Home > Nude Beach Summer Wheat brewed by Stevens Point Brewery - Wisconsin
Nude Beach Summer Wheat brewed by Stevens Point Brewery - Wisconsin
Nude Beach Summer Wheat brewed by Stevens Point Brewery - Stevens Point, WI
Point Nude Beach
Summer Wheat is the perfect summer pleasure. Available only during the warm
months of summer, this lively and unfiltered wheat ale is well balanced
using “au naturel” raw and red wheat, then delicately finished with Yakima
hops. With a refreshing light flavor, Point Nude Beach is perfect while
enjoying summer activities or just hanging out with friends. Clothing
optional. Malts:2-row, 6-row, Crystal, Vienna, Red Wheat, White Raw Wheat.
Hops: Mt. Hood. Alcohol: 5.17% by volume.
Beer Review by Beer Advocate:
Appearance: Pours a hazy yellow-orange with 2 fingers of off-white head. Good
retention and lace, vigorous carbonation.
Aroma: Sweet wheat aromas with little banana and pepper.
Taste: Sweet wheat flavors with a bit of minerals up front, yielding slowly to
light banana and pepper. A little hay in the middle. Simple yet tasty. About
half way through the glass, the pepper seems to change into more of a lemon
flavor.
Mouthfeel: Quite light with a foamy creaminess.
Overall: This beer says that summer is here, and I have to agree. Nothing
outstanding, but not a single flaw. Haven't had anything from Point in quite a
while and now I'm eager to visit a few of their other offerings again. Good
stuff, enjoy it while it's here.
Steven Point Brewery History
The company was founded in 1857 by George Ruder and Frank Wahle. In 1864, the
company provided its beer to the troops during the Civil War. The brewery was
subsequently sold to Andrew and Jacob Lutz in 1867. The Lutz family continued
operations until it was sold to Gustav Kuenzel in 1897. The company was then
organized as the Gustav Kuenzel Brewing Company in 1901. The following year, it
was renamed the Stevens Point Brewing Company. Ludwig Korfman purchased a
controlling interest in the company in 1924 and reorganized the company as the
Stevens Point Beverage Company. The company faced local competition from the
mid-1860s through the Prohibition era of the 1920s, when the remaining
competition went out of business.
During the 1950s, the brewery began using cans
in production. In 1973, Point Special brand beer was rated the top American beer
in a taste test as reported by Mike Royko, a prominent columnist for the Chicago
Daily News. By the 1970s the company was owned by Felix and Ken Shibilski. In
1990, the company first began selling its product outside Wisconsin, in
Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Minnesota. In 1992, the Shibilskis sold the
company to Chicago-based Barton Beers Ltd. The new ownership was unique for
Barton in that Point beer was its only domestic product line, with all of its
other offerings being imports. The company planned to tie sales to its Mexican
brand, Corona, but when that brand's sales exploded, the Point brand became a
distraction. In 2002, the company was sold back to Wisconsin ownership by
Milwaukee-based real estate developers Joe Martino and Jim Wiechmann. That same
year, the company introduced gourmet sodas to its beverage list. In 2003, Point
Special won the gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival in the premium
lager category. That same year, the company bought the Augsburger brand from
Stroh Brewery Company. In 2005, the company bought four beer brands from the
James Page Brewing Company. In 2007, the company was listed in the top fifty
craft brewers list by the Brewers Association.
