312 Urban Wheat - Goose Island Beer Co.

Gavage

New Jersey

3.98/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: golden yellow in color with a 1" head that falls apart quickly. Some spots of lace develop during the session.

Smell: banana, a nice spiciness, and wheat and grass tones are easy to detect.

Taste: wheat and grass tones are a bit grainy. There is some soft banana and other spices detectable. A mild bitterness rounds it out. Refreshing flavors IMHO.

Mouthfeel: crisp throughout. Almost a clean aftertaste. Lighter in body.

Drinkability: a nice summertime beer that quenches your thirst even thought there is a bit of graininess in the body. Nice beer to have on tap minus the lemon.

Serving type: on-tap

07-08-2007 17:58:54 | More by Gavage

jwc215

New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours pale straw yellow with a thin white head. Some lacing sticks.

The smell is mild - some bread, a hint of orange peel, stlight lemongrass.

The taste is VERY mild. Water, some bread and a slight orange and lemon peel/ Thin finish.

It is watery. The mild carbonation saves it from a lower score, in that at least it is not thin and fizzy. Just thin, even for the style.

other than some bread, plenty of water and very mild hint of orange and lemon, not much here. It's pretty much your run-of-the-mill pale wheat ale.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2012 00:53:26 | More by jwc215

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap in the pub at O'Hare.

This beer appears a slightly hazy pale yellow colour, with one finger of pillow-like white head, which leaves some draped lace around the glass in its wake. It smells of mild wheat grain, citrus, spice, and earthy yeast. The taste is nice semi-sweet wheat malt, white pepper, mild citrus, and more subtle yeast. The carbonation is on the low side of average, the body medium weight and smooth. It finishes clean, yet with a decent heft - grain and spice fleshing things out.

For a style that normally leaves me looking to the next one, this is actually quite good - refreshing, enjoyable, and easy to drink.

Serving type: on-tap

09-28-2011 20:52:50 | More by biboergosum

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A 12 oz bottle purchased at Joseph's Beverage Center in Toledo, OH.

A: The ale is pale, a straw color with just a touch of haze throughout. Not much to speak of head-wise.

S: Aroma-wise, the ale is light, slightly tart with a citrusy lemon edge.

T: Wow. The first sip really caught me off guard with its solid flavor. The grains are the star of the show. The wheat is light, mildly tart, and supported by pale barley. A lemon-pepper zest appears midway through to freshen up the flavor.

M: Great lawnmower beer, malt and wheat and not a lot of booze. The lightness is a real treat.

D: I could sip on these all day long or pound them long into the night. A very approachable session ale.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2008 21:59:29 | More by akorsak

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.05/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Picked up a single at the Party Source in Syracuse. Bottled in September according to the label. The appearance is a pale hazy yellow with a short white head. This is basically a low-flavor summer beer. There's a little lemon and mild wheat bread, but it's otherwise very clean. It's probably good stadium beer. It's completely inoffensive and probably great on a hot sweaty day, I just wouldn't want to buy this.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2009 22:09:02 | More by tempest

WVbeergeek

Ohio

3.13/5  rDev -9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appears hazy pale golden with a large foaming bright white head, leaves behind speckled lacing. Aroma sharp wheat notes mild grassy wheat note definitely an American Pale wheat I don't get why the bottle states it's so important to pour into a tall glass. Flavor is pretty bland yeast gives bread notes wheat gives a mild acidity, and there's really no citrus just a smooth flow of malt and wheat sweetness with that tartness to balance it out. Mouthfeel is smooth with some spritzy carbonation noted on the palate, light bodied refreshing overall. Drinkability is easy going definitely a summer time beer one for hot balmy days.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2008 03:16:58 | More by WVbeergeek

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.4/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Since I hate wheat ales, I put off trying this for a long time. Nothing like a free tick to change that up.

I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. It certainly is smooth and consistent. But the wheat character is pretty mild and almost seems like a cross between a wheat ale and a blonde. Easy drinker, for sure. Not overly interesting. Though I am sure they were appealing to the easy drinking mass market.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2013 20:41:13 | More by RblWthACoz

smcolw

Massachusetts

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

Properly cloudy with a greenish tinted gold color. Fluffy head that dies to a thin layer of fine bubbles. Moderate initial lace.

Mild aroma--notable wheat, light hop.

The taste is as expected, definitely a middle-of-the-road wheat ale. High level of carbonation leaves the beer feeling thinner than some wheats. No errors, but no complexity either. A good baseline wheat beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2010 17:34:09 | More by smcolw

Wasatch

Utah

3.38/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A trade from jhammerly. Pours a cloudy yellowish color, nice carbonation, head quickly disappates, basically no lacing afterwards. Scents of malts, hops, wheat, yeast, and some citrus. The taste is grassy like with a dry finish. Light-Medium body. Drinkable, not a bad brew at all, would make an excellent summer time session brew.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2006 03:35:58 | More by Wasatch

jdhilt

New Hampshire

2.7/5  rDev -21.5%
look: 1 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Pours a one finger white head that vanishes, leaving no lace. Very pale, hazy yellow/green color. Light carbonation and very light bodied. Lemon nose. Flavor is more lemon than wheat some sweetness. Good session beer but needs more backbone. $1.95 for a 330ml bottle from Colonial Spirits Acton, Ma.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2010 22:27:25 | More by jdhilt

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.23/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

(Served in an American size weizen glass)

A- This beer pours a slight hazy golden yellow with a thin head of big bubbles and a strong carbonation.

S- light pale malt aroma with a faint yeasty bread smell.

T- nice spicy hop flavor almost pine flavor with a mild wheat flavor to follow. No clove or banana or spice flavors at all. Pretty clean flavor with an almost sweet honey malt note. It has some of the carbonic acid notes from strong cabonation.

M- Medium mouthfeel with no astringency or alcohol.

D-This is an average beer. None of the flavors really tell you its a wheat beer but they hops and grain are balanced flavors. It’s nice for someone who wants to switch from American adjunct lagers but I'm rather bored after drinking it. I had it on cask a few years ago and really liked it but in the bottle it’s dead.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2005 22:55:08 | More by rhoadsrage

Jason

Massachusetts

3.43/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 5 | overall: 3.5

12oz can w/ a packaged on date on the bottom of the can. Brewing in Baldwinsville, NY ... so this is the ABInbev brewed version that I had heard about last year.

LOOK: Golden yellow and hazy, thin bubbly lace sticks to the glass for a good enough show

SMELL: Bread crust, lemon pith, grassy, yeast, vegtal, herbal

TASTE: Very smooth, crisp bite, grainy, bready, dried grass, hop bitterness, lemony, neutral wheat, dry finish

Decent for what it is, there are clearly some other American Wheat Ales that are a few notches up. I'd still gladly order this if the selection looked dismal.

Serving type: can

04-05-2012 02:45:32 | More by Jason

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.38/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

Another one received in the large Goose Island sampler from AgentZero.

A: Pours with large airy head that disappears faster than the virginity of a teenager at the prom. Bright golden yellow color with an ominous glow and a metric shitton of haze. Lots of huge bubbles rise from the bottom of the glass but being so big they can't keep a head.

N: A lot of wheat that just dominates everything else. SOme very light grassy and citrus aromas and just a touch of sweet malt, perhaps some banana as well. Very light nose.

T: Starts pretty wheaty and light, some toasted earthy wheat quality that is different than I expected. Some light sweetness that is almost uncalled for. Touch of banana and a little more fruit taste, and almost a syrupy taste that goes a long with that sweetness.

M: Pretty light, lots of big bubbles but not very pleasant carbonation.

F: Finishes pretty dry surprisingly with the strange sweetnesses in the middle. The slight banana and fruit seems to linger a bit then changes to a nagging not so pleasant bitterness.

Final thoughts: All in all a very light and pretty refreshing beer. It's a little awkward with all the strange sweet flavors and some not so pleasant bitterness on the finish. The carbonation is huge bubbles and it's not so pleasant that way. But it does finish pretty dry and it's a very light beer so it would be a great thirst quenching summer beer, but that's about all it's good for... or a palate cleanser between beers with more taste.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2009 21:29:06 | More by jlindros

mdfb79

New York

3.35/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Had this on tap last weekend, served in a pint glass at some bar in DC.

a - Pours a hazy, pale straw yellow color with one inch of white head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of wheat, grains, bready malts, light floral hops, and veyr light spice. Pretty bland and pretty average.

t - Tastes of wheat, bready malts, grains, floral hops, citrus hops, lemon, spices, and light pepper. A little bit better then the nose.

m - Light to medium body more on the medium side and moderate carbonation. Pretty easy to drink.

o - Overall an average wheat beer. Nose is a bit bland thought the taste is better with some citrus to it. Easy to drink, but probably wouldn't have it again.

Serving type: on-tap

03-07-2012 17:36:11 | More by mdfb79

Zorro

California

3.38/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Sampled through Monsone and Brews N Tunes 3 BIF.

Poured to minimize yeast in the glass. Hazy yellow colored beer with a small white colored head.

Smell is sweet and bready with a herbal hop aroma and a lesser citrus and pine aroma. Citrus aroma intensifies as it warms mostly lemon.

The taste starts out malty with a distinct cracker flavor and a lesser citrus aftertaste. Adding yeast just makes the beer a little more grainy.

Mouthfeel is OK.

OK beer but not a great one. Think I will be reaching for any good lager before this one again.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2008 02:47:40 | More by Zorro

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

2.65/5  rDev -23%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

12 oz can into a Weizen glass.

Pours a clear pale gold, with several fingers of foamy white head. This maintains roughly a sudsy ½ finger or so, leaving behind sticky swathes of spotty lacing. The aroma smells grassy with a touch of citrus and spice. A bready sweetness sits along the back but this is mostly focusing on that light hop character here.

The taste is grassy bitterness and light citrus flavors, while a moderately flavorful wheat backing gives the hops some support. This is dry with a leafy bitterness on the finish. The mouthfeel is lighter to medium bodied with a mellow prickliness on the tongue that then gets more smooth and silky along the back.

I wanted to like this one more but man; this is a really average take on a Wheat beer that is just boring feeling at times. I’m not usually one to just come out and call a beer that either but this unfortunately was the only thought going through my brain as I drank this. Disappointing.

Serving type: can

08-06-2012 19:32:05 | More by Kegatron

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy yellow/amber, a pretty interesting colour. Big white head that goes away relatively quickly, little bit of lace. Has a malty smell with some lemon and maybe orange peel, not bad. Has a fruity taste up front with some hops and a little bitterness. Kind of a lemony zest there too without being sour. Very pleasant beer, low carbonation and very refreshing in the summer, good for sessioning.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2005 02:56:40 | More by Viggo

Bighuge

Minnesota

2.4/5  rDev -30.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Cloudy sun yellow body with particulates suspended in the media. Aroma is very tangy and citrusy and lemony. This beer is lifeless. And I thought the Island Wheat from Capital I just had was bland. Carbonation is slightly prickly. Body is barely medium. And the flavor in indescribable. Not a lot to talk about. A little of that lemon and citrus tang. Not a lot else. Watery. A disappointment.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2006 04:57:30 | More by Bighuge

corby112

Pennsylvania

2.93/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a slightly hazy, pale golden yellow color with a thin fizzy white head that immediately fades. Minimal lacing.

Slightly spicy aroma with lemon zest and citrus fruit as well as some bready yeast, clove and banana. Kind of bland.

Medium bodied with some soft carbonation up front along with some bready yeast, citrus fruit and zesty spice. Crisp with hints of lemon zest and citrus ring along with zesty clove and banana.

Overall this is a bland, boring beer with subtle flavors that are typical of the style.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2011 05:09:52 | More by corby112

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.39/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours super hazy, bright yellow, evident carbonation. Smell is grassy with the usual hefe lemon feel to it.

Tastes like it smells. Has a decent notion of hops for a wheat, and is kinda chewy. This is more of a substantial wheat, it isn't meant to just be light and breezy, there is some heft to the beer.

Mouthfeel grows, starts to take on other citrus flavors, keeps a degree of bitterness not usually associated w/ hefes. Quite drinkable, not at all boozy, good hot weather high humidity beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2009 06:42:13 | More by Beerandraiderfan

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

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

On tap at Midway airport yesterday.

The beer pours a solid gold color with quickly dissipating head and not much lacing. The nose is pretty much your standard Americal wheat beer aroma, with a hint of tart bitterness to go with the "wheatiness." The flavor profile replicates the nose in this very light, somewhat watery beer. Drinkability is pretty good I guess, though a bit more flavor and maybe an added spice or two would be nice.

Another so-so wheat beer. Just what the world needs more of. Mehhh...

Serving type: on-tap

04-03-2010 14:59:14 | More by johnmichaelsen

BlackHaddock

United Kingdom (England)

3.6/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

35.5cl bottle: BBD 27 Aug 2013. Poured into a 'Coors' Banquet flute at home on 2 Apr 2013.

Light golden hazy body with a full head of snow white bubbles on top, loads of carbonisation bubbles on the side of the glass and rising through the brew to replenish the head.

Lemon and other citrusy notes hit the nose, mixed with some yeastiness and hints of clove. Nothing overly strong, but combined they add up to an interesting aroma.

The taste follows the smell: citrus, yeasty, with some herb/spice characteristics to give the beer extra flavour.

I am not a big fan of wheat beers, or citrusy flavoured ales: this however blended the two nicely together and I quite enjoyed the experience.

Lively, crisp and refreshing: not bad at all, a summer drink though.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2013 18:50:42 | More by BlackHaddock

lacqueredmouse

Australia

2.35/5  rDev -31.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.5

12oz bottle purchased from Berkeley Bowl West in Berkeley, CA.

Pours a mildly hazed pale lemon yellow hue, with a reasonably frothy, messy head of white. Lacing is smudged in insect-like patterns. Body is extremely light and the carbonation streams through it at the speed of sound. I like the colour, and the haze is appropriate, but it does look like it's going to be a pretty light-on brew.

Nose is extremely weak. Faint wheaty grain characters and a slightly sweet lemon character, but very little else. Some crushed flour when it's swirled, and perhaps a slightly yeasty note: but not the pleasant phenols that would come from a German wheat beer yeast. This just smells dull and tired.

Taste is light and clean, but, hard to ignore it: dull. Faint carbonic bite, some very watered down lemon, and that's about it. It has about as much character as mineral water that has been in the same room as an uncut lemon.

Feel is light and empty, with a slight spritz from the carbonation.

Overall: it's sluggable, but it has so little flavour I wonder what's the point. I really don't want to say that there's only a minimal advantage in drinking this over Bud, but... I guess I just insinuated that anyway. Let's leave it at that.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2013 03:39:06 | More by lacqueredmouse

DoubleJ

California

4.08/5  rDev +18.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Getting that 312 feeling. From a 12 ounce bottle, on to the beer:

It's modestly cloudy with a somewhat paler yellow color in the body, only to be topped by a thick billowy white head which retains very well. Glops of lace hang around the glass as the beer level drops. The aroma smells almost like a spring day; there's a sweetness snap from crisp wheat, nicely played grasiness, and an edge of lemon.

312 Urban Wheat doesn't try to do too much. It's relatively simple, yet offers a great combination of refreshment and flavor while others of the style offer just the former. A snap of wheat hits and it brings along a lemon note too. Grass notes hit, and paired with the tight crisp carbonation makes for a great sensation.

It isn't often that I praise an American Pale Wheat Ale. With that in mind, it's even more impressive how I perceived 312 Urban Wheat. This is a definate pickup for warmer weather.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2013 00:19:52 | More by DoubleJ

wl0307

United Kingdom (England)

3.4/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Coming in a slim 355ml brown bottle, BB 06/06/2012, served chilled in a pilsner glass. Note: it's 4.4%abv. for this bottle.

A: pours a hazy dark yellow (honey-drink like) hue, coming with a short-lived off-white foam and fairly subdued carbonation.
S: pleasant, hinting at wheat malts and lager malts plus a touch of honey, sweet lemon, sweet guava and floral scent of German hops. Fairly light.
T: the effervescent foretaste is lightly sour in terms of maltiness/wheatiness, pairing with subtle hints of lemon cake, with a fairly clean palate in the end yet some random notes of hop bitterness do not go unnoticed.
M&D: overall the palate is light and refreshing, never too fizzy, against a medium body with a decent amount of sediments to add to the body; this is one of very few examples of “American Wheat Ale” I’ve tried, and by far the most balanced one, although I wouldn’t have the interest to try another bottle to be perfectly honest.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2011 20:01:05 | More by wl0307