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Wheat beers can be a tough sell, if I’m the one buying.

Wheat beers tend to be lighter fare. When well done, they make refreshing, low-alcohol session beers that go well with summer foods, playing outdoors, stuff like that.

When not done well, they tend to be way too thin for my taste. A stout or porter that fails to meet my expectations is  probably still drinkable; a wheat beer that flunks my personal taste test sometimes gets flung down the sink.

I do not like thin beer.

Now and then, though, I come across a really nice wheat beer. The latest is Agave Wheat from Breckenridge Brewery. This is a delicious, light, malty brew with enough body to satisfy me.

It pours golden, a bit cloudy as it is unfiltered. I got a decent head on it that vanished quickly — but that’s OK, because so did the beer.

Now, don’t ask me if Breckenridge captured the essence of agave. I couldn’t tell you. I don’t think I’ve ever had agave bits or agave nectar or anything cooked with it, so I have no idea what this cactus-yucca cousin is supposed to taste like. I can tell you that it lends a hint of sweetness and snap to Breckenridge’s brew — enough to interest, but not so much as to overwhelm the light wheat malts. I’ve had cherry wheats and berry wheats that tasted as though someone dumped a keg of juice into the bottle, but Breckenridge did not commit this sin.

Agave Wheat is not real hoppy, but there is Fuggle and Cascade and Willamette in there, enough to add to the mix.

This beer pushed Breckenridge up another notch in my estimation, and I’m eagerly awaiting a nice hot summer day accompanied by a bucket full of ice and Agave Wheats.

Agave Wheat is 4.2 percent alcohol by volume and registers only 9 International Bitterness Units, making it a seriously session-worthy beer. I think it would be awesome with just about any summer fare you can cook up.

– Steve

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