Tasty Wheat Beer (Plus the Answer to "Why is Chicago's Area Code 312?")
Written: May 04 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: light and refreshing
Cons: not truly typical of wheat beers (which is fine by me)
The Bottom Line: Here's a nice candidate for your first summer brew of the year.
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| scmrak's Full Review: Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Beer |
After ten years in a two-season climate I'd sort of forgotten the joy of one's first brew of summer. The days are getting longer, the sun is getting higher, and the skin is getting tanner: that means that it's time for the beers to get lighter. Let the stouts and the porters rest for a few months, I'm in the market for something light. And with a bright yellow sun high in the sky, my first foray into summer beer just had to come from a bottle with a bright yellow label. Out of Chicago's Goose Island Brewing Company comes 312 Urban Wheat.
The Pour: It's a wheat, so I gave the bottle a little swirl (some, like my pal Jeff, even roll the bottle a bit on the tabletop) and then pour it into a tall conic lager glass. The 312's a slightly hazy pale straw yellow; perhaps a little lighter than most German wheats. The head is a pale ivory, slightly over an inch in height, with fine bubbles and fair to good retention. This is a highly carbonated beer, producing fine streams of bubbles right down to the last sip - the lager glass almost looks like an overgrown champagne flute filled with a fine Brut (Veuve Cliquot, perhaps?). The haziness persists, but 312 isn't as hazy as many wheats I've had.
The Nose: Subtlety is the 312's watchword, which in my experience isn't unusual for a wheat beer. I catch hints of citrus and malt, and maybe a passing waft of hoppy spiciness.
On the Tongue: It starts off sweet with hints of honey and a faint citrusy tang. Malt notes are subdued, as are the hop notes. With so high a carbonation, there's an ongoing sensation of fizz throughout. I think most would call it "crisp," which works for me. Low hop content (15 IBU, according to the brewer) gives it a smooth finish without tongue-crinkling bitterness. Given the 312's relatively low alcohol content - 4.2%BV - there's not much taste from that quarter. It's certainly a beer better suited for quenching one's thirst than getting hammered.
Overall: This isn't the most complex of wheat beers I've had, nor the strongest. It is, however, more refreshing than I find typical of the genre. Wheats have never been my favorite variety, but I like this one - so it's probably atypical. It's ultimately quite drinkable, though, particularly as the hot seasons are upon us. The light flavor pairs well with spicy foods (but heck, I think everything pairs well with spicy foods) and also stands up well alone.
Why call it 312?
Hah - that's an easy one: 312 is the original area code for Chicago, home to the Goose Island brewery and its family of craft beers. The bottle's bright yellow label (and the label printed on twelve-packs) bears an outline of the present-day skyline of the Windy City in gold on yellow, complete with the Sears Tower and other well-known landmarks. "But why is Chicago's area code 312?" you ask...
When Ma Bell first conceived the area code concept all of her switches were mechanical - remember those quaint pulse-dial phones your grandma had? Same idea. So the switches were tied up while they were "reading" the pulses. Since big cities were going to have more calls routed to them, the phone company assigned them the shortest possible area codes, using "short-pull" numbers like 1, 2, and 3 instead of "long-pull" numbers like 8, 9, and 0. In case you'd forgotten (or never knew), all area codes in olden days had either a 1 or a 0 in the middle. New York - the biggest city at the time - got the shortest possible combination, 212, and Chicago came in next at 312. That's why places like Alaska and Hawaii ended up with 907 and 808. The interesting thing is that Detroit (313) is now much smaller than Houston (713). Here ends the history lesson.
Parting Thoughts
A tasty and refreshing brew for those hot summer days - yes, Virginia, it does get hot in Illinois in the summer. Purists may cavil at the idea, but many squeeze a few drops of fresh lemon into their 312s to enhance that refreshing sting on your palate. Quite low alcohol content, so suitable for a weekend afternoon after you've been working in the garden or painting the house. I give it a four.
Recommended:
Yes
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