Tommyknocker Jack Whacker Wheat Ale

 Tommyknocker brewery was a stand out at the Mississippi Coast Beerfest. I took a special note of their various tastings there and was excited to review them formally. Unfortunately I have not been able to find their craft offerings in Tennessee, so on a recent trip to Alabama we found the Jack Whacker. I have to say I love the name, reminds me of what an old mountain man would use as a derogatory comment to someone he was displeased with. I also must confess this unfiltered wheat ale initially is a refreshing enjoyable brew. The light fluffy head left a nice lacing as it went down the glass. My initial taste was nice with the lemon grass backdrop, but as I drank I tired of this strong lemon flavor. Earthy flavors follow the lemon that seemed to rest on the back of my tongue. I felt overpowered by these flavors and lost the other nuances that I might have otherwise discovered. Do not quickly dismiss this beer though, for if your habit is to add citrus to your wheat ales it is already there for you. Maybe I'm being a little critical but that's why I'm called a critic!
Matt gives this well named brew 2.5 out of 5

I have to agree with Matt about the initial burst of refreshment when you first start drinking this ale. It is as witbiers should be, unfiltered. There is a strong, sweet scent to the nose as well as a sweet note to the backside of each swallow. I wonder if the yeast weren't inhibited to keep them from devouring all the sugars in this brew. This is only conjecture, but I could see the brewers coming to this decision to counter the natural bitterness of the wheat and the added intense bitter of the lemon grass. I am not generally for or against adding to a beer to achieve a certain flavor as I see this as the artistic expression of the brewer. I do however admire the skill level of brewers who manage to achieve these flavors through skillful manipulation of the yeast rather than resorting to additives. I personally found this beer to be refreshing and enjoyable during my consumption of it. My good friend Matt is not overly fond of sweet beers and if you feel similarly, this is not a brew for you. As the brew warmed I denoted an almost candied tone to the nose and as I continually swirled the yeast laden remnants in my glass, detected faint phenolic nuances. if you pick up a skunky wet-grass tone in hefeweizens, again this beer may not be for you, but as far as that goes, your nose would have to be well trained to detect those faint signatures.Overall I enjoyed it and see this brew as a good way to get beer newbs to branch out in their taste. I will definitely drink this again.
-Zech gives the Jack Whacker 3.5 out of 5-