Totally Naked - New Glarus

Vitals:

Name: Totally Naked

Style: Lager

IBU: ??

ABV: 4.2%

Gravity: ??

Purchased at: New Glarus Brewery

Descriptions:

Appearance: Pours a very pale, clear, straw-yellow color with about a finger of bone white head. Decent retention and a thin cap but GREAT (and quite unexpected) lacing. Lots of active carbonation bubbles, too.

Smell: Light biscuit malt and lemony aromas here...some herbal/floral/grassy hops hanging around in the background too. The aromas are faint, but if you really concentrate it is a somewhat complex smell. Lots of lemon, though...perhaps a bit too much as it is somewhat turning me off of the smell. I think I smell a tiny bit of apple too? Weird...

Taste: You really only get a brief taste...some lemon and a tiny bit of malt...this is an extremely boring beer. This tastes like a step up from Miller Lite...not complex at all, which is disappointing considering the smell was somewhat promising.

Mouthfeel: Extremely light, with adequate carbonation and it's not quite as thin/watery as a lot of domestic lights. 

Overall Grade: C-

Comments: This is simply a very slight upgrade (in taste and experience) over domestic light macro brews...however, it comes with a corresponding jump in price. For my money, all else equal, I would buy a case of cheaper Miller Lite over this if I truly wanted something this light. The best reason to buy this is that it's a not-terrible tasting sessionable beer and it supports local business.

Cheers,

Hurls

312 Urban Wheat - Goose Island Brewing Company

So I had my bachelor party in Milwaukee this past weekend - no details will be provided :-) but that has definitely slowed my beer consumption since and posting of previous reviews. Milwaukee is definitely a fun little city and I had 5 of my very best friends with me; had an amazing time.

Vitals:

Name: 312 Urban Wheat

Style: American Pale Wheat Ale

IBU: 20

ABV: 4.2%

Gravity: ??

Purchased at: Trixie's Liquor BYO 6-pack

Descriptions:

Appearance: Pours a bright straw-colored yellow. Slightly hazy with about a finger of bone-white head. Surprisingly good retention/lacing and leaves a thin bubbly cap. A moderate amount of carbonation bubbles are readily visible.

Smell: Lemony, yeasty smell with a grainy maltiness. You also get a bit of the wheat smell. Slightly citrusy/grassy hop undertones are present, but just barely. This is a very pleasant smelling beer; nothing too overpowering - it is just right.

Taste: You get pale malt up front which plays nicely with citrus hops and the lemon flavors. The slight grassiness pairs well with these flavors as well. You really only get the hops as the beer fades off your palate. The hops don't really have a bite to them, but you do get a slight mild bitterness. This is a nice traditional wheat ale, and is a nice change of pace to the banana/coriander/clove hefes that are out there.

Mouthfeel: VERY light bodied with moderate carbonation. This beer is only slightly dry at the finish, which is perfect. This has a very smooth mouthfeel with no detractors. EXTREMELY high drinkability

Overall Grade: B+

Comments: Based on everything but mouthfeel this beer would get a solid B from me. However, it's a great beer in that it has (much more than most I've reviewed) a thirst-quenching drinkability to it with the super-light body. There is a nice balanced quality to this beer, which makes it a very solid choice if you want a light beer that has a pretty solid flavor. Enjoy in the sun!

Cheers,

Hurls