Liplock Summer Wheat Ale - Nelson Brewing Company

vanrassel

Alberta (Canada)

2.9/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Why would I pay craft beer prices for this mediocrity when I could have any number of world-class hefe weizens (a slightly different style, I know) for about the same money?

Fizzy, pale straw-coloured body that was cloudy from sediment and a thin white head on top. Vague lemony aroma cut with harsh grain and a slight yeasty funk. The flavour starts with a citric pucker and finishes with a grainy aftertaste. Fizzy and thin-bodied. I'd normally consider the addition of a lemon wedge sacrilege, but it might help in this case.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2007 19:28:00 | More by vanrassel

scott451

Ontario (Canada)

2.98/5  rDev +8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Swirl poured into a glass beaker. Two finger bubbly tan head. Hazy greyish amber. Occasionally some yeast chunks (not good). Some lacing. Citrusy astringent bread smells. Has a bitter hoppy aftertaste. Strange in a wheat beer. Like it's trying to be an IPA. Nice mouthfeel. Drinkability is not bad. I could drink a couple on a hot day but there are better wheat beers. I used to really like this beer. Perhaps it used to be better, or else my tastes have become more discerning.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2010 03:42:23 | More by scott451

Shadman

Alberta (Canada)

2.48/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Spied a sixer @ 8th Street here in the laand of Coors Lite and Clam.

Hazy, pale straw color. Looks like something I might excrete after drinking 2 or 3 of these. Getting past that, mine showed some head and lacing without the gobs of sediment that others noted.

Sharp citrus note, very grainy, and I noted a fair bit of yeastiness as well. Certainly no spice or banana here.

Has a certain sharpness to it. Quite citrus like, with a hint of wheat malt in the background. Finish is dry-ish and somewhat lemon peel bitter.

Surprisingly full given how pale it looked. Carbonation was about right.

Will agree whole-heartedly with Vanrassel in that paying a premium price for some of these craft brews certainly doesn't get you a premium beer. Basically a decent homebrew and that is it.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2008 03:45:07 | More by Shadman

IronDjinn

Alberta (Canada)

2.28/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Well then, we'll just skip over the entendres behind the name, rather than ask if this wheat ale can live up to them...

Pours out a pale cloudy straw hue, thin white head.

The aroma reminds me more akin to the biscuity malty notes of a craft pils. The only tartness comes from a bit of yeast that rises to the surface. Even then it is a homebrewer's yeast, rather than the subtle spices of any weizen.

Along those lines the flavour is rather bland, with a generic tartness along the finish, too much wheat used in the mash, no real balance. Bitter, tart grain on the aftertaste serves as a rueful reminder of where this went wrong.

The mouthfeel is fairly full however, nice texture and body, just nothing else for it to work with in this wheat ale.

Well then, Nelson's put out some pretty good beers, but this one should be chalked up as a miss, regardless of how organic it's been certified. As one reviewer mentioned previously, if you are going to partake, this is a wheat ale that should be accompanied by a lemon or two to aid in the palatability.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2007 19:39:23 | More by IronDjinn

canucklehead

British Columbia (Canada)

3.18/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Seems you can't have a craft brewery in BC without a wheat beer for summer. The Nelson crew went the much maligned American Wheat route but made the mistake of making this beer an eyesore. No head, nasty cloudy pale greeny yellow colour with huge blobs of sed floating around. I know this is unfiltered but considering the type of beer drinkers who choose basic wheat beers, they should have cleaned up the look.

The taste is straightforward with some decent mid body and finish. This is a fuller beer than say Grasshopper but the cosmetics need serious atttention.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2005 03:20:00 | More by canucklehead