Solace - Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

illidurit

California

3.4/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Cloudy gold pour with a wispy white head. Aroma is sweet and fruit-salady, mainly banana with a candied citrus note. Smooth wheaty palate with a refreshing citric twang and the odd watermelon seed note. Drinkable and quenching, maybe a bit on the watery side. A nice warm-weather beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2011 21:04:13 | More by illidurit

benclimbs

California

3.2/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

pours very light with zero head and a slight bit of lacing...

smell is nice, all yeasty and wheaty with some spice and fruit...pleasant for the style

taste is ok, a little yeasty...some spice, some bananas and some wierd sweet skunk...very sweet in fact.

feel is a bit on the light side

overall this is a nice beer, very drinkable but a bit too sweet

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2011 02:16:37 | More by benclimbs

notchucknorris

California

2.75/5  rDev -25.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A: Looks good. Very hazy orange/brown color that seems to glow in the glass. Reminded me of Sanctification a bit looks-wise.

S: Characteristic hef yeast, banana, some sort of melon which I eventually thought was cantaloupe and some honey.

T: And here's where it goes wrong for me. Starts with wheaty/hef taste and then goes to a creamy finish with some orange, honey and spice. The problem is that it's way over-carbonated. The flavors are subtle and it feels like this beer would have a lot to offer if the carbonation didn't blast all the flavor off your tongue. So much potential but not that great in the end.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2011 15:08:58 | More by notchucknorris

dbmernin83

California

3.88/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

In the upper echelon of wheat beers with Sierra Nevada Kellerweisse and Bell's Oberon. A spicy, yeasty brew with soft complimenting fruitiness and slight hops for balance. Thank you Firestone for showing the public that wheat beers can be interesting. I will definitely return to this during the hotter months.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2011 03:44:42 | More by dbmernin83

madvermin

California

3.95/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a nice clear tan yellow/gold with a decent amount of white foamy head that dissipated quickly and left a little bit of lacing.

Smells of tropical fruit, namely jackfruit, wheaty malt, and a light aroma of banana.

Taste has a lot of banana and tropical fruity flavors, though not jackfruit in the taste. Very rich tasting beer, full bodied and creamy in texture, which is delicious. Hops and citrus help keep this beer from being too creamy. The clove and other spices are evident as the beer is swallowed.

Carbonation produces a light tingle when first sipped, but isn't really present otherwise. Highly drinkable beer, as the finish is crisped by the hops that are there. Well balanced, tasty wheat beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2011 23:32:30 | More by madvermin

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

4.15/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine Issue #40 (May 2010):

Rather taking a well-traveled path, Firestone Walker is paving a new one by overlapping beer styles. Part German Wheat and part Saison, which is great as standard summer Wheats are aplenty these days. Typical hazed orange color with good head retention, check. The aroma beats expectations with well-rounded malt, floral hops and a mild, yeasty nutti- ness. Very smooth, with a fluffy, moderate-size body. Lots of malt to go around; toasty and malty with a quick kiss of sweetness. Hops lay down a balancing bitterness while the yeast and acidulated malt provide a refreshing twang in the drying finish.

Why just a summer seasonal? The brewer surely knows this rivals many of the well- known Wheat Ales. Firestone raises the bar for Wheat Ales everywhere.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2011 02:35:10 | More by BeerAdvocate

1759Girl

California

3.45/5  rDev -6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 1 | overall: 3

Appearance> Looks pretty average. Pours golden yellow with a nice frothy white head. However, it is more lively than others and the bubbles are very big, like a softdrink. Slight lacing. Not much head retention.

Smell>Smells great. Wet hops and farm scents.

Taste>Nice. Well balanced. Goes between hops and berries and some maltiness in the finish. Really enjoy the taste. Shame the mouf is killing my enjoyment.

Mouf> Far too carbonated. Instead of frolicking around my tongue, I feel like it is attacking it. It's like a bad date.

Drink>Probably couldn't have much of this. Sad face.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2010 01:43:07 | More by 1759Girl

flexabull

California

3.63/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From notes.

Pours a bright gold color with a faint white head.

Nose has a pretty strong honey presence. There are also some cream, and hard candies in there as well.

Taste is creamy, sweet, with that hard candy aspect also there in flavors. The beer has a definite thick feel, honey like, with a citrus lemon like zing on the finish.

Mouthfeel is pretty good. Nice and thick, smooth too.

Drinkability is good. A nice refreshing beverage. Strikes me as being a good gateway to craft beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2010 19:28:22 | More by flexabull

largadeer

California

3.1/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 oz stubby bottled on 06/08/10.

Cloudy, yeasty blond in my glass. An inch of head forms initially, but it settles away to nothing more than a thin crown.

The nose is citrusy, tropical, wheaty, rather sweet with a honey-like presence and a touch of banana.

The flavors closely resemble the aroma; yeasty spice, citrus and wheat malt are prominent. There's a bit of grainy astringency and a light peppery kick, but not much in the way of bitterness. The finish leaves some lingering banana and spice on the tongue, along with an odd astringent harshness that becomes wearying after half a bottle.

Pretty boring beer overall. Not necessarily bad, but decidedly mediocre.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2010 03:38:41 | More by largadeer

Gobzilla

California

3.95/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured a murky golden orange with yellow highlights that had a thin head and left a little lacing sticking to the glass. The aroma really had a big wheat character with banana, clove spice, slight citrus and bready malty notes. Upfront on the palate the maltiness stike first that did mesh quite well with the banana and clove spice flavors but also had slight citrus accents. The brew was medium in body with a fair amount of carbonation which had a sweet slight citric but bready grainy malt finish. It drank alright but not great and was pretty tasty. I could probably drink 2 12oz but that's it. Good offering from firestone;good job.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2010 19:01:39 | More by Gobzilla

industrialswill

Washington

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

I've got nothing bad to say...it's all good.
Appearance is as you would expect of an unfiltered ale.
The head, [which I could not care less about] sits as it should at the top of the glass. I will wait for it to turn back into beer so I can enjoy it. Another reason for drinking straight from the bottle.
Aroma is very, very, very, much like that of beer! WoooHooo!!
Actually, the aroma is fairly intense.
I love the flavor, could not care less what the officionados think about it, this is very good beer. Let's not make false pretense with a bunch of over analytic Bull Shit...it's a good beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2010 01:38:59 | More by industrialswill

mdfb79

New York

3.48/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a tulip.

a - Pours a orange-golden color that is somewhat murky. Pours an inch of white head that leaves quickly annd high carbonation evident.

s - Smells of grain, bready malts, and wheat. Also has some musty, earthy malts to it.

t - Tastes of fruity malts, bananas and tropical fruit, hint of citrus, cloves, and wheat.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation. Pretty easy to drink.

d - A pretty easy drinking pale ale. I would have liked more fruit in the smell and less musty/earthy tones, but the taste made up for it. Could definitely drink a few of these. Would give another shot.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2010 21:04:07 | More by mdfb79

irishgurl4

California

3.75/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Firestone Walker shaker pint glass, Solace pours a hazy yellow-orangey-pale brown with a slight white head that dissipates quickly and leaves no lacing. Aroma is very slight but some agitation and warming yields a mild fruitiness. Definitely an American Wheat. Taste is fruity, but not overly, with no real hop bitterness. Aftertaste is kinda earthy. Mouthfeel is crisp and brisk across the tongue. With such a light body and mild flavor, but still packing a decent 6% abv, this beer is highly drinkable and would make a great summer in the backyard beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2010 01:24:34 | More by irishgurl4

philbertk

Washington

3/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

3 oz. Tast @ Portland, Oregon Spring Beer & Wine Fest April 3rd, 2010. 6.0% ABV. 15 IBU's. Foamy cloudy darkish lemon gold color. Wheat ester front. Odd citrus wheat fruit ester body. Clean banana Hefe slightly too sweet fruity end. (3.0 / 5.0)

Firestone Walker Brewing Company solace--Craftily Unfiltered Ale--Limited Release 2010--12 oz. Bottle. 6.00% ABV. 15 IBU's. (3.75 / 5.0) Wheat Ale--Foamy mild lace white head. Clear bright orange gold color hazes creamy orange with rich sediment. Light floral wheat ester citrus clove hop hint front. Tangy dry sweet creamy malty wheat mild fruit delicate spice smooth refreshing body. Dry citrus end. Sampled. 8/19/2010. 6- Pack--$9.49.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2010 06:15:21 | More by philbertk

gtn80

Maine

3.68/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Obtained through a trade with StarRaptor. Poured from bottle into Guinness tulip glass.

Smell was pretty weak, definitely can tell it's a wheat beer through the aroma, but not a ton of aroma coming through.

Looks orangy yellow, cloudy due to being an unfiltered wheat.

The normal weizen tastes are there, banana & clove, but not in a typical German weissbeir way. Tastes almost citrusy, light.

Mouthfeel is good, silky smooth. Lost it's head quickly, but light and carbonated.

Drinkability is great, even at 6%. Great summer beer, hot weather is perfect for this beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2010 00:05:40 | More by gtn80

dfbvFBFBDFBDFbVb

California

3.75/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Not a huge fan of wheat beers and to be honest didnt know this was one when I bought it. Really like the flavor of this beer as it's got a distinct flavor that I dont find in any other weizens around. At %6 it's pretty worthy and very drinkable at that. Has become a regular pick up and turned me around on good wheat beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2010 03:29:00 | More by dfbvFBFBDFBDFbVb

Pardishcreel

California

2.88/5  rDev -21.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

The appearance is and orange opaque beer that is cloudy with a decent head on it.

The smell here is weak you get a little wheat, but its very minimal.

The first thing that I thought of when i tasted this beer was that it was light and watery. The was a fruity flavor to it though, it was banana orangy. Then it dissipated to watery.

As for the drinkability of this beer this is something I could drink on hot days, all day, because its not bad and its not going to feel you up, and you most likely wont get sick of the flavor, or lack there of.

Firestone I always want to like all there beers cause there brewery is 30 minutes from my house. This one just wasn't what they can do. Advice is if this is you first firestone try the double barrel its a much better beer.

Serving type: on-tap

08-11-2010 04:34:08 | More by Pardishcreel

PintOHops

California

4.08/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Glass - Pint

A - A hazy orange/yellow brew with a 2-finger head that held decently before dissipating into a thin lace atop the beer. It held that same thin lace for awhile & dissipated further into a ring but left no lacing.

S - A typical American Wheat aroma, yeasty with bubble gum, soft banana, muted clove. Wheat with a soft malted barley and orange fruit. It's a nice refreshingly inviting aroma.

T - A very flavorful brew with lots of orange & lemony citrus cutting through the wheat & yeast throughout. Soft banana/orange/zests and clove middle to end, and it finishes with a noticeable hop flavor and clove on the finish. Just enough bitterness to balance.

M - Smooth & creamy with a nice medium-full body. Moderate crispness.

D - This is probably the most flavorful American Wheat Ive had! Flavors are awesome & thirst quenching, a few of these would be great with fish or chicken. Very drinkable & highly recommended. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2010 22:28:13 | More by PintOHops

JosiahS

California

4.2/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

g: Pint

a: Typical hazy golden orange color. Nice 1-2 finger white head, very uniformed. Minimal lacing.

s: Initial, wheat grain aroma. Getting past that, i get coriander bubblegum and lemon. Super soft cracker. That's about it.

t: Noticeably more flavorful that some other american wheats i've had, which is refreshing. Very juicy, mango-orange flavor, nice light citrus hop throughout. It still has the coriander and bubblegum as well. Finishes clean.

m: Medium, juicy mouthfeel with relatively low carbonation.

d: One of the better wheats i've had so far, very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2010 22:23:58 | More by JosiahS

Nerudamann

Arizona

3.1/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Look - golden/hay color. Not a lot of foam at all, good carbonation though.

Smell - a little on the worty side. Maybe a little floral essence, some spices.

Taste - spicy (not hot) in taste too, but all around very balanced.

Mouthfeel - Slightly creamy, but still light in feel.

Drinkability - A very unimposing beer. Not really a good conversation starter, but good enough in and of itself. Easy to come back to.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2010 04:19:33 | More by Nerudamann

Lothore

California

3.88/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Pours a cloudy orange hue with little to no head.

S- Banana, apricot, hints on wheat.

T- Lots of wheat, smooth banana and light fruit with a malty backbone.

M- Medium viscosity and carbonation.

D- This is a great, refreshing summer beer. Not one that I would drink everyday but its a nice change of pace.

Serving type: on-tap

07-23-2010 02:04:57 | More by Lothore

DoubleJ

California

3.78/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Firestone Walker has a new wheat ale on the block! Because it is a FW product, I expect good things. On to the beer:

It's slightly cloudy with a dark yellow color to it. The head is showing good retention, a little lacing, and a creamy texture. Malted wheat sweetness and a hint of banana and gum in the nose. There's something to it.

So is this a hefeweizen or a pale wheat ale? It's like both in the same beer. Quite a strong taste for the style. Orange banana bubblegum with a dash of clove is the best way to describe the taste. The aftertaste is a littel sweet with shredded wheat flavor. It's light medium carbonated with a medium heaviness.

Success. Firestone Walker has created an American Wheat Ale that's worth a damn, and worth at least a six-pack purchase for the summer.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2010 05:56:58 | More by DoubleJ

EgadBananas

Louisiana

3.6/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Hazy copper in color, with a big white head that fades rapidly. No lacing.

Smells of faint metal and orange.

Tastes citrus sweet, with a slight grainy quality. It's actually rather tasty and refreshing.

This is close to medium bodied, with a slight creaminess. It's very pleasant.

Above average drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2010 02:58:26 | More by EgadBananas

spoons

California

3.43/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours a cloudy, pale, yellow orange color.

Smells a little like bananas and yeast, some sweetness. It tastes pretty much how it smells, some sweetness. Mouthfeel is pretty highly carbonated.

Its not my favorite for sure but I might not mind drinking these on a hot day, but thats about it.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2010 18:48:10 | More by spoons

HalfFull

California

3.58/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a pint glass. Pours a slightly hazy deep pale straw in color and sports a thin hard fought cap of foam. Retention is bit brief.

Nose or wheat and barley with a touch of lemony hop. Yeast notes expand with warming to offer a touch of funk and light pear notes.

Flavor carries forward the wheat influence and is somewhat sweet of lemon, particularly given the light carbonation which seems at odds to the rest of the six pack. Offers a smooth feel and finish with a nice touch of spice on the close and a long citric finish.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2010 06:44:48 | More by HalfFull