Freestyle Wheat Beer - Independence Brewing Co.

BeerSox

Virginia

2.73/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

12oz bottle into mug.

Pours a dark straw colored gold hue with yeasty haziness. Fluffy off white head that lasts forever, however there is not much lacing throughout the glass, only in some areas.

Fruity yeast aromas along with light malt character. The smell is very light, nothing overpowering.

Wheaty-malty base below a fruity taste. Slight plastic-like taste at the end.

Light bodied with high carbonation, slightly watery. Very crisp yet smooth finish.

Looks nice, but just doesn't stand up. Supposedly similar to hefe-weizens, but this one doesn't come close. It's easy to drink, but the flavors just aren't there.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2006 06:13:57 | More by BeerSox

ppoitras

Massachusetts

3.88/5  rDev +20.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle from assurbanipaul as part of Too Much Beer (2MB) BIF. Thanks for the opportunity.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, it's kind of a foamer, formed a 4 1/2" tan head over the slightly cloudy golden brew. Head settles down to a more manageable 1" in a few minutes, and off we go. Lacing is somewhat minimal for such a great amount of frothy head. Aroma is light cloves and wheat character. Taste is again cloves, with a lemony tinge, just about what you expect from the style. Mouthfeel is smooth, and drinkability is good as well. Nice summertime brew.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2006 21:23:42 | More by ppoitras

cheers2beers

Texas

2.6/5  rDev -19.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Appearance: This beer pours a golden straw color with an almost nonexsistant white bubblely head. No laceing but there are a few columns of beading floating from the bottom.

Smell: The aromas are wheats, rye bread, some piney hop notes, drying hay, and a subtle alcohol .

Taste: The flavors are simple but very delightful. Wheats of course, a breadiness followed by the ever so slightly bittering piney hops. Not much alcohol is noticed.

Mouthfeel: The mouthfeel is watery and thin.Very easy to drink.

Drinkability: I wasnt impressed with this one,dont get me wrong its good but nothing seemed to jump out at me. I could drink this on some hot summer days but then again i can also think of alot of better subtitutes.

Cheers2Beers

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2006 23:14:32 | More by cheers2beers

allengarvin

Texas

2.93/5  rDev -9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Picked up a 6-pack of this while in Austin. Rather muddy apperance, lots of haze, with a small initial and quickly fading head. Very faint aroma, only barely detectable sweet graininess. Some slight, tart fruitiness and moderate wheat flavor, but mostly bland. Somewhat flat and watery.

Very disappointing beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2006 01:16:03 | More by allengarvin

Frozensoul327

Michigan

2.4/5  rDev -25.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

12 oz. bottle. Pours out with devistating carbonation. Huge head over a cloudy pale golden color. Aroma of mild mixed grains, a touch of yeast, some fresh floral hops. Taste is a dive; bland, boring malts, mineral water, light hops. Mouthfeel was weak, very watery and flat. None of that big carbonation carried over. Drinkability is low. This needs some work. Thanks to assurbanipaul for the sample.

THE BLOODHOUND FACTOR: Benjie was unimpressed with this offering, yet Peaches found it scrumptious and enjoyable. She will finish it, 'cause I sure won't.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2006 02:31:25 | More by Frozensoul327

goochpunch

Texas

1.83/5  rDev -43.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

Poured a strong golden color with a total lack of head and hardly any carbonation in the body. Looks like a typical macro lager. Smells like Minute Maid fruit punch from concentrate. Tastes like the fruit punch also but with some buttery notes and overly bitter hops for the lightness of the malt. Mouthfeel is devoid of carbonation and has a syrupiness to it. Gross.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2006 22:42:35 | More by goochpunch

Higravity

Michigan

3.18/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A good american wheat but please don't filter my wheat beers, thank you. Anyway, this beer was pretty damn crystal gold with a agressive head that peaked on the glass. Smells of a clean wheatyness with an almost larger like yeast smell. The hops give the honey sweetness a nice cut and the wheat pokes though at times. Ok, if bland might do better to wheat this up with a juicey hop and I could see having a few more.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2006 18:39:13 | More by Higravity

MaltyGoodness

Pennsylvania

3.03/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz. bottle courtesy of MUSHROOMCLOUD

Pours a hazy pale straw with a small white head that maintains. Minor lacing on the glass.

Aroma is very light. Yeasty and slightly bready with a faint banana and vanilla scent.

Taste is very yeasty upfront with a slight breadiness. Light banana and vanilla flavors. Finishes dry.

Thin body, decent carbonation.

Very uninspired beer. It begs to be forgotten the second it's consumed.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2006 00:55:50 | More by MaltyGoodness

jmbranum

Oklahoma

3.53/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Gorgeous color, with wonderful white head (about 1" in glass but quickly goes away) The carbonation is more than I expected.

It is a bright gold color in the glass. Crystal clear (not heffe at all)

The flavor to me is on the sweet side, some floral hops plus maybe some subtle peach flavors (actually the peach flavor is what really sets this off as being special)

One of the best non-hefe wheat bears I've had. My only negative points is that I'm not crazy about the after-taste and that it's mouthfeel seemed a bit thin to me.

(I bought this at Central Market in South Austin on my last trip down.)

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2006 21:46:27 | More by jmbranum

Dubblebock

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +39.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I'll begin by confessing right off that I'm a big sucker for wheat beers. Maybe it's the Texas heat that gets me in the mood for these types of beers, maybe it's my love of Tex-Mex food, I dunno. Whatever the case, it always seems that I get a severe hankerin' for a nice wheat beer right around this time of the year. And by golly, the Freestyle Wheat is a winner all the way around.

I like the label for starters. It's got a drawing of a guy jumping off into Barton Springs pool, the spring-fed gem that showcases Austin's Zilker Park. Very appropriate for a warm-weather seasonal style like this.

The beer itself poured beautifully. It had a massive, creamy head that took a while to dissipate, leaving a nice, sticky lace to follow the beer down the mug. Semi-cloudy straw color. The nose was sweet and bready.

The taste was just wonderful. Expertly balanced, the wheat malts blended effortlessly with the hops. There was a definite orange-peel character to the main flavor, tempered by a dry cracker finish that was easy and smooth. Simply put, one of the best examples of the style that I've ever had.

Great mouthfeel, it just rolled onto the palate. Exceptional drinkability. I'll be quaffing this one all summer long. I'll toast Independence Brewing on this beer, it's definitely a star in their lineup. It's the perfect beer for backyard barbecues, Tex-Mex sitdowns, or backyard porch-settin'. I highly recommend you go out and find you a sixer if you're in the Austin area.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2006 03:47:19 | More by Dubblebock

assurbanipaul

Texas

3.75/5  rDev +16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Pours a clear pale gold with a thin head and good carbonation. Aroma is clean, toasty malts and grains, very much like a lager.

Taste is lightly toasted malts, slightly caramelized, very little hops. Good grain profile, no off flavors, not real complex. Faint honey lemon flavor in the aftertaste.

Most of the wheaty body has been filtered out, so a little thin for the style. Drinkability is high, very quaffable, especially here in the Texas summers. An excellent macro-crossover pick as it comes closest to most commercial lagers without the characteristic astringent chemical stench.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2006 02:34:56 | More by assurbanipaul

HardTarget

Texas

3.65/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Bottle Inspection: The same “Name, rank, serial number” label, no real useful information like a date or abv.

Aroma: Grainy with a dose of sweetness. I’m trying hard to get a little bubblegum out of the smell, but it’s not working very well.

Appearance: Light amber glass with just a trace of a collar, basically no head, thus, no lace.

Flavor: Fairly clean taste, slightly sweet, a bit of the grain noted in the nose and a bit watery in the finish. Pretty neutral taste overall with the balance toward sweetness.

Mouthfeel: Medium body, very low carbonation, lingering finish.

Overall Impression: This is a summer quencher and it hits its mark. Clean taste, no real flaws, just not a lot of flavor to get excited about either. This would be a good beer to bring to a party, different, local (for me anyway) but shouldn’t give anyone any trouble to finish one. Glad to see a new brewery in Texas putting out some well made beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2005 06:35:19 | More by HardTarget

Gagnonsux

Texas

3.5/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The color is golden with a low level of carbonation. The head is small and doesn't have much retention. The aroma is light in strength and mainly consists of sweet malts with only a touch of wheat smell. The taste is sweeter and less "wheaty" than most wheat beers. A little bit of hop spice adds something to this in the finish. Drinkability is very good, but the mouthfeel needs to be crisper and the taste needs more wheat flavor.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2005 02:32:06 | More by Gagnonsux

beertramp

Texas

3.9/5  rDev +21.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I had this beer at a party on keg with pump tap, so it may not be the best serving type, but we all enjoyed it.

Not being a big hefeweizen drinker, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this was a wheat beer. It is crisp and clean tasting. More like a light ale than a weizen. There is a hint of hops, and none of the yeasty flavors I usually expect to find with wheat beers. I think die-hard hefe fans may not like this beer, but it seemed like an interesting twist on a wheat beer for me.

Serving type: on-tap

08-12-2005 18:46:05 | More by beertramp

MUSHROOMCLOUD

Texas

3.38/5  rDev +5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This wheat beer pours a honey-tinged blond color. A 1/2" white head with large bubbles disappears quickly. No lace.

Aroma is dominated by wheat. Ever so light hops in the background.

The flavor has some slight citrus and sour qualities. Wheat is again the prevalent flavor. After all it is a wheat beer!! I am guilty of hearing wheat and expecting hefe-weizen flavors (spice,fruit,clove,bananas). That is Bavaria, this is an American Wheat I had to remind myself. And it patterns itself nicely along other American Wheat beers: flavor from wheat, not yeast.

This wheat beer is refreshing and has good drinkability. The beer also has a very dry finish. Good beer from an up and coming local craft brewery.

Serving type: on-tap

08-07-2005 22:37:47 | More by MUSHROOMCLOUD

Pegasus

Texas

3.13/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pale golden color, crystal clear, resembles a light lager with none of the cloudy character often seen in wheat beers. Mildly carbonated with a small off-white head, which retains well.

Aroma: Light, pleasant and understated aroma of wheat and yeast, with a slightly bready character and faint hops.

Taste: Slightly tart and yeasty flavor that carries throughout, finishes dry with a lingering yeast note. The hop character is understated.

Mouthfeel: Smooth and pleasant, with a touch of sting from the carbonation.

Drinkability/notes: A pleasant, easy-to-drink, and well-made beer, which seems to have been crafted to serve as a gateway beer for the masses. It is clearly quite different from mass-marketed beer, not so much so as to put off the macro drinker. This is an interesting strategy to guide macro drinkers toward better beer.

Sampled on tap at the Independence Brewery during the grand opening celebration on October 9, 2004.

Serving type: on-tap

10-17-2004 16:06:00 | More by Pegasus