[A Beer a Day] Oberon Wheat Ale | Bell's Brewing | Kalamazoo, MI

The King of Fairies is an attention whore

Oberon is the King of Fairies from William Shakespeare's play, A Midsummer Night's Dream -- and while that has absolutely no bearing on the actual flavor of this brew, "Oberon" was a far better sounding name than Schmitts Gay.

If you gotta big thirst, and you're gay ...

Anyway.  This beer is basically the first signs of a Michigan Christmas -- and no, it has nothing to do with snow, lake-effect, shovels, snowsuits, Santa, jumper cables, Canadian tuxes to holiday parties, wincing at Southerly Facebook friends status updates, or singing to Bob Seeger's Christmas album.

In fact, it has to do with exactly the opposite of all those things, because the annual Oberon release happens in the first germination of Spring -- and thus, Michiganders anticipate this beer as a sign of a reprieve from indoor Euchre marathons and RoboCop quote-offs -- much like normal people would anticipate our version of Christmas.  Its the beer that launches a thousand-gun salute in Detroit and UP-ers to drop their Faygo in solemn praise.  In other words, its kind of a big fucking deal.

Oberon is a classic American Wheat, and by all standards and measures, should be THE quintessential American beer, if not for those rice-and-other-cheap-fillers sonsa-bitches brewing over at MillerCoors and InBev.  When a person reflects on the summer of '82, it should be with a vague recollection of drinking massive amounts of Oberon while whistling Dixie out of their ass.  Craft beer like Oberon will make American Craft respectable again, and this should be one of the first installments in Her large cache.

Regretfully, it is not "imported" into Texas (although its shipped to Arizona -- the fuck? Fucking Midwest snowbirds, that's why).  So, in hopes of freeing up valuable cargo space on future trips to Michigan with loads of Oberon, hows about you winter-blasted, pasty Fairy Kings move down to the Great State, if only for a few months during the spring?  Kthx.

ABV: 5.8%
Acquired: Didi's Liquor Store, Niles, OH
★★★★★★★★★★