Flat Top Wheat - Barley Island Brewing Company

Kyrojack

Indiana

1.5/5  rDev -50%

02-07-2013 00:26:36 | More by Kyrojack

davemathews68

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev +16.7%

04-09-2013 14:17:25 | More by davemathews68

chardisty

2.75/5  rDev -8.3%

02-04-2013 22:32:26 | More by chardisty

GaryFields

Indiana

3/5  rDev 0%

01-31-2013 02:29:05 | More by GaryFields

freewill35

Indiana

2.75/5  rDev -8.3%

09-30-2012 14:02:54 | More by freewill35

Poo-Diddy

1.68/5  rDev -44%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

Poured from a bottle first right into my mouth and every bit of liquid turned into foam in my mouth.

I then decided to pour this into a glass and nearly all of the liquid again turned to foam.

Once it settled it did have a decent flavor, kind of peppery but it seemed way too carbonated.

A flat out weird experience as I've never had beer turn into foam in my mouth before.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2012 14:15:59 | More by Poo-Diddy

mgroothuis

Michigan

2/5  rDev -33.3%

04-04-2012 21:24:36 | More by mgroothuis

secondtooth

Indiana

3.73/5  rDev +24.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Cloudy pale golden, with ideal medium carbonation. Pleasant single-finger lace.

Nose is lightly citrus, with a hint of hops among the wheat-graininess. Again, pleasant.

Taste is a little peppery, with some orange and lemon zest on the palate. Overall, a very respectable and enjoyable brew. I liked this one.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2012 14:27:38 | More by secondtooth

neckbracesub

Indiana

2/5  rDev -33.3%

03-06-2012 22:42:20 | More by neckbracesub

jimelee108

Illinois

2.5/5  rDev -16.7%

02-17-2012 01:29:28 | More by jimelee108

Another6Pack

Michigan

4/5  rDev +33.3%

11-26-2011 13:52:13 | More by Another6Pack

scruffwhor

Illinois

3.63/5  rDev +21%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Holy Foam, pouring this beer took about ten minutes, and this was as gentle a pour I could administer. After I was able to pour the whole bottle, I noticed the head is a slight off-white and leaves a nice film of foam for all twleve ounces. The color is a hazey burnt sienna with some chunky sediment on the bottom of my beer.

The aroma is a soft toast with even softer notes of just moistened bananas.

The taste starts with some tin, light white bread, and some unmalted grain. The middle still has a little tin, but add to the malt flavors, some yeasty banana and clove. The finish is all malt and yeast and leaves a light, dry sweetness on the palate.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2011 06:12:58 | More by scruffwhor

GregBlatz

Ohio

3.15/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Buddy of mine was in the Indy area and picked up a variety of beers for me to try. First off is this one.

A - Golden and Hazy. Unfiltered and has the look of a German style hefe. Head is almost non existant. Just a few bubbles and a white film on top of the surface area.

S - Clean smell of wheat. Very subtle aroma. Lemon and cornbread? No clove or banana so that answers my question if it is of a German or American style.

T - This is a very clean american wheat beer. The taste has a bit of lemony taste that balances the sweetness of the grain. The sweetness subsides and the beer finished pretty dry. Very little but noticeable cloyness. I couldn't detect any hop aroma or flavor.

M - The flocculant yeast helps to provide a nice mouthfeel. Slightly grain like. Carbonation is mild.

D - This is a very simple and drinkable beer. American wheat beers can drive me crazy by being all over the board. This is simple, straghtforward and refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2010 22:26:06 | More by GregBlatz

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.13/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Moderate, light, and drinkable this citrusy Wheat Beer is refreshing enough, though tepid in the flavor and balance departments.

Pouring the typical hazy canary yellow hue, the beer has a part-froathy/part-fizzy head that dissipates quickly to a lace around the glass. Low in retainage and lacing.

Citrusy aromas remind me of lemon zest, fresh cut hay, and wheat breads. Light throughout with a one-dimensional focus on the acidic fruits and soft wheaty/malty base.

Mild creaminess to start, fades fast to a pleasant acidic feel and lightness, and then on to thinness and watery textures.

A pleasant little beer that offers about the same amount of intrigue as Blue Moon.

Serving type: on-tap

11-30-2010 04:36:25 | More by BEERchitect

GarrettMD

New York

3/5  rDev 0%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Pours a hazy pale yellow with very minimal head. Settles to a thin layer of bubbles. Not a lot of visible carbonation in this.

S - Wheat, some light fruits, a slight bready smell. Smells very sweet. Not overly impressed.

T - Not too complex, similar to the smell. Slight wheat flavor, sweet malts dominate this one. Same light fruits are there.

M - Light bodied, minimal carbonation, finish is all malts. Taste doesn't stick around too long either.

D - Seems decent to just sit on the porch and have a few. Don't know the pricing, but if it's more expensive than Blue Moon, I would probably just go to that since this beer is very similar, just less fruity.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2010 18:42:36 | More by GarrettMD

bamadog

Kentucky

2.28/5  rDev -24%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Received this bottle from beerman207 a while back this summer and kept forgetting about it. I figure I better get to it since it's kind of past it's time this season... Pour is from the bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a very pale coppery color with some elements of a lemon-yellow; comes with a very short 1/2 finger head that has really no retention and fades immediately to a thin and watery looking skim and some loose big bubbled conglomerations; body is very clear and shows light and slow-moving carbonation; a very thin

Smell: Some tall grainy/wheaty aspect, but it's pretty mild... Not overly impressed with what comes out at me.

Taste: Pretty much tastes like I'm chewing on dried straw that's been stirred in carbonated water. Blech.

Mouthfeel: Thin and watery; carbonation is stronger than it appears.

Drinkability: I will never buy this beer, and I'm glad I didn't actually pay for it.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2009 17:53:33 | More by bamadog

mwa423

Ohio

3/5  rDev 0%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - An exceptionally aggressive pour gives a bit of head with the tiniest of lacing. For an Unpasteurized and unfiltered wheat I would have expected some yeast and such in the bottom of the bottle, but no such luck. As another reviewer noted, the color is dead on apple juice, with the same opacity. I also expect a little bit of hazed in unpasteurized and unfiltered wheat beers?

S - Smell is of wheat, sweet malt, and a hint of banana.

T - Very light taste, it almost reminds me of Shock Top or Blue Moon (without the orange flavors) in that it has a hint of wheat, but not much flavor overall. I know it's supposed to be a light easy drinking wheat, but I can't get all too excited about it.

M/D - These go down really easily, and I could replace this with a BMC any day, and it's an exceptionally easy drinker, but there are much more enjoyable and flavorful wheat beers available.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2009 22:11:30 | More by mwa423

beerman207

Kentucky

3.63/5  rDev +21%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Appearance of this one looks like apple juice - little no lacing, head doesn't stick around long and isn't very big.

S- Smell of wheat is dominant and some malt

T- Taste is quite refreshing with some wheat and malt tones also in the taste

M- Smooth beer - definately mild on the carbonation.

D - Drinkability is high in my opinion. This would make a nice beer for summer. I rate all of these based on Gumballhead by FFF which is simply amazing so it's hard to touch that beer. However, this is a decent brew.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2009 02:27:10 | More by beerman207

GonzoPizzaBurger

Indiana

3.58/5  rDev +19.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

Poured into a pint glass out of a 12 oz bottle that was part of a World Class Beverages 12 pk sampler.

A - Bubbly head that clearly disappears and leaves no lacing behind. Brew is pale wheat with tiny sporadic bubbles displaced throughout.

S- Pungent smell of wheat with metallic undertones.

T- Not as big as what I expected from the aroma. Slightly bitter.

M- A little tingle from the carbonation. Smooth drinking wheat. Definitely enjoyable on a boat or a beach on a hot day.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2009 21:31:37 | More by GonzoPizzaBurger

RickS95

Indiana

3.25/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Thick white head. Golden in color, very hazy...a good looking summer beer.

Almost sweet smell, with hops in the background; it looks better than it smells. A slight crispness in the mouth.

The taste is very subdued. The hops try to be bitter, but the wheat balances nicely so it's not too bitter and not too sweet.

A very drinkable beer. No one flavor dominates and it's not very high in alcohol, so you can drink a lot of this.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2009 03:37:47 | More by RickS95

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.1/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Sun-faded corn silk yellow with a few streams of fat bubbles. The bone colored cap was soda water fizzy at first, then settled down and decided to hang around for a spell. It doesn't look like high quality foam, however, and is unimpressive in the lace deposition department.

The nose is actually semi-pleasant. It features an underlying, untoasted cereal graininess and a very slight muskiness that might be due to hops. Call me skeptical that the hops will be able to be appreciated on the palate. Repeated sniffs are less impressive and reveal a metallic tang.

Flat Top Wheat is a run-of-the-mill American pale wheat that does absolutely nothing to stand out from the crowd of similar craft offerings. It's a major step up from BMC lagers, but that's the extent of the positives. Unless you consider a lack of glaring negatives to be a positive.

Given the low ABV, FTW should be compared to the light lagers from America's biggest breweries. I wonder why Barley Island doesn't market it as a light beer, because it's pretty flavorful in that context. At least the old name (Flat Belly Wheat) gave some indication of the calorie savings that one could 'enjoy'.

There isn't much here except a brief shot of grain and the mere suggestion of (possibly German) hop flavor and bitterness. The fact that 8.6 IBUs can even be perceived gives some indication of the shortage of malt sugars. The finish is crisp, clean and refreshing. Just as designed, no doubt.

The mouthfeel isn't too shabby, considering. It close to watery, without quite getting there, and has a lightly stinging amount of carbonation that adds a little life to the proceedings. Again, negatives and positives effectively cancel one another out.

With the exception of Brass Knuckles Oatmeal Stout (which is a classic version) Barley Island beer is average to... pretty good. Flat Top Wheat is okay for what it is, but the brewery needs to do a little something different if they want to get beer geeks excited. Having said that, if Hoosiers are happy, and if sales are good, why mess with success?

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2008 12:41:17 | More by BuckeyeNation

jwc215

New Jersey

3.15/5  rDev +5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to jcwattsrugger for bringing this one back from Indiana for me!

Pours straw yellow with a thin white head that becomes a vanishing swirl.

The smell is of mild dough and slightly tangy wheat. Smells like a run-of-the mill American Pale Wheat Ale.

The taste is pretty much the same - some dough with a mild tang. Crisp and clean. Finishes with a touch of sweetness.

Light-bodied with efffervescent carbonation.

Nothing "off", but nothing much separates this from a typical/average wheat beer. It's a "lawn-mower" refreshing enough summer American wheat, that's about it.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2008 20:04:51 | More by jwc215

cnally

Indiana

3.03/5  rDev +1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Lots of carbonation in this one. I could mistake it for a Miller Lite. Very straw-orange color with plenty of floating particles. Oh yeah, that's right--this is a wheat. Fruity aroma full of apricot. The taste continues on the apricot trend--also I am sensing unripened peach and a slighly bitter citrus. Pretty fizzy effect on the tongue. I am not sure that this is a keeper.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2008 03:37:29 | More by cnally

JamesS

Indiana

3.88/5  rDev +29.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Came to the table a nice gold color, with very little head but some nice lacing for a wheat beer. It had a crisp straw/malt scent, very sweet. Taste was refreshing, sweet, and malty, with almost no citrus hints as in most wheat beers. Very smooth! Well worth a try.

Serving type: on-tap

07-03-2008 18:57:07 | More by JamesS

brewdlyhooked13

Ohio

3.05/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - basic pale lager color with the initial pour. The swirl and pour adds some haze and a few chunks. Bubbly, spritzy head is gone with little event.

Aroma - a general, slightly vague wheaty sweetness that depicts the style, but only in a general sense.

Taste - easy, sweetened grainy base with little depth but it's not bad. A trace of yeast, very clean taste profile for all its blandness. Finishes as it started - unassuming.

Mouthfeel - on the gassier side, but for the style it's a good fit. Some smoothness helps too.

Drinkability - for a quiet little beer, it has its appeal for a session brew.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2008 03:55:21 | More by brewdlyhooked13