Review: Schlafly No. 15 Ale

---

•     Appearance:  B     •     Aroma:  A-     •     Taste:  A     •

Overall:  A-

---

Schlafly first introduced its No. 15 Ale in celebration of its 15th anniversary in 2006.  Fortunately, they have kept this beer in production ever since.  I think this may be the best beer brewed in St. Louis right now.

I try to introduce everyone I can to this brew, so this seems to be a great opportunity to broaden that endorsement.  So whats so great?  Its a really nice and complex session beer.  This beer seems to be brewed in the dunkel weiss, or dark wheat style although it does not advertise itself as such.

It is a little lighter than most dark wheat beers with a hazy amber appearance thanks to its unfiltered yeast.  That yeast gives this beer with a lot of character that shows up in the nose as well as in the flavor.  There are distinct fruity notes, more plumb-like than citrus, some banana and hints of clove and other spice.  This is a very, very tasty brew with just enough hops to balance the sweet wheat flavors and add some spice to the finish.

I highly recommend giving this beer a try when you can find it.  Luckily the supermarkets in the St. Louis area seem to keep it on hand for most of the year.  Schlafly has also upgraded their capacity by several thousand barrels this fall, so look for their distribution to grow!

Stay tuned, I'm going to take a shot at cloning this beer at home over the Christmas break.
Cheers,

-D