I'm more than a little chagrined that I haven't written about Pyramid Haywire before. I've yet to have a Pyramid beer I didn't like, and this one is no exception, though I'll admit a certain prejudicial fondness for Hefeweizen. Pyramid's Haywire is a slightly cloudy lovely golden yellow in the glass, with a decent head. Slightly sweet "wheat" aroma, and a fabulous taste. A gentle 5.2% ABV, Haywire is made with 2 Row Pale Barley, Malted Wheat (60%) and Caramel malts, and Nugget, Liberty and Mt. Hood hops, it's incredibly subtle and very smooth. This is, by the way, the more mellow, nutty rather than fruity or spicy American hefe style of beer, by which I mean it wasn't made with the special weizen yeast's used in more traditional Bavarian styles.

There's a reason this beer won the Gold at last year's Great American Beer Fest. I like it with and without a slice of lemon, but the lemon really rocked the beer when we paired it with an Asian style brown rice, vegetable and beef stir-fry. I'm going to be torn this spring and summer between Pyramid's Haywire and theirAudacious Apricot. Fortunately, I don't have to choose! I'll definitely be trying Haywire with grilled planked salmon though . . .