One might think it amazing how many of our founding fathers were brewers in their spare time. Samuel Adams was one, as Boston Beer would have it. George Washington loved his porter. Thomas Jefferson was known to brew. And James Madison brewed lots of beer on his estate as well.

Really though, this should not surprise. Beer was (and is today, if you’re taking about real beer) a foodstuff. That being the case, brewing beer in colonial times was as natural an activity as baking bread or canning preserves. Today, we’re fairly spoiled; we can just run down to the package store or supermarket whenever we run out of brew. Such was not the case in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, however.

This being the Fourth of July, I’ve just popped a bottle of a special brew made by Boston Beer to celebrate America’s brewing heritage. The beer in question is James Madison Dark Wheat Ale, made with malt hand smoked over an oak wood fire. Boston Beer took out all the stops here, too: they didn’t use just any oak wood, but red and white oak culled from a forest in Virginia. The forest is on land Madison once owned, and the thinking here is that he might have used the same type of wood to kiln his wood two centuries ago.

Boston Beer says Madison was a backer of a national brewery scheme as president. In fact, the idea was that a national brewery would be established on the same level as the treasury or post office. The government would be responsible for brewing our beer, and the hope was that this would promote temperance and moderation, since beer has a lower alcohol content than wine or spirits.

James Madison Dark Wheat Ale pours to a cloudy dark amber brownish color with a light creamy head formation and a spicy, smoky wheat nose. The palate offers up a tasty combination of spicy, tart wheat flavor with a hint of chocolate and smoky malt flavors. The smoke is subtle and not at all overpowering, but it’s definitely there.

The finish isn’t really bitter but it is tart from the wheat, even a bit sour from the smoke. That makes it a very refreshing brew indeed. One caveat: let this one warm a little before drinking. It’s best enjoyed cool, not cold, to fully appreciate its complexity.

Currently only available in the Brewer Patriots four pack, I find it a tad less interesting than the other three beers: but still a very nice beer to be sure.