231. Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat

Another single picked up from a local convenience store. I have read about Goose Island only because they were sold to InBev Anheuser Busch (owners of Budweiser) last year. All articles stated the beer would not change and they would simply have more money to expand and distribute to new States. Hopefully the 312 Urban Wheat is not a good representation of their other beer. 

Beer is a very pale yellow with almost no head. Slight wheat smell but not much else. Taste is watery and slightly sweet. It is refreshing but mostly tasteless. Finished the bottle but very glad I only bought a single.

Pros: Refreshing

Cons: Bland, watered down 

Alcohol Content: 4.2% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 20
Rating: 

Brewers Website: Goose Island

Brewers Description: Inspired by the city of Chicago and densely populated with flavor, 312’s spicy aroma of Cascade hops is followed by a crisp, fruity ale flavor delivered in a smooth, creamy body that's immensely refreshing.

224. Blue Moon Summer Wheat

This one looks and tastes like a Coors with some honey added. Nothing special here with only mild aroma and very bland taste. With so many great craft beer options out there don't bother with Blue Moon.
Pros: 

Cons: Tasteless

Alcohol Content: 5.2% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating:  

Brewers Website: Blue Moon

Brewers Description: Wheat ale crafted with clover honey for a hint of sweetness and balanced out with a touch of orange peel for subtle citrus notes. Pairs with grilled summer fare like pork with honey mustard sauce. 

223. Smuttynose Summer Weizen Ale

Snuttynose is generally one of my favorite brewers and their Big Beer Series has some of my top rated beers. The Summer Weizen did not meet my high expectations of Smuttynose. Still a quality beer but not as good as many others from this brewery. 


Color is typical pale yellow of most summer ales. Not a lot of aroma from this one but some bread, mild citrus and even a little spice. Taste is sweet up front followed by a mild hop bite and smooth finish. This is a nice summer beer and quite refreshing. 

Pros: Refreshing 

Cons: Slightly watered down

Alcohol Content: 5.5% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating:  
Brewers Website: Smuttynose

Brewers Description: Light, tasty & full of character, our summer wheat ale is brewed with a combination of domestic and continental wheat and barley malts, lightly hopped & fermented with a Belgian wit yeast, resulting in a delightfully tangy & refreshing flavor.

This beer is brewed for warm weather enjoyment. Bring some to your next picnic, barbeque or Frisbee game.

Available in sixpacks and on draft from April through August.

151. Blue Moon Spring Blonde Wheat Ale

This is the sixth different variety of Blue Moon I have reviewed and I still cannot figure out why some people like it so much. This is brewed by Coors Brewing Company and while I have not had a Coors in some time I cannot imagine it tastes much different than the Blue Moon options. This beer is weak from start to finish. The only thing that is good about it is the solid 2+ finger head, taste is completely forgettable. It makes me wonder what those that enjoy Blue Moon would say about truly good craft beer. 
Pros: Head

Cons: Everything else

Alcohol Content: 5.4% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating: 

Brewers Website: Blue Moon Brewing
Brewers Description: Light-bodied ale crafted with lemon and orange peel and white wheat. A refreshing taste with a crisp, citrus finish, the perfect accompaniment to that first glorious patio day of the season. Pairs well with seasonal salads and fruit sorbets. A splash of sunshine in a glass!

133. Shipyard Applehead Ale

I have been looking forward to this one for many weeks and found a 6-pack at Florian's Market in Auburn over the weekend. The packaging and the label are great as they are with Pumpkinhead however the beer disappoints. Color is a light orange and pours almost flat with little to no head and it disappears entirely within seconds so no lacing. Aroma is of apple pie which seems strange for a beer and taste has a fair amount of cinnamon at first but finishes with a green apple candy flavoring that does not work well. I enjoy a couple of Pumpkinheads each year but will be passing on this one in the future. The only positive thing about this beer is that it is unique. 
Pros: Aroma

Cons: Taste and aftertaste

Alcohol Content: 4.5% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating: 
Brewers Website: Shipyard Brewing

Brewers Description: Shipyard Applehead Ale is a crisp, refreshing wheat ale with delightful apple aroma and subtle cinnamon flavor. 

30. Harpoon UFO Pumpkin

Continuing my reviews of the great fall beers this one was a good find. Being a pumpkin beer I was expecting the strong spicy flavor of the Shipyard Pumpkinhead and I could not have been more wrong. This is an unfiltered beer, as many of the Harpoon brews are, with only a hint of pumpkin flavor. Unlike the Sebago Brewing Hefeweizen this beer does have the cloudy look of an unfiltered beer. Harpoon brews quality beer and their fall offering met my expectation. 
Pros: Great fall color, pumpkin flavoring without being overwhelming. 
Cons: 
Alcohol Content: 5.9% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 20
Rating: 
Brewers Website: Harpoon Brewery
Brewers Description: Imagine a pumpkin vine wound its way in a field of barley, and a brewer harvested it all to make a beer. Add Northwestern hops and a blend of spices, and you've got UFO Pumpkin. The malt combination provides a smooth body and slightly sweet flavor, which balances perfectly with the earthy notes derived from the pure pumpkin. And like all of our UFO beers, UFO Pumpkin is unfiltered so all the wonderful flavors are right there in your glass. Cheers!

Appearance:	amber and orange with a slight haze
Aroma:	malty with hints of pumpkin and spice
Mouth feel:	slightly sweet and smooth
Taste:	a solid malt backbone highlighting German, Vienna and Munich malts with a nice dose of pumpkin and spice - reminiscent of pumpkin pie
Finish:	easy drinking with a lingering pumpkin aftertaste on the back of the tongue

28. Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat

I was not sure what to expect with this beer as it is a wheat beer which I usually like but flavored with cherries just seemed a bit odd. Sam Adams website says this beer would go well with a ham and I bet it would. I enjoyed it after supper by itself and overall it was not a bad beer. The cherry flavoring was obvious while drinking the beer but did not leave a bad aftertaste. It also had a very obvious cherry aroma which was pleasing. Might have to try to Sam Adams recommendations and try another with a nice ham. 


The fridge is now empty and ready for the fall flavors. Will stock up with some new brews tomorrow and should be adding more reviews throughout the week. 

Pros:  Great aroma and nice smooth taste

Cons: Odd combination of cherries and beer 

Alcohol Content: 5.3 ABV

Calories: 176

IBU (Bitterness): 23
My Rating: 

Brewers Website: Samuel Adams

Brewers Description: Ale brewed with cherries. Crisp and fruity with a hint of honey.

Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat^® follows the centuries old American tradition of brewing beer with native ingredients, in this case Michigan cherries. The sweet, fruitiness of the cherries is balanced against the crisp, cereal note from the malted wheat and the subtle citrus flavor from the Noble hops.  A touch of honey is also added for sweetness.  The end result is a sweet, refreshing beer that is light on the palate but long on complexity.

8. Blue Moon Summer Honey Wheat

This beer surprised me. I had always heard good things about Blue Moon and I bought a 6-pack for my wife who rarely drinks beer. After getting it home it quickly became apparent most of the 6-pack would be mine. It is a light refreshing beer, easy to drink with no after taste. Very nice summer beer and certainly something I will buy again. 

Pros: Easy to drink, light and refreshing

Cons: . 

Alcohol Content: 5.2 ABV

Calories: ???

IBU (Bitterness): 15

Rating: 

Brewers Website: Blue Moon Brewing Company

Brewers Description: Wheat ale crafted with clover honey for a hint of sweetness and balanced out with a touch of orange peel for subtle citrus notes. Pairs with grilled summer fare like pork with honey mustard sauce. 

3. Sam Adams Summer Ale

One of my favorite beers, I look forward to its release each year. Wheat beer is smooth, easy to drink and very refreshing. I usually include a lemon slice with my Summer Ale and as with most wheat beer it is best enjoyed out of a glass not directly from the bottle. 

Pros: Refreshing, easy to drink 

Cons: Too easy to drink :) hard to stop at just 1 or 2. 

Alcohol Content: 5.3 ABV

Calories: 162

IBU (Bitterness): 10

Rating:  - Highest rating I will give to a bottled beer.

Brewers Website: Samuel Adams

Brewers Description: Bright and citrusy, brewed with Grains of Paradise.

Samuel Adams® Summer Ale is an American wheat ale. This summer seasonal uses malted wheat, lemon peel and Grains of Paradise, a rare pepper from Africa first used as a brewing spice in the 13th century, to create a crisp taste, spicy flavor and medium body. The ale fermentation imparts a background tropical fruit note reminiscent of mangos and peaches.  All of these flavors come together to create a thirst quenching, clean finishing beer perfect for those warm summer days.