a wheat ale.
TY Harbor Wheat Ale The Bottom Line
As a wheat ale, TY Harbor Wheat Ale isn’t very good. As a hefeweizen, it’s a decent representation.
Where to Buy TY Harbor Wheat Ale
TY Harbor Wheat Ale can be bought online at the following places
2 comments
Recalling what Chuwy {What has become of him?} scribed way back then, the impression I got of TY Harbor was, it was a venue where you paid for the view. The beer was secondary. I’m sure Japanese executives on expense accounts enjoyed bringing their (prospective?) clients there, but it was not on the roster of venues I needed to hit. Can you scribe it is worth my effort to hit the next time I visit Tokyo?
Check out the bottom line in the article – that gives a quick summary if we think you should go or not.