Leavenworth Whistling Pig Wheat Ale - Fish Brewing Company / Fishbowl Brewpub

larryi86

Delaware

3.56/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

2 12 oz bottles poured into a Weizen glass

A- A hazy golden copper color with a four finger white head.

S- Floral, bitter herbs, lemons, wheat...kind of weak...

T- Wheat, some cloves, floral, touch of lemon, hint of banana, better than the nose, but again it is a little of the weak side.

M- Smooth, medium body.

O- This is an easy drinking beer and has enough flavor, but there are other hefes I like better. I did get this in a beer exchange so I am not complaining, but I would not seek it out again.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2013 02:36:56 | More by larryi86

Braz

Washington

3.1/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Had on tap at Duck's and Drakes in Leavenworth. Looks and smells decent enough. Hazy gold with a creamy white head. Smell is light floral, maybe a touch of banana. Taste is very mild and almost has a watered down effect. Has a sort of bitter finish also. Fairly disappointing.

Serving type: on-tap

12-19-2012 07:56:37 | More by Braz

superspak

Michigan

3.68/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 ounce bottle into weizen glass, Jan 2012 dating notched on the side. Pours hazy and cloudy golden amber color with a nice 1-2 finger dense white head with good retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Some bits of spotty lacing cling to the glass. Aromas of lemon, banana, clove, orange zest, wheat, bread, and yeast spices. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity; a bit of a metallic note as it warms. Taste of lemon, biscuit, wheat, clove, orange zest, pepper, banana, earth, and yeast spices. Lingering notes of citrus, biscuit, wheat, banana, clove, earth, and yeast spices on the finish for a good bit. Nice flavor balance and complexity; does not approach a watery feel like some I have had. A lot more bready and yeasty than most; but there is some decent amounts of citrus and banana flavors. Medium carbonation and body; with a lightly crisp and slick mouthfeel that is good. Alcohol is well hidden with only a slight warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a nice Hefeweizen. Good amount of flavor with nice balance and complexity; nicely crisp and easy to drink. It was quite enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2012 04:02:35 | More by superspak

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.23/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

12oz bottle, a single somewhat long sought after by yours truly.

This beer pours a cloudy medium golden yellow colour, with a single anemic finger of bubbly, limited foamy dirty white head, which leaves but a few measly specks of timid lace around the glass as it quickly abates.

It smells of semi-sweet wheat grain, a bit of unripe banana, some mineral/metallic character, a smidgen of sour yeast, and earthy, dead leaf hops. The taste is more sugary wheat graininess, a bit of yeasty breadiness, more mineral tint, and weak leafy, smudged hops.

The bubbles are rather sedate and innocuous, the body a decent enough medium weight, and fairly smooth, at any rate. It finishes off-dry, the wheaty graininess still kind of tainted by some edgy phenols, and underachieving fruit and spice notes.

A so-so hefe, given the other options around there that don't crash 20 bucks for a six pack. A generally agreeable brewer, but this one's a miss.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2012 04:46:11 | More by biboergosum

morimech

Minnesota

3.1/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Cloudy golden color with a massive head that had excellant retention before settling to a thick cap. Adequate amount of lacing is left down the glass.

Rather mild aroma. I do detect some esters, mainly banana. A touch of cloves and wheat is about all there is.

Flavor is equally as mild. The yeast add very little to what tastes like a straight up wheat ale. Decent wheat flavor but rather disappointing overall.

Bordering on undercarbonated but it does have a smooth, gentle texture.

Not a good hefewiezen even by American attempts. They should definately change the yeast they brew this beer with.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2012 17:45:40 | More by morimech

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a cloudy dark golden color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is mild, some wheat. Taste is also on the mild side, light wheat, a bit of lemon, very easy drinking. Feels full bodied in the mouth and overall is a pretty good beer, however a bit mild for this style.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2012 17:22:31 | More by tone77

prosper

Alberta (Canada)

2.55/5  rDev -22.7%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

12oz bottle. 5.4% ABV.

Pours fairly clear, even with an aggressive pour. Some whiteish sediment firmly compacted on the bottom of the bottle. Not a really impressive wheaty head, either, something more typical of an average lager. Not off to a strong start for this one.

Smell: sour wet grains. Mild yeasty phenolics, but not pleasant. Almost vomit-like.

Taste is OK. Nothing groudbreaking here. Some sweet bready malts, some fruity yeastiness and some faint phenolics. Tart, almost lemony.

Mouthfeel is average. Not as carbonated as a good hefe ought to be.

Overall, this was quite a disappointment. Generally hefes dont age or travel well, so I'll give this the benefit of the doubt and assume that it's much better fresh. Still, it's only 4 months old, so, I dunno.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2012 06:10:06 | More by prosper

Emunselle

4.6/5  rDev +39.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Still my favorite Hefewizen to date. Always on the look for the best Hef and this one is at the top. It has all the right flavors and none of the oddities of some like Gordon Biersch's Hef having a bubble gum flavor in it. I know many like the sweet fruity flavors in some Hefs, like banana, but I am partial to the citrus, clove and wheaty flavor. If you like these qualities you'll like Leavenworth Whistling Pig Hefewiezen.

The smell is refreshing and gets my mouth watering right before I take my first drink. It smells like wheat beers should and gets you ready for the flavor that comes next.

The appearance is typical, a bit cloudy and golden.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 16:01:12 | More by Emunselle

yemenmocha

Arizona

3.9/5  rDev +18.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours very hazy and dark orangey-gold color, yet thin head on top. Nose is somewhat faint for the style, especially compared to other hefe-Weizen examples I've enjoyed this week. Palate has plenty of wheatcrackery flavors, some banana clove, and a yeasty/bready character that is nice. Easy drinking.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2012 02:58:08 | More by yemenmocha

clayrock81

Virginia

3.15/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Great start with a cloudy orangish body and a good, foamy head, on a rather underperforming aroma for this style (minimal lemony/citric/yeast/wheat/spice notes...more airy) but not bad...too bad these are highlights for this beer. This beer is alright but it it's close to lawnmower beer for spring/summer...it is sharp and crisp but the wheat twang one expects for that filling body is barely there so it also comes across as watery. And rather a sharp, exciting, complex spicy/pepper mix of some sort there's just little pricks of clove and as for that sharp lemonzest that is barely around...in fact if anything I got something like a pear or apple skin. Finish is dulled and murkey and this was a one-and-done.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2012 18:47:57 | More by clayrock81

avalon07

South Carolina

2.6/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

A: Poured from a bottle to a weizen glass. Had a yellow color and a cloudy consistency. There was a big, creamy, long-lasting head. Good lacing.

S: Not much of a smell here, with some traces of wheat and that's about it.

T: Tasted of some wheat, malt, and a little bubble gum. The major problem in this category is the watery quality. It's a thin brew with almost no character.

M: A nice amount of carbonation with a crisp, clean finish. Light-bodied.

O: Simply put, this is not a well made beer. It's flavor just isn't up to snuff.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2011 15:22:38 | More by avalon07

mempath

Pennsylvania

4.68/5  rDev +41.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

ok, i admit i bought this for the label (mountain bike!) and this is NOT a favorite style...but, just had a post-xmas turkey sandwich...now time to have this 'dessert'

ok, the look of a hefe never bothered me (it's the taste usually)...nice initial stick lacing that dissipates into a small constellation chart...nice. hazy golden/amber, this looks to have a little 'heft'

nose: nice slight grainy nose, can't find the yeast i expected, maybe some hops? weird. and pleasant.

taste: wow...i mean, what flying dog did mixing belgium with the IPA style, this is another sort of mutation, a synergy that works better for sure. nice, bitter hops, quite pronounced but dry enough to let a touch of the wheaty, yeasty come thru...light enough to be refreshing (any time of the year), but bold enough to be had with anything with a bite like, say, dark chocolate with cayenne! the mouthfeel is right for the style as is the carbonation. quite balanced. the taste of course is balanced but at extremes. makes for a very successful, unique brew. cheers to the PIG! i'll be coming back for slop after my mud ride (it's coming down hard now...the trails call....).

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2011 19:49:42 | More by mempath

chickenflea

Florida

3.43/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

This is the strangest Hefewiesen I have ever had. Perhaps it's the "alpine-style" designation. It had quite a bite to it and was rather spicy with a hoppy finish. Missing was the creamy texture and subtly sweet aromas of banana and clove. Is this beer 1/3 pale ale? Not a bad combination. Refreshing and tasty. It had the cloudiness of a hefe with a small amount of residue in the bottom of the bottle. The head was small for a hefe. Plenty of lacing and retention. A surprising beer. I will buy it again now that I know what to expect. This beer does not fit neatly into any category.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2011 17:45:06 | More by chickenflea

mralphabet

Virginia

3.03/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12 oz. bottle poured into pint glass,

A: Pours a very light orange color with 1/2 a fingers worth of white head that settles quickly to a very small ring with no lacing.

S: I'm getting a mix of bread, wheat, orange peel and yeast.

T: OK, much like the smell... the bread and wheat are right up front, mid palate I'm getting a lot of citrus.. lemon and orange we very strong. Finish is clean with very little aftertaste.

M: Light-bodied and crisp, good carbonation, very Hef like.

D: Not a bad little beer... more Bread and wheat than most Hefes I've had. With a 4% ABV you could drink tons of these but there is nothing crazy different with this one... pretty average.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2011 02:42:58 | More by mralphabet

Cyberkedi

Georgia

3/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Aroma is wheaty and yeasty with a snip of fruit, not strong but still appealing. It pours a typical straw yellow with minimal white head. Flavor, though, is pleasing, wheaty and fruity - mainly apple - and enjoyable, if not complex. Texture is a bit on the watery side, but fairly fizzy and leaving a nice tangy finish. This is not a beer that I will actively seek out, but it was worth a fair shake.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2011 01:37:18 | More by Cyberkedi

Tearik

Alabama

3.85/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A-Very Orange nearly white head. Almost no retention. Moderate Lacing

S- The smell is very wheaty along with some strong citrus tones.

T- The main part of the taste in this beer is a smooth wheatiness. Ends with moderate / strong citrus flavors.

M- Very Very light mouthfeel. You could drink these one after another all day long.

Overall: This beer is a drinker, not a sipper. This is most definitely not a bad thing, as I could envision many days working in the yard or partying at the pool and drinking many of these.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2011 21:40:06 | More by Tearik

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

2.6/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

12 ounce bottle - $1.99 at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Appearance: Pours a clouded, orange-gold body with a tall, foaming, near-white head.

Smell: Somewhat weak nose, smelling only lightly of bready-scented wheat, stagnant citrus juice, and a weak, weak hint of phenols.

Taste: Lightly bready taste of wheat malt. Little sweetness to grab onto. Then a taste of tangy, old, watered down orange juice hit with spice and bitter herbs folds in. It's kind of unpleasant. Modestly bitter. It's just an odd, unpleasant taste, really, and leaves me with very little hope for their Boulder Bend Dunkelweizen I also picked up. Tangy, thinning finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-thin body. Medium-high carbonation.

Overall: From the standpoint of a German hefeweizen, it's not good. At all. From the standpoint of an American Pale Wheat Ale, well, it's also not that good. This is one to skip, folks.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2011 18:11:09 | More by ChainGangGuy

OtherShoe2

Massachusetts

3.13/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours an opaque orange/gold with an ok head. No retention at all.

Some sweet wheat and yeast in the nose. Looking for spice or fruit, not getting much.

Some wheat and grain. A bit coarse in some husk bitterness. In fact, this one is over-bitter. Finish is fairly clean. I'm looking for more and just not getting it.

Lighter bodied. Good carbonation.

Didn't really dig this. Grain flavors were ok, but this one lacks drinkability and complexity. Just barely ok.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2011 03:29:52 | More by OtherShoe2

cjgator3

Florida

3.6/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle

A- Pours a hazy golden orangish color with an off-white head with decent retention and lacing.

S- The aroma is fruity with some wheat and citrus and a touch of yeast as well. The citrus (lemon/orange peel) is what sticks out the most.

T- The taste has some wheat up front with a lot of the citrus flavors that were present in the nose. The finish has a citrusy lemon-like sourness to it.

M- The mouthfeel is light bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation.

O- Overall, this is not a beer that is going to knock your socks off. However, this beer pretty much does what it is intended to do. It is a light bodied quaffable beer that is flavorful enough to make a decent session beer for these warm summer months here in Florida.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2011 00:32:07 | More by cjgator3

Nerudamann

Arizona

3.18/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a bottle into a pilsner glass since I don't have a weizen glass.

Look - somewhat pale amber in color, murky, with about half a finger of off-white foam that dissipates quickly.

Smell - not very strong, but a typical wheat beer type of smell, maybe a hint of clove or orange.

Taste and Mouthfeel - also a fairly typical wheat beer's taste, but pretty mellow and subtle. Slight muskiness. Again, maybe a slight hint of orange or clove. The texture is a pretty good and balanced. Not much of an aftertaste.

Overall - not a bad beer at all, but not terribly unique- or interesting-tasting.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2011 03:19:47 | More by Nerudamann

trxxpaxxs

New York

2.88/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A: Pours a nice cloudy apricot color. There is a thin white head that leaves a bit of lacing, but it fades quickly.

S: Smells mainly of wheat. There is more nice sweetness in the aroma (which is to be expected for a Hefeweizen). Overall there isn't much going on here.

T: There is some initial sweetness with a decent amount of carbonation. Nice clean finish, but it's almost forgettable. I'm not overly impressed with this beer

M: Clean and crisp. No lingering flavors.

D: At 4%, and not much complexity to this beer I could drink a lot of it in a sitting. But I wouldn't want to. One taste is enough.

O: I'm not a huge fan of this beer. I'm glad to have tried it, but if I were to see it on the shelves of my local bottle shop I would pass on by.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2011 00:20:47 | More by trxxpaxxs

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Leavenworth Whistling Pig Wheat Ale
12 0z. bottle; no apparent freshness dating.

Appearance: Typical cloudy golden-orange body beneath a full head of creamy white foam. The head retention is good, eventually dropping to a creamy surface covering. Lacing is average.

Smell: Wheat. Some yeasty fruitiness (apple, soft pear).

Taste: A fairly basic wheat beer with a little bit of yeasty fruitiness, and a little bit of actual "yeast" taste. It seems to utilize an English strain. Clean and straightforward, the malt and yeasty fruitiness combine from start to finish. There's very little hop flavor, and only a firm bitterness (as expected).

Mouthfeel: Light-medium in body. Gently crisp.

Overall: Given that they've labeled it as a "wheat ale" I have no trouble looking at it as just that. It's an American-style hefeweizen, basic and straightforward. There are no flaws to it, and it's quite drinkable except that it lacks a bit of character. Great summer beer!

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2011 14:41:53 | More by NeroFiddled

BilbosNuts

California

2.35/5  rDev -28.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Poured into a pint glass.

A: Pours a very cloudy golden color that is expected of a hefeweizen. It has a small white head that fades quickly.

S: It has a very wheaty smell with some spices that come through.

T: There isn't much flavor or taste to this beer. Just a simple wheat and bread taste.

M: It has a medium body with a little bite of alcohol at the end.

D: It isn't necessarily a good example of a hefeweizen. It is easy to drink, but I'd look elsewhere if I'm in the mood for a hefeweizen again.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2011 02:40:27 | More by BilbosNuts

turnerr79

Washington

3.38/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz bottles, WA State.

Light wheat nose, definitely taking a stole down the yellow wheat road. First sip was surprisingly sweet and citrusy. Mild wheat tone rolled in the flavor. Not quite as yeasty as I might want in a hef.

Crisp and easy to drink, but overall falls a bit flat.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2010 05:02:52 | More by turnerr79

Halcyondays

California

3.45/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle,

A: Pours a very cloudy burnt orange with solid white head, nice lace.

S: Very bready, notes of winter spice - cinnamon/nutmeg which I liked, no esters per the style.

T: Very wheaty, some dark malt flavours in there. Lemony hops, various citrus zest. This is not a hefe. I really wish American breweries would stop labeling beers hefes that clear aren't. For an APWA a good flavour, in that style a 4, but as a hefe I can only give it a 3.

M: Light-bodied and crisp, good biting carbonation, very solid.

D: After picking up the very tasty (and true to style) Leavenworth Alt, I was let down a bit by this offering. When I expect a hefe, I want a hefe. Take this as an APWA and you won't be disappointed, it's one of the better ones of that generic style that I've had.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2010 23:03:20 | More by Halcyondays