312 Urban Wheat - Goose Island Beer Co.

hero27

Iowa

3.7/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Served on-tap @ Mulligan's in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

"312" is the area code of Goose Island's brewery, and I noticed the tap handle was a phone receiver..pretty cool.. everywhere else I've seen it, it's just been a yellow handle with 312 on it.

Hazy yellow color with a small, foamy head..actually leaves nice patterns of lacing on the pint glass. Citrusy aroma and lingering hops. Soft, dry mouthfeel with typical wheat qualities. The wheat character gives this a nice mouthfeel and, while having a fairly light body, it is a solid offering from Goose Island. Very easy to drink and a great fallback, as it's served on-tap at many places in my area.

Serving type: on-tap

10-30-2005 23:51:12 | More by hero27

TastyTaste

Minnesota

2.6/5  rDev -24.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: Pale yellow color, hazy, with lots of visible carbonation. Head is large after an aggresive pour.

Smell: Light lemony citrus, a mild maltiness, that is about it.

Taste: Light and malty, citursy, and slightly grassy, but the hop finish is good.

Mouthfeel: Fairly flat for a wheat ale, not very good, needs more carbonation.

Drinkability: I'd say skip it, there are many more better, crisper, and refreshing Pale Wheat Ales out there.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2005 23:43:31 | More by TastyTaste

karst

Missouri

3.68/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From the tap @ Clybourn St. Brewpub Goose Island Chicago

Pours an unfiltered bright straw yellow with 2-3 fingered head and strong beading.

Aroma of grain and floral hops similar to Bell's Oberon. Flavors are fruity ale yeast - lightly citrus maybe some melon flavors. Light spicing helps the finish stay clean. Pale barley malt (Beriss?) and torrified Am. wheat yeild a light medium body and thin mouthfeel helped by higher CO2 level.

I am finding this much more enjoyable that my first try. Still prefer Gumballhead's premium malt body and more extreme hopping.

I owed it to the brewers to give this a second review.

Serving type: on-tap

10-10-2005 18:41:17 | More by karst

cokes

Wisconsin

3.1/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Smudged chartreuse topped with 2" of fresh-fallen snow, and given motion with the frantic, larged bubbles of tornadic carbonation.
Blandly scented of oatmeal, crusty breads, and summer sidewalks, and about 10,000 other American Wheats.
Begins with a curt saltine dryness, that evaporates into a sloggy doughiness of wheat. Then it rides out just straddling that line, too fucking complacent and lazy to move one way or another. Lighty crispy, lighty doughy. Fully bland. And entirely unmotivated.
For extra-crossover appeal, it's even given that scab-scratching meth-head franticness and general emaciation of body that is prominent in most macros.
This is certainly drinkable, and largely inoffensive, just so long as you shut your brain off prior to the first sip.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2005 04:43:18 | More by cokes

Winter

Wisconsin

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

Pours a hazy golden yellow in color with a soapy white head that flattens to a thin surface covering. Wheat malt, spicy hops with a touch of baked pretzels on the nose. Sharp crispness upfront, followed by a rich smooth mouthfeel. Wheat malt flavor combine with a mild lemony bitterness. Some fruitiness midway. Taste turns spicy toward the finish. Overall, a very drinkable summer brew. Easily drinkable, yet at the same time, forgettable.

In some aspects, 312 Urban Wheat seems to have been created for the masses. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it seems to lack any real flavor characteristics. It reminds me a lot, although the style is different, to beers such as New Glarus Spotted Cow and Lakefront's Cattail Ale. The later being a more recent example of a beer catered to appeal to those who normally drink bland American lagers. Again, this doesn't take anything away from the beer, I just seem to get the sense that Goose Island was trying to create a summer entry or lawnmower beer for someone who typically would enjoy a BMC product. And if that's what turns a person like that on to better beer, than so be it. I'm sure that wasn't their intention when crafting this, but they may have hit that market in the process.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2005 02:36:10 | More by Winter

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.85/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

So strange to see this beer "retired", as I'd just bought it, and never heard of it. Our local distributor doesn't like adding the number of beers they carry from a brewery like Goose Island, so I could only get it in the pub pack.

And, I've put away the pint glass I was going to use, as the box urged to employ correct glassware, and I always obey the box. Into a Weihenstephaner weiss glass you go!

Hazed, straw yellow look, big, booming head, commands the top of the glass, but assuredly simmers down.

Aroma: soft, spicy, citric. Banana and lemon on top, creamy underneath...nice.

Nice in the taste, too. Soft and mellow, fruit and light spices. Delightfully flavorful, and terrifically quenching. Very downable, light and easy, delicate in flavor, but tasty as heck.
Reminds me a bit of Oberon, without the funky yeast.
If that silly distributor would have let me pick this up in a 6-pack, I surely would have gone through plenty over the summer.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2005 02:59:35 | More by feloniousmonk

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

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

Sun-weathered maize with a summer blizzard of fine yeasties. The head, which resembles vanilla cotton candy, displays a remarkable amount of persistence given its apparent airiness. Unfortunately, a lack of tackiness means almost no lace makes its way to the glass.

It's hard for beer of this style to stand out, especially where the nose is concerned. The way to do it, as Three Floyds has proven, is to add a significant amount of distinctive hops (that is, ones I like) to the brew kettle. In Gumballhead's case that means Amarillo and in 312's case that means Cascade. This beer is much less enthusiastically hopped. Still though, the clean, bright grapefruitiness of the Cascade is noticeable over the malted barley and the wheat.

On the palate it's a different story. The citrusy hoppiness is now more prominent and puts 312 up there with the small handful of truly good APWAs that I've tasted. It's still recognizable as a wheat beer, and is exquisitely balanced, but the zing of lemon and grapefruit peel gives it that something extra that allows the word bland to be discarded without a second thought. Sometimes I think 'American wheat' and 'bland' are synonyms.

The amount of flavor, while never monstrous, doesn't decline precipitously on the finish, but lingers for a while. Nor does the quality of the flavor degrade on the finish or as the beer warms. 312 Urban Wheat is light and airy in the mouth, suiting its purposes as a quenching summer beer exceptionally well.

In case anyone is interested, 312 refers to the telephone area code for the Goose Island brewery. It seems to me the folks at GI have achieved what they set out to achieve with this beer. That is, to give an often lackluster style a kick in the ass with Cascade hops and to give the lawnmower beer category a quality newcomer. Mission accomplished on both counts.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2005 13:41:54 | More by BuckeyeNation

Xadoor

Texas

3.63/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours the usual yellow colour of a wheat which almost matches the label. Only a slight haziness in the glass. Definitly a strong wheat flavour and aroma with a slight lemony finish. Fairly thin mouthfeel and relatively low carbonation. A decent wheat but rather bland. Refreshing on a hot day, perhaps as the first beer after coming in from the heat before moving on.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2005 14:25:15 | More by Xadoor

DrJay

Massachusetts

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

Straw yellow with a slight haziness and a rocky, bright white head. Lemon citrus and wheat dominate the aroma and flavour, along with a bit of hop character. Subdued bitterness with some malty sweetness as well. Short, balanced finish with some dryness. Creamy texture with moderate carbonation and a lightish body. Nice flavour, light and drinkable. Great for the heat of summer. Thanks Viggo.

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2005 00:23:42 | More by DrJay

karengarys

Indiana

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

This pours the typical hazy light amberish-strawish color of summer brews. A little head appeared, and dissipated into a foamy island with a ring around it. The foam ring hardly sticks to the glass at all.

Smell is light - lemony, but faint.

Taste is a bit bland with a snap of lemon. A bit watery.

Mouthfeel is typical macro fizzy beer with slightly more retention - not a microbrew mouthfeel..

Finish is clean, but not too characteristic either. There is a bit of wetness on the back of the throat as it completes. No bad aftertaste.

This is worth experiencing if it is available, but I would not go out of my way for it, nor would I pay a premium price for it.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2005 20:55:12 | More by karengarys

Dithyramb

Maryland

4/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Purchased as a mix summer 12 pack. Best by 083105 clearly ink-jet labeled.
Pours a cloudy lemon yellow. Big fluffy egg shell head that has some medium retention, but nice lacing.
Lemon and citrus on the nose
Dry lemon wheat bread flavor, a bit light but very refreshing

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2005 03:46:37 | More by Dithyramb

livin4jc

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +25.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12oz Bottle from Archer Liquors, Chicago, Illinois
Apparence:
Rich golden color. Very impressed on the color. It is transparent but cloudy. You can tell clearly that it is unfiltered. The beer is quite carbonated and you can see a lot of bubbles even after letting it sit.
Aroma:
The 312 Urban Wheat has a distinct aroma. While it is not strong and overpowering, it is quite rich in wheat flavors with some citrus smells.
Taste:
It is very tasteful and I feel has a rich wheat taste with a hint of citrus - almost like a hint of lemon....mmmm good. It is more pronounced than other wheat beers I've had such as Boulevard and Bell's Oberon.
Mouthfeel:
Smooth, and clear. The carbination perks my taste buds up and feels like it is leaving my mouth clean and refreshed!
Drinkability:
Very refreshing. A good wheat beer and not overpowering. With the carbination, which I feel it has just the right amount, it almost goes down like a light beer (easy and refreshing) but has the richness of a medium bodied beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2005 02:03:11 | More by livin4jc

Bierguy5

Ohio

3.58/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pale golden/straw color. Slightly hazy. Thick white foamr head shrinks quickly, but a decent rocky head remains for a fair period of time. Slight citrusy nose, other pale smells like that of a lager, or adjunct. Slightly tart and acidic, grainy finish. Not much hop bitterness or flavor here. Light body, good amount of carbonation. Refreshing, but not very exciting. More hop character might do this some good.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2005 21:58:03 | More by Bierguy5

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

Dogbrick

Ohio

3.05/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Darkover for the trade. Apparently wheat doesn’t grow too well in urban areas. Hazy yellow-gold color with a thin white head and scant lacing. The aroma is faintly wheaty with a touch of malt. Light-bodied with a slick mouthfeel. Tastes like a cross between a Wheat and an Adjunct Lager. Mild wheat, hops and corn are the prevalent flavors. The finish is crisp and lightly hoppy and fruity. Not bad really, it just doesn’t need to be this bland.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2005 01:59:47 | More by Dogbrick

Ricochet

Ohio

2.48/5  rDev -27.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

App: Little cloudy, but less so that other wheats, avg carb bubbles and filtered clean A little less than average for a wheat.
Smell: Didn't really make an opinion of this from the smell. Only a faint fruity smell and a little on the sweet side.
Mouth: A little better than average. Creamier than most. With this and smell/app , I would compare this to a cream ale more than a wheat.
Taste: Disappointing. I don't know if the other wheat beers I've had are a different style of wheat , but this was bland. It had a slight fruit flavor, and it wasn't raw like lagers, but otherwise, I didn't find anything that would make me get this again.
Drinkability: I drank it with no problem and it wasn't intolerable, so average, but there are other/better wheats out there.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2005 03:37:27 | More by Ricochet

bditty187

Nebraska

3.75/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Insipid clear gold-yellow in hue until I swirled the yeast into the glass, the liquid become cloudy and this improved the appearance of the liquid greatly. The head is white in color; at its highest point the foam was a tad over a finger in height. Head retention was solid; it faded to a fizzy cap of respectable size in a few moments. Lacing was spotty but widespread enough to be notable. Overall, this beer looks featureless in regards to color but above-average head retention and lacing leave a favorable impression.

Simplicity speaking the nose is both hoppy and wheaty. Specifically speaking the bouquet is citrusy with lemon bread/cake, yeasty (raw), with a modest jelly-like fruitiness on lightly toasted bread. The nose is not complex but it is not boring like many American Wheat beers (for example, Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat). Reserved potency, at best. I really respect the nose; it is inviting but it is still nothing extraordinary.

The palate is blessed with firm bitterness, this stops it from being too soft and mushy, this seems to happen with yeasty American Wheats. There is moderate tartness in the middle. Citrusy hops. Lemon bread. Wheaty. This is a classy, friendly American Wheat. Uncomplicated but this is a damn good beer for a hot summer day. Obviously that was GI’s objective… mission accomplished (and I don’t think I’m speaking too soon).

Medium/medium-light in body, the carbonation is moderate and fitting for the flavor profile. I find the mouthfeel to be a tickle too thin but it is workable. I feel this beer is best to fly solo but if needed, I could drink this with pancakes at brunch.

Tasty. Simple. Drinkable. I like this beer, I wouldn’t seek it out but the three (and then six) bottles I acquired, as part of the Summer Sampler(s), will find a good home, first in the DBF and then my belly. Purchased in Omaha. Decent. Need not avoid.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2005 01:18:38 | More by bditty187

maxpower

Missouri

3.1/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Cloudy, hazy yellow color, with a huge white frothy and sticky head that stays around for awhile. This has citrus and wheat aromas, light wheaty, and some lemon flavor, medium in body, nice soft and creamy mouthfeel, has a nice clean and refreshing finish, a bit on the bland side.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2005 00:11:14 | More by maxpower

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

HoboAGoGo

Indiana

2.48/5  rDev -27.9%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

On tap at The Empty Bottle. I saw the cool phone tap handle and saw that it was a wheat, so, why not. Poured a very light yellow body with a small head. Smell of floral hops, some wheat acidity and that's about it. Taste was light, almost sparse. Some tartness, more floral hops than anything else, slight fruit.
Not impressed with you at all, watery beer.

Serving type: on-tap

05-02-2005 06:31:54 | More by HoboAGoGo

Tballz420

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev +9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This brew is a somewhat hazy lighter gold/straw color, small white head at the crown. Light wheat brew smell, not much going on (i got a cold, take the grain of salt). Light malt front, fairly sweet. Light floral hop presence. Wheaty characteristics, not as intense as a hefe, quite refreshing and quaffable. While i would prefer a hefe to this, this is one of those beers that you could drink by the pool by the case. Excellent refreshing summer brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2005 03:08:13 | More by Tballz420

Brent

Kentucky

2.63/5  rDev -23.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

This is the first bottled Goose Island to let me down. Poured a beautiful hazy gold. Initial flavor is a lemony, citric tartness. Nothing of much consequence follows up on the citric front, sort of a case of waiting for the other shoe to drop, and it never does. Finish is a neutral astringency. Yeast appears to contribute nothing much but cloudyness. Normally, I'd assign a tart, reserved wheat such as this to the "good on a hot summer day" category, but this falls short of delivering that sort of refreshment. Just too shallow in the flavor profile to make me want another.

Serving type: on-tap

04-25-2005 20:17:26 | More by Brent

merlin48

Kentucky

3.78/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle from the brewery's summer sampler box. Served into a tall weizen glass, the body is a hazed, lemonade yellow with a one finger white head that retains well and leaves good patchy lace. Aroma is subdued, with citrusy lemon, grainy wheat, and a hint of noble hops. Mouthfeel is light medium bodied with spritzy carbonation. Taste is lemon zest, grainy wheat, mild coriander and white pepper spices, and some restrained grassy and herbal hopping. Clean and crisp. This is a laid back, easy going, beer that is user friendly. Excellent drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2005 22:15:56 | More by merlin48

granger10

Wisconsin

3.58/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I had this at Charlie's Ale House in Munster, Indiana for $2.50/pint. Nice deal and a good starter imo. This beer has a golden glow to it with a nice fluffy white head that holds well. Lacing is moderate. A few bubbles show themselves in the transparent bronze body. Aroma is a bit weak to me as most wheats have a weak aroma but I notice a clean pale malt flavor and some bready notes, but not much. Flavor is just a nice clean wheat backed by a solid hop bitterness to even out the sweetness. Yeast flavor is a bit on the low side but it provides a drying effect. Good lively body really helps this beer in drinkability and the finish is nice and crisp. Nothing spectacular but definitely a nice drinker and a beer that one could have quite a few of no prob.

Serving type: on-tap

04-17-2005 00:29:08 | More by granger10

Star80

Illinois

3.73/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Sampled on tap last night at Jet on Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago. Served in a tall 312 glass and had a cloudy gold appearance, looked like a German HefeWeizen. Smell was fruity, with banana esters. Quite nice. Tasted vanilla, banana, and some American hop bitterness. Don't recall much clove or spiciness but overall very quaffable. Mouthfeel was about right; sorta thin like most Goose Island brews. I will definitely be drinking more!

Serving type: on-tap

04-16-2005 20:46:45 | More by Star80