Windjammer Wheat

Thimble Island Windjammer Wheat
Plastic sample cup, 4.8% ABV
Sampled at the brewery, Branford

It’s the summer and that means it’s time for the annual roll-out of wheat beers. This is a wholly unexciting thing for me, but I do appreciate easy-drinking low-alcohol summer beers. Hell, they don’t even have to super flavorful to be good. A lime is a wondrous fruit.

But it’s not like I’m going to go out of my way to go find and drink the latest wheat offering – from even the best breweries. The discernible difference between a good wheat beer and a great wheat beer is nearly nonexistent.

I happened to find myself on I-95 in Branford on a recent Sunday afternoon, so I made a quick detour off the highway to get some gas. Oh, and some of the new Thimble Island offerings.

I’ve always liked Thimble Island, and I had 20 minutes and I needed gas and… oh who am I kidding? This was part of my plan on my way to an event in Guilford all along.

It’s nice that almost all of Connecticut’s breweries are close to highways. The new OEC in Oxford certainly isn’t and the “opening soon” Kent Falls Brewery in Kent sure won’t be, but other than that… most are easily accessed.

Thimble Island Says:

Nothing I can find

I forget what the dude pouring for me said about the Windjammer Wheat. But whatever, it’s a wheat beer. This was well-made and light and refreshing. It was good. Quite good, in fact. But that’s all relative when we’re talking wheat beers.

A windjammer is a type of sailing ship from back in the day. These were the monstrous bad boys with steel hulls and 3 to 5 giant masts. The kings of the sea before we figured out wind power just wasn’t cutting it anymore.

There’s a whole thing about where the phrase “windjammer” came from and how “jam” is etymologically a German and/or Dutch word meaning “to wail.” And since these giant ships with their giant sails “wailed” in the wind, it made sense.

Except it was made up. “Windjammer” is of English derivation and it was named that simply because the giant sails “jammed” the wind. (By the way, in Vietnamese to “cjum” which sounds close to “jam” and which I’ve spelled terribly wrong, means to “dip” like you would “cjum” your Cha giò in your nuoc mam. I’ve always liked the sound of that word.)

I’m rambling. Even more than I usually do.

Thimble Island is a good brewery that makes a great coffee stout and a decent DIPA (among other stellar offerings.) If you’re into wheat beer, this is a good one.

And you’re weird.

Overall Rating: C+
Rating vs. Similar style: C+

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