STEVENS POINT, Wisconsin – Wheat beers are traditionally summer thirst-quenchers and there’s a new one to savor this year: Beach Pilot Strawberry Wheat Ale from Stevens Point Brewery.
Available wherever Point’s handcrafted beers are sold starting in May, Beach Pilot Strawberry Wheat Ale is both a sweetly tart and fruity wheat beer just right for summertime activities like a day at the beach.
“Beach Pilot is our take on a classic summer-beer combination, wheat brewed with fruit,” said Julie Birrenkott, Point Marketing Director.
“Strawberry is one of the most popular fruits paired with wheat beers, so we took this opportunity to brew a refreshing new summer seasonal.”
Beach Pilot is a lighter, warm-weather counterpart to Point Snow Pilot Pistachio Nut Brown Ale, a well-received winter seasonal introduced just last November, according to Birrenkott. Snow Pilot’s fun packaging graphics featuring a squirrel on snow skis inspired Beach Pilot’s whimsical persona, a moose on a surfboard. The new summer brew is sold in kegs, 6-packs of 12-ounce cans and longneck bottles, 12-packs of 12-ounce cans, and 4-packs of 16-ounce cans.
Beach Pilot is an American-style top-fermented wheat beer brewed with 50 percent white wheat malt, 50 percent two-row barley malt, and Centennial hops from the Pacific Northwest, widely used across America as both a bittering hop and aroma hop in many styles of ale.
Brewmaster Gabe Hopkins added, “With a low hop rate, Beach Pilot is definitely on the sweeter side. It’s a refreshing liquid companion for lighter summer fare like salads or grilled chicken.”
Like many wheat beers, Beach Pilot is unfiltered so it displays an appealing hazy golden color. “Not filtering the beer adds crisp notes to its wheat character,”
Hopkins explained.
“In keeping with the American style of top-fermented wheat beers, Beach Pilot is very clean with none of the clove-like or banana characteristics typical of Bavarian-style German wheat beers.”
Founded by German-born brewers in 1857, Point Brewery uses only the highest-grade barley malts, specialty malts, grains and choicest hops to brew its handcrafted beers.
In addition to Beach Pilot, Point offers spring seasonal Point Coast Radler, a mix of beer and natural citrus flavors; Point Bock, a genuine Bavarian-style bock beer brewed the old-time way; Point Oktoberfest, a Bavarian-style Märzen beer for the fall; and Snow Pilot Pistachio Nut Brown Ale for the winter.
In addition to new Beach Pilot Strawberry Wheat Ale, this summer’s variety pack will include bottles of Drop Dead Blonde Ale, Point Amber and SPA Session Pale Ale.
Point’s year-round offerings are Point Special Lager, a classic American lager; SPA Session Pale Ale, an American-style pale ale; Onyx Black Ale, a robust dark ale; New Milkshake Malt Porter, a sweet, robust porter; Drop Dead Blonde Ale, a golden ale; Point Amber Classic, an American-style amber lager; and Beyond the Pale IPA.