Demand a Better World
I was in Lincoln over the weekend and visited several of the regular haunts. Luckily for me, and you, the dear reader, one of those haunts is Lazlo's Brewpub. While there I had their seasonal IPA, which was pretty good, definitely worth getting a pint. As I sat there waiting for the food to arrive I was looking around at the waitresses wearing their Lazlo's/Empyrean gear and I noticed a pretty cool shirt that said "Demand a Better World". On the back was basically a beer label for one of Empyrean's beers, Better World Wheat. I had decided that I was probably going to get me a beer shirt from Lazlo's this trip since I don't already have one. Watching the waitress walk around with that shirt on (infer what you will) really made me want that t-shirt. But, I can't possibly wear an advertisement without actually believing in the product, so I had to get a Better World Wheat.
Not knowing anything about the beer, I expected a cheap Boulevard Wheat knockoff. The Better World was definitely not that, it truly was a better beer. It had a much fuller flavor, from start to finish, than Boulevard Wheat has. I'm dodging lightning bolts here, but, I like Better World Wheat better than Boulevard Wheat.
When we got back to civilization (ie. Kansas), I looked up the Better World Wheat on RateBeer and it was not that highly rated. But, that rating was skewed by a couple of tools who had their sample at a Nebraska beer festival. Either that batch of beer was tainted or those guys just switched from Budweiser.
I shouldn't compare the Better World Wheat to Boulevard Wheat because Better World is a witbier and Boulevard Wheat is a American Pale Wheat Ale. Witbiers tend to be a little more citrusy, Hoegaarden is the most well known of the style. I'm drinking a St. Bernadus Wit right now (at the Flying Saucer) that is ranked higher on RateBeer and Beer Advocate, but I would say that Better World Wheat is a better beer than St. Bernadus Wit. I guarantee that it's a better buy than any St. Bernadus beer. So next time you're in Lincoln, pick up a sixer of the Better World Wheat and pick up a sixer for me. You'll thank me when you drink it.
