Door County, WI is best known for its fantastic views, minimal commercialization and most of all, it’s cherries. I’ve visited the area several times over the years, mostly camping in one of my favorites spots in the state, Peninsula State Park. I’m very fond of the area. So when I saw Hinterland’s Door County Cherry Wheat, there was simply no way I was going to pass it up. I haven’t tried much from Hinterland Brewing in the past, but they are based in Green Bay, WI, which is a short drive from Door County. So it makes sense that they’d use local fruit in one of their beers.
Going against the DC Cherry Wheat, I’ve got a Bell’s Oberon. No need to elaborate on this beer, everyone knows and most love it. So Hinterland has its work cut out for itself in this one.
HopDuel Survey
| Better label | Bell’s Oberon |
| Better aroma | Bell’s Oberon |
| Better taste | Bell’s Oberon |
| Better finish | Hinterland Door County Cherry Wheat |
| Winner | Bell’s Oberon |
Tell us about it
Oberon is such a great summer beer, lightly hopped, with bright, fruity aromas, easy to drink and refreshing. Since it’s almost June and the weather hasn’t warmed up yet in Wisconsin, the Oberon was doing it’s best to give me a glimpse of things to come. As for the Hinterland Door County Cherry Wheat, I enjoyed the beer but found it surprising there was minimal cherry aroma on the nose. In my humble opinion, if you’re going cherry, go full-on cherry, and make me feel it from the aroma through the finish. A pleasant, sweet finish was the one place the cherry flavor stood out. It’s also possible that the aroma reminded me a little too much of cherry-flavored cough syrup to appreciate it. I wouldn’t avoid this beer if it was jumping out at you on a menu, but also wouldn’t go too crazy seeking it out.
HopDuel 