Grozet - Williams Brothers Brewing Company

negroobserver

New York

3.88/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a cognac style goblet glass.
Best before date: October 2011. Arrived a little late to this one.

Appearance... Golden yellow color with pink hues. Light haziness. Pours with only a slight bit of carbonation, which lingers around the rim of the glass.

Smell... Smells lager like, with a dry wheat like scent in the back. Reminds me of wheat fields. Smells very dry and natural.

Taste... Not a very complex range of flavors here. Despite this, the beer is enjoyable. The beer isnt sweet or bitter. Doesn't have many unique characteristics or any dominating flavors. Don't know if the gooseberry is present, because I've never tasted one.

Mouthfeel... Very clean and crisp finish. Nice body and depth. Dry finish which lingers in the mouth.

Overall... I really enjoyed this beer. It reminds me very much of the pilsner style, with the depth and body character of an ale. Despite the fact that the flavors are lacking, the real experience here is in the mouthfeel and aroma of the beer. I will definitely be having this one again.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2011 07:20:07 | More by negroobserver

BeerResearcher

Massachusetts

3.65/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Brown bottle. Best before date. Dec 2012.
Served in a nonic tumbler.
It pours yellow gold color with a very thin, fast-fading white head.
Smells of honey and cut grass are upfront. Secondary smells of berries and spice follow.
A taste of honey crackers are followed closely by tart berries and limes. A taste similar to grape must is in the after taste.
There is a bit of an astringent bite in the background, though nothing too off-putting.
Odd beer, but nice!

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2011 00:03:07 | More by BeerResearcher

WVbeergeek

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appears with lively small bubbled carbonation very pale golden body with a thicket of white head forming and lasting nicely. Fine speckled lacing lines in layers around the sides of my glass. Aroma a distinct berry jam nose with some sharp wheat additions, some green herbal additions are noticeable as well. Flavor is interesting a big spicy layer combined with a sharp wheat beer notes and finishes with sweet jam with the gooseberries. Actually the best tasting and most complex beer from the 3 of the 4 I've had so far. Mouthfeel does have lively carbonation lighter bodied but not watery and finishes with an herbal dryness not bad. Overall I really like this unique twist on a wheat beer with fruit additions and herbal spiciness to balance it all out this is the most adventurous on the palate and diverse in flavors.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2011 19:04:17 | More by WVbeergeek

scott451

Ontario (Canada)

3.58/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Best before Dec. 2012.

Poured into a pint glass. A a clear gold with a thin bubbly head that soon disappeared.

Smells of malt with some fruity notes. Nice and clean up front. Tastes more like a herbal wheat than a fruit beer although the berries are there. Very mild hop bite at the end. More herb/fruit as it warms.

Smooth and well rounded. No rough edges here.

Unique and very pleasant. Refreshing and drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2011 03:21:21 | More by scott451

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

3.6/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle from giftpack, 330ml into a tulip. Best before December 2012.

Pours gold with a bit of a yellow tinge to it, brilliant clarity but almost resembling a macro lager. Nice semi-soapy white head, and good retention. Nose has some berry evident, can't pin this one down as gooseberry (as this is my first experience with the berry). Some light grass, wet wood, cereals and general grain notes. Can't really pick up the wheat here. Taste follows along the same trail, more grassy, herbal, and earth notes with the berry as well, I guess gooseberry takes on some blackberry/currant characteristics. Again, I can't seem to find the wheat here but the malts is more cereal-y and crackery. Light mouthfeel and a carbonation that resmebles a macro. A decent beer, my girlfriend liked this more than I did thought.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2011 00:19:42 | More by liamt07

Stocean1

Ontario (Canada)

3.55/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured a half finger head into a pint glass, white head reduced quickly to a fine collar with little silky lacing. Straw yellow and crystal clear yet with a syrupy appearance.

The aroma is faint sour berries, wheat, and floral.

The taste is floral with dry unripe unsweetened sour berries, with cider qualities, with an earthy aftertaste.

This is a smooth medium bodied brew with the feel of white wine, little carbonation, syrupy, mildly bitter in the finish, tart but not overly sweet.

A nice change of pace and definitely unique.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2011 05:43:21 | More by Stocean1

bryehn

Ontario (Canada)

3.6/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a slightly hazy pencil yellow with a fairly small white head that gets retained as a collared film and leaves some spotty lacing.

Slightly bitter and sour aroma with a not-quite-ripe berry tone. I also get honey, fresh grains, a subtle diacetyl note and a grape-like acidity.

Starts out crisp and tastes like earthy grains, with a mild berry flavour. Slightly sour on the tongue and in the finish.

Medium-bodied with a low carbonation level. Prickly sensation on the tongue with an earthy character. Aftertaste is slightly syrupy and sweet with a berry note.

Very drinkable and refreshing ale that still has a lot of character and a satisfying earthiness. Started off a bit funky, but really opened up towards the bottom of the glass.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2011 20:48:08 | More by bryehn

flyingpig

United Kingdom (Scotland)

3.4/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Clear orange amber colour with a bubbly, white head on the top that is about a centimetre thick and seems to stay for a while before eventually halving in size.

Quite fruity smelling but light on the nose, there is some gooseberry upfront with some grain and grassy hops.

Much like the smell with gooseberries upfront and a general fruitiness to it. There is some wheat too and a little grain but not all that much. It is reminiscent of a lager but a nice one at that, and as the bottle suggested it is fruity.

Medium, smooth and rather crisp at the finish, it is also quite creamy on the palate.

A beer that started to grow on me as I worked my way down, it was quite fruity and sweet. A nice beer as a one off.

http://abarwithnoname.wordpress.com

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2011 23:47:26 | More by flyingpig

Kartoffeln

Ontario (Canada)

3.68/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a bright, clear golden yellow with visible carbonation and a modest head of dense, fizzy, white foam. Retention is average, dissipating to a thin ring and patches of foam without leaving any lacing.

S: Light wheat malts, fresh and toasted grain, and loads of fresh and juicy fruity and floral aromas. Gooseberries are front and centre but there's a strong vinuous character reminiscent of champagne and fruit-forward, unoaked whites in general. Floral and grassy hops round out the nose.

T: Wheat and crystal malts, it seems like, with a fresh grain character. Gooseberries and vinuousness again, but drier than in the nose and with a vaguely Weizen-like spiciness in it. Loads of yeast flavour and some floral, slightly astringent hops in the finish.

M: Light-bodied with very mild, sudsy carbonation. The clean finish has a pleasantly light astringency that balances the already-refreshing flavour profile. Infinitely drinkable without feeling watery.

D: A unique, refreshing, and easy-drinking gruit that's very accessible compared to more alien examples of the style. By the same token, though, it's less complex and sensual than other gruits. I've only ever seen it in the gift packs the LCBO stocks around winter, but it'd be wonderful in warmer weather.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2011 21:59:07 | More by Kartoffeln

eslemarc

Ohio

3.45/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Very light straw gold color, slightly hazy with light visible carbonation, reminds me of a cloudy looking adjunct lager. Fairly minimal head of white, not but one finger maybe, quickly falls to a thin foam that tries to cling. As the beer drinks down a bit the heads hangs sporadically around the glass.

Smells very faintly of fruit (though I'm not sure what a gooseberry smells like), kinda spritey, very light aroma that seems like it would be very refreshing. Not an abundance, but certainly plenty of malt.

Very light, very crispy, very refreshing. There's almost a light bitter side to this beer that comes mid-way through the finish. It's a decent beer though nothing is terribly notable about it. I'd say it's worth taking a shot at. Michael Jackson mentioned it in his Great Beer Guide.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2011 18:25:28 | More by eslemarc

Morey

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

11.2 oz bottle with Mar 2012 stamped on the back of the label.

Pours a yellowish-orange color with pretty good clarity. Head stood one finger tall following a medium aggressive pour. Has since settled to nothing but a ring of foam around the inside of the glass.

Getting a big whiff of white grapes in the aroma as well some lightly toasted grain. The smell fades rather quickly into a clean finish.

Not much carbonation up front allowing for the fruit flavor to come through nicely. The malt bill comes into play towards the middle, and the carbonation fizzes up on the tongue a bit towards the finish.

Thin bodied with a low level of carbonation.

Not bad overall, but I wouldn't go out of my way for this.

Morey's Bottom Line: With the grape flavor and lower carbonation, this beer almost taste like wine to me. If you are a wine lover, you'd probably enjoy this one. A good introduction beer for your wine drinking friends/family.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2011 20:42:18 | More by Morey

vandemonian

Maryland

3.18/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Grozet Gooseberry wheat is a bitter/sour wheat ale. I didn't taste anything like berries.

A: Yellow colour and 5 mm head that lasts. 4.5

S: Grainy with some soggy barnyard aromas. 3

T: Fresh wheaty tang into some slightly sour and
bitter notes (from the gooseberries?) that aren't entirely pleasant. They dominate and I don't really like the result. The aftertaste is earthy but bitter. 3

M: Foamy. 4

O: The flavour was sour/bitter without much else to compliment it. 3

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2011 00:44:26 | More by vandemonian

spitInTheOcean

Michigan

3.98/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

straw/pale gold. crystal clear. not that great head retention. white head fair lacing.

smells sweet. smells a little like berries, goose berries i guess. and bread.

taste is sweet all the way through. tastes like berries. i can taste the wheat a little. no hop flavor. subdued malt favor.

crisp. wet/sweet finish. very refreshing. taste of berries lingers.

this a very tasty beer. would recommend it to anyone looking for a session beer outside of the american pilsner market.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2011 03:25:02 | More by spitInTheOcean

JayS2629

Alabama

3.6/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a hazy straw color with champaign like carbonation, a chunky white head that fades quickly but leaves ok lacing.

The aroma has a grainy, sweet wheat with herbal notes and a definite fresh berry background.

I don't know what goosberries taste like, but I imagine that is what I'm tasting. A subtle fresh berry taste lends a sweetness to a grainy base with some herbal touches.

Crisp, and refreshingly light.

Very easy drinking beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2011 01:21:26 | More by JayS2629

lacqueredmouse

Australia

2.98/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

I think this makes a perfect sweep of Williams Brothers' gruits for me. I think the Fraoch has been my favourite so far, let's see where this one stacks up.

Pours a rather insipid yellow colour, very clear, and with a muddled patchy head of large white bubbles. Looks very minimal and rather unappealing.

Nose is very yeasty and dry, with some rising bread dough characters, and an upturn of sweetness on the back which gives it a slight white grape or mild boysenberry sweetness to it. To be honest, I don't think gooseberries have a smell, so I'm surprised to find any berry character at all, but it's there.

Taste is minimal and very light, but it has a genuinely odd sweet-but-slightly-medicinal character that reminds me of some type of candy I had as a kid. I can't remember what it was, but it has that sense of nostalgia for me. Still, despite that tug at the heartstrings, it's a pretty bland brew, very light on flavour and character.

Very average brew, and pretty lacklustre, although it has a few interesting upturns that give a bit of a surprise.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2011 07:47:59 | More by lacqueredmouse

WrathsU

Florida

3.13/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A - Golden and clear. Small head that dissipated quickly.

S - Sweet fruity notes up front. Not much of an overall smell.

T - Sweet malts and fruits up front. I am assuming it's the gooseberry I am tasting here. Finishes with a bitter note that is unlike what I've had before.

M - Great carbonation and smooth mouth feel.

D - Pretty distinctive taste. Not sure I could drink a ton of this but it is definitely a great try.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2011 22:23:49 | More by WrathsU

elginirishpunk

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours cloudy with a mild amount of setament. Havs a very mild aroma and only nice a mild hint of spices. Very like sweetness with wheat and finished with a nice spice and hoppness and smooth finish. Dark nice amber color and a mild caramel taste. Very good and unquie beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2011 03:11:41 | More by elginirishpunk

AgentMunky

California

3.85/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served in a pint glass at the Whey Pat in St Andrews. From notes. Reviewed 25 May 2011.

A: Pale golden. Lustreless. Thin creamy head.

S: Very little vague herbs.

T: Hops, plants (heather? tasting notes say bog myrtle...), and a bit of citrus. Complicated, savoury, and actually really good. The aftertaste is earthy and lingering.

M: Thickish, pleasant, creamy, and slightly drying.

O: From reading the description, I thought this beer would be pretty bad, but quite the contrary! Definitely recommended.

Serving type: cask

07-14-2011 14:22:35 | More by AgentMunky

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

3.3/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A - Hazy gold pour with strong carbonation, two finger white, fluffy head, good chunks of lacing and a small film of retention.

S - Fruit, berries, soap, and grass.

T - Wheat, berries, slight floral notes, grass, and quite soapy.

M - Good carbonation, medium body, floral finish.

O/D - Nice floral/berry mix. Not too bad. An interesting, different blend.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2011 22:50:31 | More by tbeckett

BrewCrew2010

New York

3.38/5  rDev -4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: Pours a hazy golden yellow body with a small white head.

S: A strong aroma of grains/wheat, spices, lemon, and some floral notes.

T: Although balanced, the taste is very light, which would make this a nice summer beer. Strong flavor of wheat mixed with lemon, something like tart berry flavor (which I'm guessing is the gooseberry), spices, and citrus notes; finishes bitter.

M: Light body; high carbonation; crisp mouthfeel.

O: Nothing too amazing. Glad I tried it, but I don't see myself getting this again or recommending it.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2011 18:51:12 | More by BrewCrew2010

htomsirveaux

Texas

3.73/5  rDev +6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

11.2 oz. bottle tried 23 Sep 2010. Poured in the 0.3 L Unibroue snifter.

Small white head. Medium carbonation. Clear golden orange color. Light aroma is gooseberry sweet, yeasty. Lightly sweet, wheaty to start. Gooseberries are quite evident but not strong. Finish is wheaty and yeasty. Some fruity tartness in aftertaste. Medium body, moderate ethanol.

Interesting to try but would not want this as a daily drink.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2011 20:58:51 | More by htomsirveaux

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

First had: bottle from Pinocchio's beer garden, Media, PA

Poured into a pint glass, a hazy copper with big chunks of sediment floating around (some people like this, some don't, personally I'm impartial). A small, quickly dissipating white head left a bit of lacing. Lots of carbonation. Bready nose, with a strong scent of what I assume is gooseberry...I've never tasted a gooseberry, but this is a gooseberry beer after all. :D Sort of a hybrid of pears, lemon zest, blueberry and mango. Distinctive layers in the taste: starts very pungent with fruit (described in the aroma); a bit of funk, and a little spice in the middle, with some citrus hops coming through; and then a final little unexpected blast of sweet & sour, which is the best way I can describe it. Crisp and dry, light mouthfeel, and pretty drinkable. Seems like it'd probably skunk pretty badly if left sitting around. Good beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2011 01:19:55 | More by Rifugium

zrab11

Indiana

3.85/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A- Pours a cloudy golden yellow color with nice 1 finger head

S- Hits you with nice spicey aromas up front with alittle bitter finish

T- Has a nice sweet spicey wheat taste to it.

M-Has a light to medium body with good carbonation

D-Overall this is a nice beer. The spices and wheat were well balanced and this was very drinkable. Good representation of this style.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2011 19:22:00 | More by zrab11

TheKingofWichita

North Carolina

2.58/5  rDev -26.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours a very light golden color with a very thin head and no lacing. Smells of light wheat, some malts, and some sort of astringent flavor. Tastes of wheat, mild hops if any, and some gooseberry (if that is what that sort of odd berry flavor is.) Mouthfeel is medium with very little carbonation. Drinkability is not very good.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2011 18:59:39 | More by TheKingofWichita

tubacharlie

Michigan

3.98/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A low slung white head emerges from the pour, exuding fruit aromas akin to fig and raisin, with a flowery fringe element. The head settles to a thin skim with a ring around the edge, constantly replenished by active carbonation.

The brew is a hazy amber yellow, with a hint of a greenish cast at the edges of the glass. Some floating sediment gradually settles to the bottom, which is likely due to being over a year past the "best before" date of January 2010.

Despite its age, a muted gooseberry flavor is apparent, although not dominant, and melded well with the wheat and Bogmyrtle. The slight fruitiness is balanced by a decent hop bill that stops cold the slightly sweet front of the palate, leaving a fruity tang in the aftertaste.

An interesting concoction with an historic past. Well worth the adventure.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2011 02:11:02 | More by tubacharlie