Willy
Alpine Beer Company

WillyWilly
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From:
Alpine Beer Company
 
California, United States
Style:
American Pale Wheat Beer
Ranked #206
ABV:
4.9%
Score:
77
Ranked #27,127
Avg:
3.35 | pDev: 13.43%
Reviews:
61
Ratings:
192
Status:
Active
Rated:
Aug 18, 2022
Added:
Jun 21, 2003
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  14
Willy, named after my brother-in-law’s childhood nickname, is crisp and light-bodied, with a slightly sweet, nutty flavor. The hopping is mild and gentle. It’s perfect for times when you crave a beer utterly refreshing and low in alcohol. A true thirst quencher everyone enjoys.

1.047 OG
4 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Mic-Lee:
Photo of Mic-Lee
Reviewed by Mic-Lee

3.77/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Clear golden color. No lacing, about two fingers of foamy loose head. Smells lightly of sweet malt. Flavors of hazlenuts, with delicate, faint floral hops in the background. Extremely light, drinkable and refreshing. Medium to low carbonation. Light mouthfeel with a touch of creaminess.

Overall: Another delicious brew from Alpine. This beer is very refreshing and sessionable in a major way. It has a great balance of richness and lightness from the floral hops and creamy nuttiness. Growler worthy.
Nov 20, 2012
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.4 by QuintusHorace from California

Aug 18, 2022
 
Rated: 3.69 by WillieThreebiers from Connecticut

Dec 11, 2018
Photo of safaricook
Reviewed by safaricook from Netherlands

3.23/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Hmmm, not much of anything. Clearly American yest instead of German banana and clove goodiness there is nothing really. even a bit unpleasant. not my style or beer
Jul 15, 2018
 
Rated: 3.34 by Wontonst from California

Jul 10, 2018
 
Rated: 3.75 by mrcraft from California

Jun 14, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by jkrug5 from Maryland

May 29, 2018
Photo of vette2006c5r
Reviewed by vette2006c5r from Minnesota

3.42/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Willy pours a bright translucent straw color, with a very small head. Aroma is cheap, and grainy, hints of corn. Flavor is creamy, and crisp, nice subtle hints of wheat, hints of hops. Good body and feel. Overall, not a pretty beer, not a crazy beer. Pretty solid flavors.
Mar 25, 2018
 
Rated: 3.5 by paulish from New York

Mar 02, 2018
 
Rated: 3 by prost2hefeweizen from Oklahoma

Feb 02, 2018
 
Rated: 3.21 by Tbone2131 from Connecticut

Jan 22, 2018
Photo of beerthulhu
Reviewed by beerthulhu from New Jersey

3.53/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
-Can to spiegelau ipa glass.

A: Pristine clarity on a medium orange colored body shows a mid-density of macro-carbonation bubbles building upon a frumpy, lightly dull white head of two fingers. Head retention lasts several good minutes leaving a multiple band lacing down the vessel.

S: The aroma was light in nature, dried lemon peel, a bit of fusels, with freshly baked bread and whole wheat grains. A bit disappointing considering past experience with this brewery.

T: Floral hopping, some honey-lemon hops are wet and thirst quenching along with some sweet grains and orchard notes bring an initial good impression, more in line of expectations from this brewery. The palate is crisp and clean, some yeasty fruitiness that is fresh, with a soft wheaty back-bone. Light citrus and fresh orange citrus notes with a finale of honey-hop spiciness.

M:Light bodied, softly carbonated, slippery texture with a sweet finish off the tongue. Soft delicate honey-hop flower like coating.

O: Overall after a few stumbles to open up (appearance, aroma), the flavor, most notable the clean and smooth polished hopping, brings back some redemption and hope. Alpine has been known to brew some exceptionally smoothly, bitter and flavorful and balanced ipas, however this seems like a entry level, lacking a punch and spectrum of flavors, but still can garnish respect for its clean like brewing nature. Definitely not their strongest offering, there are much better beers to try from them, this sits as a low B overall, and just did not strike my fancy to the tune like their other offerings.
Jan 21, 2018
Photo of NeroFiddled
Reviewed by NeroFiddled from Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +19.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Alpine Beer Co. "Willy"
12 fl. oz. can, coded "7 219 2-1048"
$1.99 @ Total Wine & More, Cherry Hill, NJ

Notes via stream of consciousness: Crystal clear golden body beneath a finger thick head of white. The aroma offers a hint of sweetish malt, some yeasty fruitiness including apple, and some light hops. It's fairly basic but it's also very clean and welcoming. The flavor follows with more sweetish, wheaty malt, a similar yeasty fruitiness, and roughly the same amount of hops... they're present, but not really clear, and I can't figure out what varieties they might be. So, again, like the aroma it's fairly basic but very good. Looking back the head has dropped to a very thin surface covering and thin collar but the lacing is quite nice with torn sheets of lacing covering most of the glass. It's medium-light in body and gently crisp. Overall there's enough malt there that it's satisfying while at the same time seeming a bit light and refreshing, and there's enough overall character to it between the wheat and the yeasty fruitiness and the grassy hops that it could stay interesting for more than a serving or two. Very nicely done. Superbly balanced and rounded.
Dec 25, 2017
Photo of Lone_Freighter
Reviewed by Lone_Freighter from Vermont

3.77/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Poured into a becher pint glass.
The appearance was a soft yellow transparent color with a finger's worth of quickly dissipating white foamy head. What looks like some rings of bubbly to foamy lace want to form and stick modestly.
The aroma had a soft sweet to bitter citrusy hoppiness rolling all around the front end becoming more so sweet lemon quality as it warmed. Light muffin character coincided with lemon and some grassy whiffs.
The flavor took all of the prior mentioned aromas to play sweetly with a sly bitterness at the end. Some wheatiness started to come out ever so slightly. Mild lemon to sweet wheaty aftertaste.
The mouthfeel was between light and medium bodied with a fair sessionability about it. Carbonation felt fine. ABV felt appropriate. Smooth lemon muffin sort of finish.
Overall, it's like drinking a lemon muffin with a little bit of wheat in it, which to me was pretty damn good. I'd have again.
Oct 21, 2017
 
Rated: 3.02 by Futbolmanby from Michigan

Oct 19, 2017
Photo of Act25
Reviewed by Act25 from New Jersey

3.52/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Emphasis on light. Light colored, light flavored, gentle wheat ale.
A) Pours a translucent light yellow gold. Head is loose and small with only a few dots of lace and no retention.
S) Lemony citrus and wheat malt, Classic but thin.
T) White beer, wheat and lemon on base of nuts and mild sweetness. Hop character light and noble. But clean, better as it warms.
F) Crisp, refreshing, dry finish, light bodied - sauvignon blond like.
O) Clean, light AWA that meets the brewer's goals, but not mine.
Oct 15, 2017
Photo of Treyliff
Reviewed by Treyliff from West Virginia

3.32/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
12oz can poured into a pint

Pours a hazy pale straw color with a thin foamy white head that has decent retention. Smells ofntoasted wheat, grains, slightly nutty. Tastes of pasted wheat, sweet malt, toasted nuts & grains. Medium-light body with moderate carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel and crisp finish. Nothing fancy, easy drinking and goes down quick
Sep 22, 2017
 
Rated: 3.67 by smb71481 from Vermont

Sep 11, 2017
 
Rated: 3.5 by sgregory from Connecticut

Sep 06, 2017
Photo of metter98
Reviewed by metter98 from New York

3.29/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
A: The beer is clear yellow in color and has a moderate amount of carbonation. It poured with a half finger high white head that quickly settled down, leaving a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface, a narrow collar around the edge, and lacing running down the sides of the glass.
S: Light aromas of lemons, wheat, and sweet malts are present in the nose.
T: The taste has some flavors of honey and wheat along with hints of lemons and a slight amount of sweetness.
M: It feels light-bodied and slightly smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation. The wheat doesn't contribute any "chewiness".
O: This beer is quite drinkable for the style and although it isn't especially flavorful, it doesn't have any "raw" flavors or "chewy" mouthfeel that you might normally associate with a pale wheat ale.

Serving type: can
Sep 02, 2017
Willy from Alpine Beer Company
Beer rating: 77 out of 100 with 192 ratings